A method for acquiring images of the surface of the earth, installing an aerial platform in a quasi-stationary position, equipped with an image acquisition system with a large field of view and a second, high-resolution, image acquisition system is disclosed. The method includes implementing successive observation cycles, each one including the acquisition of an image of a zone of interest by the first system, the partitioning of the image thus acquired into mesh units which each correspond to a sector of the zone of interest, the analysis of the image in order to detect the potential presence of unwanted marks, and the acquisition of an image by the second system for the mesh units for which no unwanted marks have been detected. Observation cycles are thereby implemented until images of the entire zone of interest have been acquired by the second system.

Systems and methods are provided for color-enhancing satellite data in a manner that is specific to the true color ocean signal, i.e., the light that is emanating from the ocean surface. These color enhanced images, in turn, can be used as a scientific research and monitoring tool for studying the coastal ocean.

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for correcting a satellite image acquisition time. The method may include receiving, from a ground-based orbit propagator, an initially predicted imaging time, a correction command execution time, and a desired satellite position for imaging, and calculating a waiting time for imaging, a predicted satellite position, a correction time, and a corrected imaging time to correct a satellite image acquisition time.

Methods and apparatus for Real-time Satellite Imaging System (10) are disclosed. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention an imaging sensor (14) on a geostationary satellite having one or more co-collimated telescopes (18). The telescopes (18) illuminate focal planes (22) which are sparsely populated with focal plane arrays (24). The focal plane arrays (24) record the entire observable Earth hemisphere at one time, at least once every ten seconds, or more often.

The present invention discloses a partition satellite mission planning method for earliest completion of regional target coverage, which includes the following steps: 1. partitioning a to-be-observed rectangular region; 2. allocating observation resources to different regions and selecting certain coverage opportunities and coverage modes thereof to minimize completion time corresponding to a formed coverage solution. The present invention can obtain a satisfactory solution capable of finishing complete coverage of regional targets as early as possible with sufficient observation resources through suitable calculation resources and achieve balance between the consumption of calculation resources and optimality of solutions, so that satellite resources can be fully used to conduct the quick and effective coverage search for important regional targets in a real environment.

Provided is a satellite image platform providing apparatus using launch vehicle-satellite-ground station-system integration (SI). The satellite image platform providing apparatus may include a communicator configured to receive launch vehicle information about specifications of a launch vehicle, a launch date, a launch price per unit weight, and a payload capacity from a first server; and a processor configured to calculate information about a price of a satellite image platform service for each application field and a subscription fee and a support method according to a service period of the satellite image platform service, thereby performing price calculation through analysis of specifications for the satellite, the launch vehicle, and a ground station.

A satellite system operates at altitudes between 180 km and 350 km relying on vehicles including an engine to counteract atmospheric drag to maintain near-constant orbit dynamics. The system operates at altitudes that are substantially lower than traditional satellites, reducing size, weight and cost of the vehicles and their constituent subsystems such as optical imagers, radars, and radio links. The system can include a large number of lower cost, mass, and altitude vehicles, enabling revisit times substantially shorter than previous satellite systems. The vehicles spend their orbit at low altitude, high atmospheric density conditions that have heretofore been virtually impossible to consider for stable orbits. Short revisit times at low altitudes enable near-real time imaging at high resolution and low cost. At such altitudes, the system has no impact on space junk issues of traditional LEO orbits, and is self-cleaning in that space junk or disabled craft will de-orbit.

The present invention provides a space vehicle comprising an optical system having a field of view, the optical system comprising at least two optical elements spaced from one another along an optical axis of the optical system, thereby defining an interior cavity of the optical system; at least one control system, the control system comprising at least one physical element configured for performing one or more functions for enabling operation of the vehicle; and at least one holding assembly for holding the at least one control system, the holding assembly comprising a folding mechanism configured and operable to move between a folded position corresponding to an inoperative mode of the optical system, and a deployed position corresponding to an operative mode of the optical system, such that in the folded position of the folding mechanism, the control system that is held by the holding assembly is at least partially located in the interior cavity of the optical system for stowage, and in the deployed position of the folding mechanism, the control system that is held by the holding assembly is located outside the interior cavity and outside the field of view of the optical system, thereby allowing operation of the optical system.

Systems and methods for payload attachment are disclosed. An example payload tie-down system includes a retaining stud assembly and a payload tie-down assembly. The payload tie-down assembly includes a tie-down housing and a tie-down fork. The tie-down for is movably enclosed within the tie-down housing. Additionally, the tie-down fork is configured to move linearly along an axis of the tie-down housing. The linear movement is generated by a rotational input to the payload tie-down assembly. Additionally, a first end of the tie-down fork is angled along at least a first axis.

Techniques for improving the quality of images captured by a remote sensing overhead platform such as a satellite. Sensor shifting is employed in an open-loop fashion to compensate for relative motion of the remote sensing overhead platform to the Earth. Control signals are generated for the sensor shift mechanism by an orbital motion compensation calculation that uses the predicted ephemeris (including orbit dynamics) and image geometry (overhead platform to target). Optionally, the calculation may use attitude and rate errors that are determined from on-board sensors.