RapidEye Imagery for Eagle Vision (Air Force)
Abstract
RapidEye is a constellation of five Earth remote-sensing satellites intended for broad-area multispectral optical imaging, with the capability to image areas of interest multiple times per day. It can image anywhere on the Earth daily, for tactical mission planning, battlespace awareness, geospatial intelligence, and unclassified homeland security and disaster relief/humanitarian functions. The RapidEye daily revisit capability can reach any point on earth for repeat coverage, with multiple daily opportunities to uplink control commands and downlink imagery, providing responsive timelines for command & control of the system. The five-satellite constellation redundancy enhances its availability and survivability and eliminates single-point-of-failure risk unique to single spacecraft. RapidEye AG, Brandenburg/Havel, Germany owns and operates this constellation which was launched in August 2008. The RapidEye satellites were developed using Canadian and British technologies that do not exist in the U.S. industry; and MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (MDA) of Canada developed the ground station interface software. The RapidEye test/calibration and commissioning phase is complete, and the system is fully operational. The primary outputs and efficiencies to be demonstrated in the FCT is the integration of the German RapidEye AG satellite constellation ground station interface initially into one of five Eagle Vision Data Acquisition Segment (DAS) sites; and following a successful FCT evaluation of this initial integration, the program would subsequently integrate the same ground station interface into the four remaining Eagle Vision sites.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2011
- Source ID
- 3b32d61f0f89d1e2e791c66741eb624b