FORMOSAT-2 Satellite Imagery Samples
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - Barcelona, Spain; December, 15, 2005
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - Barcelona, Spain; December, 15, 2005
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - Barcelona, Spain; December, 15, 2005
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - San Vicente, El Salvador; November 19, 2009
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - New York City, New York, USA; January 11, 2016
FORMOSAT-2 2-m Natural Color - Calderitas, El Salvador; November 19, 2009
Click on the expand button for a larger view of each image. You can also right-click and save any of the examples to your computer for a full resolution view.
The FORMOSAT-2 Advantage
Daily Revisits
When still active in space, FORMOSAT-2 offered daily revisits of any location along its the orbital track. However, there is lack of archive coverage outside these orbits.
Download Orbital Track
Download a KMZ of the FORMOSAT-2 orbital track
here.
Great Clarity
For 2-meter pansharpened resolution, the clarity of features not normally seen in medium resolution imagery (such as airplanes and construction equipment) is stunning.
Monitoring & Mapping
When still active in space, FORMOSAT-2 offered large area coverage, daily revisits and superb clarity. It was an excellent choice for site monitoring, disaster management and relief and regional mapping.
Overview & HistoryFORMOSAT-2 SpecificationsPricing
Launched on May 21, 2004 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA by the National Space Organization (NSPO), FORMOSAT-2 is the first medium resolution satellite developed by the Taiwanese. FORMOSAT-2 featured optical sensors with 2-meter (m) panchromatic and 8-m multispectral (i.e. blue, green, red and near-infrared/NIR) resolution. With an orbital height of 891 kilometers (km), FORMOSAT-2 offered daily revisits over any location within its fixed orbital track.
FORMOSAT-2 collected its last image on June 20, 2016 and was decommissioned shortly thereafter on August 1, 2016.
Launch Details
- Launch Date: May 20, 2004 17:47:03 UTC
- Vehicle: Taurus-XL rocket
- Site: Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, USA
- Decommission Date: Late June 2016
FORMOSAT-2 Components
- Dimensions: hexagonal body with 1.6-m sides and 2.4-m height, 693 kg (without original propellant)
- Solar Array: 2 fixed Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) panels
- Control Systems:
- 3-axis stabilized
- Actuators – 4 reaction wheels (MicroWheel-10SP-S)
- Altitude determination – star sensors, gyroscopes and an inertial reference unit (IRU)
- Onboard Storage Capacity: 41 GBit, solid state recorder
- Ground Communication Systems:
- Imagery downlink – 120 Mbit/s, X-band
- TT&C transmission – 4 kbit/s uplink, 1.6 Mbit/s downlink, S-band
- Focal Plane:
- Pushbroom sensor
- CCD systems – TH 7834 for panchromatic, THX 31547 quad-linear for multispectral
- 12,000 panchromatic pixels, 3,000 multispectral pixels
- Optical Sensor Assembly: 2,896-mm focal length, 600-mm aperture diameter
Orbit Characteristics
- Altitude: 891 km
- Period: 102.9 minutes
- Inclination: 99.14°
- Direction: sun-synchronous circular, north to south (across the lit side of Earth)
- Equatorial Crossing Time: 9:26 AM local time (approximate; across lit side of Earth)
- Revisit Frequency: daily (along fixed orbital track)
Imaging System
- Spectral Bands:
- Panchromatic
- 4-band multispectral (blue, green, red and NIR)
- Sensor Resolution: 2-m panchromatic & 8-m multispectral (at nadir)
- Spectral Band Wavelength Range: (in nm)
- Panchromatic – 450 to 900
- Blue – 450 to 520
- Green – 520 to 600
- Red – 630 to 690
- NIR – 760 to 900
- Dynamic Range: 8-bits
Collection Capabilities
- Footprint Width: 24 km
- Maximum Collection Geometry: (at 30° off-nadir)
- Strip length – 3,000 km
- Stereo – two 100-km x 24-km pairs
- Contiguous mono polygon – four 100-km x 24-km strips
- Imagery is only collected at nadir along the fixed orbital track, the satellite can slew forward (cross-track) and aft (along-track)
- Retargeting Ability: roll 10° in 25 s, 30° in 45 s and pitch 45° in 60 s
Below is the least expensive FORMOSAT-2 data offered. Prices increase for additional spectral bands and data processing. Note that academic and volume discounts are available.
For an exact quote, please contact our Sales Team at sales@apollomapping.com.
Completing an atmospheric correction and/or radiance conversion of FORMOSAT-2 imagery?
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