IKONOS
| Mission type | Earth observation |
|---|---|
| Operator |
DigitalGlobe Formerly GeoEye, Space Imaging |
| COSPAR ID | 1999-051A |
| SATCAT no. | 25919 |
| Mission duration | Final: 15 years, 6 months, 6 days |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | LM-900 |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Space Systems |
| Launch mass | 817 kg (1,801 lb) |
| Dimensions | 1.83 × 1.57 m (6.0 × 5.2 ft) |
| Power | 1,500 W |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 24 September 1999, 18:22 UTC |
| Rocket | Athena II, LM-007 |
| Launch site | Vandenberg AFB SLC-6 |
| Contractor | Lockheed Martin |
| Entered service | December 1999 |
| End of mission | |
| Disposal | Decommissioned |
| Deactivated | 31 March 2015 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.00028 |
| Perigee | 678 km (421 mi) |
| Apogee | 682 km (424 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.2° |
| Period | 98.4 minutes |
| Epoch | 24 September 1999, 18:22 UTC |
| Main telescope | |
| Type | Cassegrain |
| Diameter | 70 cm (28 in) |
| Focal length | 10 m (33 ft) |
| Wavelengths | Panchromatic: 450-900 nm Multispectral: 450-860 nm |
| Resolution | Panchromatic: 0.82–1 m (32–39 in) Multispectral: 3.2–4 m (130–160 in) |
IKONOS is a commercial Earth observation satellite, and was the first to collect publicly available high-resolution imagery at 1- and 4-meter resolution. It offers multispectral (MS) and panchromatic (PAN) imagery. The IKONOS launch was called “one of the most significant developments in the history of the space age”. IKONOS imagery began being sold on 1 January 2000.
It derived its name from the Greek term eikōn for image.
IKONOS was originated under the Lockheed Corporation as the Commercial Remote Sensing System (CRSS) satellite. In April 1994 Lockheed was granted one of the first licenses from the U.S. Department of Commerce for commercial satellite high-resolution imagery. On 25 October 1995 partner company Space Imaging received a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to transmit telemetry from the satellite in the eight-gigahertz Earth Exploration Satellite Services band. Prior to launch, Space Imaging changed the name of the satellite system to IKONOS. The name comes from the Greek word for "image".
Two satellites were originally planned for operation. IKONOS-1 was launched on 27 April 1999 at 18:22 UTC from Vandenberg Air Force Base SLC-6, but Athena II rocket's payload fairing did not separate due to an electrical malfunction, resulting in the satellite failing to reach orbit and falling into the atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean.
IKONOS-2 was built in parallel with and as an identical twin to IKONOS-1. Completion of its construction was projected for July 1999 with a January 2000 launch. In reaction to the loss of IKONOS-1, the spacecraft was renamed IKONOS and its processing accelerated, resulting in a launch on 24 September 1999 at 18:22 UTC, also from Vandenberg aboard an Athena II rocket.IKONOS has a mass of 817 kilograms (1,800 lb) and operates in a Sun-synchronous, near-polar, circular 681 km (423 mi) orbit. It has five imaging sensors, one panchromatic and four multispectral (blue, green, red, and near-infrared), and has a nadir image swath width of 11.3 km (7 mi).
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