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System Characterization Report on Vision-1

Open-File Report 2021-1030-Q
By: , , , , , and 
https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211030Q

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Executive Summary 

This report addresses system characterization of the Airbus Vision-1 satellite and is part of a series of system characterization reports produced and delivered by the U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence. These reports present and detail the methodology and procedures for characterization; present technical and operational information about the specific sensing system being evaluated; and provide a summary of test measurements, data retention practices, data analysis results, and conclusions.

Vision-1 is a high-resolution Earth observation satellite launched in September 2018 as a collaborative effort between Airbus and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. It features a Newtonian telescope with a refractive relay, capturing images in panchromatic and multispectral bands. Operating in a Sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 583 kilometers, Vision-1 ensures consistent illumination conditions during image acquisition. It has a revisit time of 1 to 8 days depending on latitude and viewing angle, and it features an off-pointing agility of plus or minus 45 degrees, allowing for multiple target captures in a single pass using spot, strip, and mosaic imaging modes. The panchromatic band offers a resolution of 0.87 meter (m), whereas the multispectral bands (blue, green, red, and near infrared) provide a resolution of 3.48 m. These capabilities support a variety of applications including urban planning, agricultural monitoring, land classification, natural resource management, and disaster response. More information on the Vision-1 satellite and sensors is available in the “2022 Joint Agency Commercial Imagery Evaluation—Remote Sensing Satellite Compendium.”

The Earth Resources Observation and Science Cal/Val Center of Excellence system characterization team completed data analyses to characterize the geometric (interior and exterior), radiometric, and spatial performances. Results of these analyses indicate that the Vision-1 satellite has an interior geometric performance in the range of 0 to 0.02 m in easting and −0.01 to 0.03 m in northing in band-to-band registration, an exterior geometric performance of 1.7 to 2.2 m in easting and −1.1 to −0.7 m in northing offset with a 90-percent circular error of 3.4 to 3.7 m, a radiometric performance in the range of −0.029 to 0.017 in offset and 0.884 to 0.984 in slope, and a spatial performance in the range of 0.992 to 1.092 pixels for multispectral full width at half maximum and 1.895 pixels for the panchromatic band full width at half maximum, with a modulation transfer function at a Nyquist frequency in the range of 0.29 to 0.36 for the multispectral bands and 0.05 for the panchromatic band.

Suggested Citation

Vrabel, J.C., Bresnahan, P., Sampath, A., Kim, M., Park, S., and Clauson, J., 2024, System characterization report on Vision-1, chap. Q of Ramaseri Chandra, S.N., comp., System characterization of Earth observation sensors: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2021–1030, 14 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20211030Q.

ISSN: 2331-1258 (online)

Table of Contents

  • Executive Summary
  • Introduction
  • System Description
  • Procedures
  • Measurements
  • Analysis
  • Summary and Conclusions
  • Selected References
Publication type Report
Publication Subtype USGS Numbered Series
Title System characterization report on Vision-1
Series title Open-File Report
Series number 2021-1030
Chapter Q
DOI 10.3133/ofr20211030Q
Year Published 2024
Language English
Publisher U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location Reston, VA
Contributing office(s) Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center
Description iv, 14 p.
Online Only (Y/N) Y
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
Google Analytic Metrics Metrics page
Additional publication details