


As Airbus posts more sample images from Neo 3 and 4, we’re getting excited for the commercialization of the latest 30-centimeter (cm) high-resolution satellites in our growing constellation of commercial satellites. According to Airbus, “the commissioning phase for Pléiades Neo 3 and 4 is going well. Everything is on track for commercial availability to start in November.”
It’s rare for two identical satellites to launch back-to-back, and unheard of at 30-cm resolution. Airbus is poised to collect vast amounts of 30-cm data with a 14-kilometer swath width and six multispectral bands.
As we wait for full access to Neo 3 and 4, we can take a look at new samples. The image of Athens, Greece blends modern and historical architecture. Neo 4 set it’s sights on the Moon and took a gorgeous image of our nearest neighbor while it was on full display. Arches National Park in the United States is a fan favorite for all hiking abilities with its rugged, semi-arid climate and over 2,000 sandstone arches.
Now here are some key characteristics of Pléiades Neo 4:
- Spectral Bands:
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- Panchromatic
- 6 Multispectral Channels
- Blue, green, red and NIR plus deep blue and red edge
- Sensor Resolution:
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- At nadir – 30-cm panchromatic & 1.2-m multispectral
- Footprint Width:14 km (at nadir)
- Direction: sun-synchronous
- Equatorial Crossing Time: 10:30 AM local time (descending node)
- Georeferenced Horizontal Accuracy: < 5-m CE90 (global average, dependent on terrain), 3.5-m expected with refined orbital data
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