WASHINGTON — Maxar Intelligence is targeting early 2025 for the launch of its final pair of WorldView Legion imaging satellites, marking the completion of an ambitious six-spacecraft Earth observation constellation.
“We’re ready to go,” CEO Dan Smoot said in an interview. He said Maxar is in discussions with SpaceX to schedule the launch as soon as possible, though the timing remains fluid given SpaceX’s packed manifest of customers.
The deployment of WorldView Legion 5 and 6 represents the culmination of Maxar’s strategic expansion of its satellite imaging network, which has faced several delays during development and production. The company has already successfully launched four WorldView Legion satellites this year – two in May and another pair in August.
New orbital strategy
Maxar’s third and fourth WorldView Legion satellites were the first to be placed in mid-inclination orbit, enabling “dawn-to-dusk” image collection capabilities. This orbital configuration allows the satellites to monitor regions between 45º north and 45º south latitude, where approximately 90% of the world’s population resides.
“That’s new for Maxar,” Smoot said. The company released its first images from these mid-inclination satellites on November 19, with both spacecraft expected to begin supporting customer missions in the near term.
The company’s existing infrastructure includes four legacy satellites and the first two WorldView Legion spacecraft, all operating in sun-synchronous orbit — circling Earth’s poles and capturing imagery at consistent daily intervals. The final two WorldView Legion satellites will join their predecessors in mid-inclination orbit, significantly expanding the constellation’s coverage capabilities.
“Our constellation will be able to revisit some Earth locations up to 15 times a day,” Smoot said.
Market response
Initial customer feedback for the first two operational WorldView Legion satellites has been “tremendous,” according to Smoot, particularly regarding image clarity. He said clients have been eagerly anticipating the additional capacity that the complete constellation will provide.
Maxar Intelligence is the U.S. government’s largest provider of Earth observation imagery, particularly for defense and national security.
“We’re now focused on how we can use all this data to fuel our content and insights products, with a major focus on U.S. government and international customers,” he said.
