Neel Mehta
The remote sensing satellite built by Ball Aerospace for DigitalGlobe has cleared a series of environmental testing, taking it a step closer to a possible launch in mid-August.
The WorldView-3 satellite completed thermal vacuum, acoustin, vibration and pyro-separation testing, Ball Aerospace announced Tuesday.
The satellite will also undergo electromagnetic interference and electromagnetic compatibility tests on April 23.
Ball Aerospace has developed CAVIS, or Cloud, Aerosol, Water Vapor, Ice, Snow, an atmospheric instrument that monitors the atmosphere and provide correction data to enhance the imagery captured by WorldView-3.
“The addition of a new Ball-built sensing instrument to WorldView-3 will enable the satellite to significantly improve the quality of some of the world’s most accurate images following the anticipated mid-August launch,” said Cary Ludtke, Ball Aerospace vice president and general manager of the operational space business unit.
The companies expect WorldView-3 to launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket in mid-August. It is the fifth satellite built by Ball Aerospace for DigitalGlobe and the fourth to join the remote-sensing constellation.
