Monthly Update on Astrium’s High Resolution Satellite, Pléiades 1A

Pléiades 1A has been in orbit since December 2011 and if you have not had a chance to check out any sample imagery, take a few moments and have a look at the gallery on our website. If you work with high resolution imagery, you should consider Pléiades 1A for your next geospatial project.

A variety of Pléiades 1A products are available from both a growing archive and as a new collection, including 50-centimeter (cm) pansharpened imagery and 50-cm panchromatic – 2-meter (m) 4-band multispectral bundles. We are happy to discuss the technical specifications, pricing and tasking options available with this new satellite constellation as Pléiades 1A will be joined in space by its twin, Pléiades 1B, later this year.

Working with Pléiades 1A for the past months, we have noticed that:

• The imagery archive is already growing and is well targeted.
• Astrium is able to deliver on their Pléiades 1A tasking feasibilities.
• The data is crisp with excellent color saturation so that it is on par with competitors’ 50-cm satellites.

The Advantage of Tri-Stereo Pléiades 1A Collections

A traditional satellite imagery stereo pair consists of two images taken from opposing look angles. While this data may suffice in many locations, over areas with extreme topographic change, in valleys and over dense urban areas, you will find that shadows, buildings and land features can obscure the view of shorter nearby features. Take for example two tall buildings in Chicago that are across the street from each either. With a traditional stereo pair, one is taken from the west and the other from the east so that the lien of the buildings will prevent a clear view of the street below.

A tri-stereo image collected by Pléiades 1A will help to minimize obscured views by obtaining a third image which is close to nadir (or straight up and down) between the two traditional stereo pairs. By doing this, when elevation data is extracted from tri-stereo images there is less 'lost' data due to obscured views. The Apollo Mapping sales team can tell you more about the advantages of tri-stereo data as well as the cost.

Recent Tasking Successes with Pléiades 1A

In the past month, Pléiades 1A collected a tasking order in a region with high historic cloud cover. The polygon was situated in central Guatemala and we received cloud-free data collected at lower than 20 degrees off nadir within a single week of order confirmation.

To say that we are impressed with Pléiades 1A’s ability to collect high resolution imagery within stated timelines is a vast understatement!

Pléiades 1A Sample Imagery

This month we feature stunning sample imagery collected by Pléiades 1A over Hong Kong, China on March 4, 2012. We Photo Enhanced this 50-cm natural color imagery to improve its colors and sharpness and the results speak for themselves.

Our Contact Details For More Information About Pléiades 1A

The Apollo Mapping sales team can answer any questions you might have about Pléiades 1A. We can be reached anytime at (303) 993-3863 or sales@apollomapping.com.

More sample images and technical information about Pléiades 1A can be found on our website here.