Ikonos American civilian surveillance satellite. The first high resolution commercial imaging satellite. Earth observing satellite built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems for Space Imaging => GeoEye, USA. Launched 1999. Used the LM-900 bus. |
WorldView 4 (WV 4, GeoEye 2) Null |
Tracking stations downrange did not pick up the spacecraft. It was later determined that the rocket nose fairing failed to separate four minutes after launch. The extra mass caused the vehicle to reenter over the South Pacific on the first partial orbit. Space Imaging's Ikonos 1 was to have been the first commercial imaging satellite with a high a resolution camera.