RapidEye Satellite

RapidEye satellite is a constellation of five 5-meter, 5-band satellites with a huge archive.

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Sample Imagery | Advantages | Overview, Specs and Pricing

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RapidEye Satellite Imagery Samples

RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Amalia Glacier, Chile; February 20, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - The Superbloom, Cahuilla, California, USA; March 24, 2019
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Serengeti National Park, Tanzania; May 14, 2017
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Denver, Colorado, USA; August 16, 2018
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Santa Clara, California; August 23, 2013
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany; September 26, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Mount Sinabung, Indonesia; June 24, 2014
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Barcelona, Spain; July 23, 2012
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Glacier National Park, Montana, USA; August 20, 2009
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Carroll Glacier, Alaska; August 29, 2012
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Carroll Glacier, Alaska; August 19, 2014
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Beihai, China; November 9, 2010
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Munich, Germany; September 26, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Manhattan, New York; July 1, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Munich, Germany; September 26, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - San Luis Valley, Colorado; June 19, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Mont Saint Michel, France; May 25, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - The Dolomites, Italy; October, 4, 2011
RapidEye 5-m Natural Color - Andes Mountains, Peru; September 11, 2011

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 RapidEye Advantage

Daily Revisits
For projects requiring regional views and frequent revisits, there is no better choice for new collections and archive data than the RapidEye constellation.

12-Bit Depth
The RapidEye constellation collects imagery with 12-bit depth (versus the competitor’s 11-bit or even 8-bit depth) and with a red edge band. Both of these improve the results of all spectral analysis techniques, and particularly of vegetation studies.

Regional Mapping
With valuable spectral information and rapid new area collections, the RapidEye constellation is appropriate for regional mapping projects, site monitoring, remote sensing and vegetation analysis.
Overview & HistoryRapidEye SpecificationsPricing

On August 29, 2008, a cluster of five identical medium-resolution satellites known as the RapidEye constellation was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, and reached an orbital height of 630 kilometers (km). The constellation features 6.5-meter resolution, 5-band multispectral (or blue, green, red, red edge and near-infrared/NIR) imagery.

With a wide footprint, five satellites and daily revisits, the RapidEye constellation has amassed more than 14 billion sq km of medium resolution imagery to date. Able to image 4 million sq km per day, or an area over twice as large as Mexico, the RapidEye constellation can support regional and even countrywide mapping projects.

As of December 31, 2019, RapidEye has been decommissioned and is therefore no longer collecting new 5-m imagery.

Launch Details
  • Launch Date: August 29, 2008, 07:15 UTC
  • Vehicle: Dnepr Launch Vehicle
  • Site: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan
  • Satellites In Orbit: 5 identical, equally-calibrated satellites
  • Expected Mission Life: past 2017

RapidEye Components
  • Dimensions of One Satellite: < 1 cubic meter, 150 kg
  • Solar Array: single junction GaAs/Ge cells
  • Control Systems:
    • 4 reaction wheels in tetrahedral configuration
    • Dual-wound magnetorquer rods for momentum management
    • 3-axis magnetometers and sun sensors for coarse attitude knowledge
    • 1 star tracker providing high-accuracy attitude information
  • Onboard Storage Capacity: 48 gigabits
  • Ground Communication Systems:
    • Imagery downlink – 8.25 to 8.40 GHz, X-band
    • TT&C communications – S-band
    • Ground station location – Svalbard, Norway
  • Focal Plane: multispectral push broom imager
  • Optical Sensor Assembly:
    • Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) built by Jena Optronik
    • MSI components – telescope, baffle, focal plane unit, front-end electronics, and instrument structure
    • Collector optics – three mirror anastigmatic (TMA) design

Orbit Characteristics
  • Altitude: 630 km
  • Period: 97.3 minutes
  • Inclination: ~ 97.9°
  • Direction: sun-synchronous circular, imaging north to south (across the lit side of Earth)
  • Equatorial Crossing Time: 11:00 AM local time (approximate; across lit side of Earth)
  • Observation Time: 14 minutes (time on lit side of Earth)
  • Revisit Frequency: 1 day (<20° off-nadir) at any latitude

Imaging System
  • Spectral Bands: 5-band multispectral (blue, green, red, red edge and NIR)
  • Sensor Resolution: 6.5 m (at nadir)
  • Spectral Band Wavelength Range: (in nm)
    • Blue – 440 to 510
    • Green – 520 to 590
    • Red – 630 to 685
    • Red edge – 690 to 730
    • NIR – 760 to 850
  • Dynamic Range: 12-bits

Collection Capabilities
  • Footprint Width: 77 km (at nadir)
  • Maximum Collection Geometry: up to 1 million sq km per day, per satellite
  • Daily Collection Capacity: 5,000,000 sq km (for combined 5 satellite constellation)
  • 3A Ortho Horizontal Accuracy: 50m CE90 (32m RSME) or better, depending on accuracy of GCPs and DEMs

Below is the least expensive RapidEye data offered. Prices increase for new collections and data processing. Note that academic and volume discounts are available.

For an exact quote, please contact our Sales Team at [email protected].

Completing an atmospheric correction and/or radiance conversion of RapidEye imagery?

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