Satellite imagery

Satellite imagery consists of images and data captured by satellites orbiting the Earth. The satellites use sophisticated sensors to collect information across the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, infrared, and radio frequencies.These observations have many usages for meteorological forecasting and disaster response, precision agriculture to cartographic purposes and military needs. 

Airbus operates a comprehensive satellite Earth observation fleet, accessible via the OneAtlas platform. Airbus’ constellation provides a versatile range of of optical and radar (SAR) data: - 

• Pléiades Neo (2 identical satellites providing very-high imagery with 30cm resolution) for extreme detail, 
• Pléiades (50cm) and Vision-1 (90cm) constellations for precise monitoring, 
• SPOT (1.5m) for vast geographic coverage. 
• TerraSAR-X, TanDEM-X and PAZ radar constellation (25cm resolution) , delivers weather and daylight independent site access to any point on Earth, for reliability in any conditions.

OneAtlas is the Airbus cloud-based platform that provides a single point of entry to world-leading satellite data. It allows users to:  access a massive global data archive, task a satellite for a new acquisition , and stream high-quality imagery directly into your preferred mapping software.

With Airbus highest-resolution imagery, user can clearly distinguish features as small as road markings, individual vehicles, and industrial equipment. This level of detail is ideal for identifying environmental changes, monitoring construction progress, or inspecting infrastructure without requiring ground-level access.

Regarding privacy, while Airbus-built satellites offer incredible clarity for mapping and analysis, they are not designed to identify individuals or read vehicle number plates.

Yes, depending  on the onboard sensor.

• Optical satellites (like a high-end digital camera) provide lifelike images but require daylight and clear skies.
• Radar satellites (SAR) work in all-weather conditions. They emit their own signals that bounce off the Earth and return to the satellites, allowing them to penetrate  cloud cover, smoke, and total darkness. This is essential for emergency response during storms or tracking ships at night.

We offer two main ways to get images:

• The Living library: A massive archive of acquired images that you can access instantly, they are perfect for seeing how a location has changed over several years.
• Tasking a satellite: If you need a brand-new image of a specific event (e.g.  a major construction milestones  or a post-disaster zone), you can programme one of our satellites to capture that exact spot at the next available opportunity, often within 24 hours.

Sustainability is a core application of Airbus data. Our imagery is used by NGOs and governments to:

• Fight deforestation: Detecting illegal logging n in real-time.
• Precision agriculture: Helping farmers to optimise water and fertilizer use, by identifying exactly which parts of a field are thirsty or stressed.
• Climate science: Tracking the impact of climate change on Earth such as the melting of glaciers and rising sea levels with millimeter precision.

Not necessarily. While professional map-makers (GIS experts) use specialised tools, OneAtlas platform is designed to be as easy to use as a standard web map. You can browse, zoom, and analyse data directly in your browser. For businesses, we also provide simple "plug-and-play" connections that bring our imagery directly into the apps they already use every day.

While we serve many institutional and defence clients, our data is increasingly used by:

• Civil engineers to plan new railways and bridges
• Insurance companies to assess property damage after a hurricane
• Retailers to track parking lot activity and consumer trends
• Environmental agencies to monitor protected wildlife habitats

At Airbus, we integrate Machine Learning (ML) and AI to process satellite data at scale. Instead of manually checking thousands of images, our AI algorithms can automatically detect, count, and classify objects such as aircraft, ships, or buildings, and identify subtle patterns of change that the human eye might miss.