Members of the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg AFB, Calif., successfully launched DigitalGlobe’s WorldView-2 high-resolution commercial imagery satellite into polar orbit Oct. 8 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket. The satellite is now undergoing a calibration and checkout and is expected to be available for commercial users in approximately 90 days, DigitalGlobe said in a release that same day. WorldView-2 is the latest in the company’s imagery satellites which include the Quickbird and WorldView-1 spacecraft that support the US defense and intelligence sectors, in addition to commercial clients. WorldView-2 will be capable of providing panchromatic imagery at 0.46 meter resolution and multispectral imagery at 1.8 meter resolution. Ball Aerospace built the satellite; ITT supplied the imaging sensor. (Includes Vandenberg report)
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.