Maxar’s third and fourth WorldView Legion satellites ahead of their Aug. 15 launch. Image © 2024 Maxar Technologies

The second batch of Maxar Intelligence WorldView Legion satellites are now in the commissioning phase after a SpaceX launch on Thursday morning. 

SpaceX launched the two satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket early on Aug. 15 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Maxar confirmed after launch that the satellites are successfully communicating with Maxar’s ground teams. 

These satellites join the first two WorldView Legion satellites which launched in May. The third and fourth satellites were launched into Mid-Inclination Orbit (MIO), which Maxar said will expand its dawn-to-dusk image collection capabilities. 

“Having multiple WorldView Legion satellites in MIO dramatically increases our ability to collect high-resolution, 30 cm-class imagery across more times of day and gain more visibility in areas that face frequent weather events like morning fog,”  Maxar Intelligence CEO Dan Smoot commented in a news release. 

The first images from these satellites are expected in early fall. Last month, Maxar released the first WorldView Legion images, showing the level of detail available in 30 cm-class imagery. 

Six satellites will make up the first block of the WorldView Legion constellation, with two more satellites to launch in the coming months. This is in addition to Maxar’s existing fleet of three WorldView satellites and one GeoEye satellite. 

When all six satellites are launched, it will triple Maxar Intelligence’s capacity to collect 30 cm-class and multispectral imagery. The expanded capabilities are expected to support more detailed, up-to-date mapping and 3D technology. Maxar has also said the capacity increase will fuel software products that use AI and machine learning to derive insights from the data. 

“The additional capacity will also enable us to meet growing global demand for high-resolution data and further extend our geospatial foundation advantage, collectively fueling our ability to build more advanced products that support our customers’ toughest missions,” Smoot said. 

Maxar supplies Earth imagery to the U.S. government and Department of Defense under a number of contracts. The company is on the National Reconnaissance Office’s Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) contract that began in 2022. Maxar’s 10-year contract is worth up to $3.24 billion and includes a five-year base contract commitment of $1.5 billion — a contractual commitment of just over $300 million for each of the first five years.