Mon Jan 1, 0001

Commercial Satellite Surveillance Capabilities (2025)

Optical/Visual Imaging

Maxar (WorldView Legion)

First satellites launched June 2023. Native resolution: ~30 cm. Effective ~15 cm class product via processing. Revisit: up to 15 times/day for mid-latitude targets. Tasking available to commercial and government customers.

Planet Labs

~200+ Dove satellites (“SuperDoves”): entire Earth’s landmass daily at 3-5 m resolution. SkySat constellation (21 satellites): ~50 cm resolution, sub-daily revisit, video capture (up to 90-second clips). Pelican constellation (launches began 2024): targets 30 cm resolution.

BlackSky

~18 small satellites. 1 m (Gen-1), ~50 cm (Gen-2) resolution. Tasking-to-delivery under 90 minutes. Revisit up to hourly. On-demand tasking via API.

Airbus (Pleiades Neo)

Two satellites (launched 2021-2022). 30 cm native resolution. Daily revisit for any point on Earth.

Satellogic

~30+ satellites. 70 cm multispectral / sub-meter panchromatic. Offers governments sovereign capacity.

Resolution Limits

Best commercially available native: 30 cm. Maxar “HD” products: ~15 cm effective. US government relaxed commercial resolution limit from 50 cm to 25 cm in 2014. Current licenses permit 25-30 cm sales to commercial buyers. Israeli sites historically limited to 2 m by US law (restriction eased 2020).

Tasking Speed

  • BlackSky: under 90 minutes
  • Most others: hours to ~24 hours for new collections
  • Archive imagery: near-instant

Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)

Capella Space

~10 satellites. Sub-50 cm resolution, ~25 cm in spotlight mode (best-in-class commercial SAR). Collects day/night, through clouds and smoke. Tasking via API, delivery within hours.

ICEYE

~30+ satellite constellation. Sub-1 m SAR. Persistent monitoring with revisits of hours. Customers: governments, insurance, defense.

Umbra

16 cm resolution in spotlight mode (among finest commercial SAR). Open data program provides free archived SAR imagery.

SAR Capabilities vs. Optical

  • Penetrates clouds, smoke, darkness
  • Detects surface changes (subsidence, displacement) at millimeter scale via interferometry
  • Cannot see underground, but detects ground-surface deformation from underground activity (tunnels, mining)
  • Detects metallic objects, ship wakes, oil spills

Signals Intelligence / RF Monitoring

HawkEye 360

~30+ satellites (as of 2024). Clusters geolocating RF emissions. Detects: maritime radar, AIS transponders, push-to-talk radios, GPS jamming/spoofing, VSAT terminals, cellular/LTE signals. Does NOT intercept content — geolocates emitters only.

Kleos Space

4-satellite clusters. RF geolocation. Focus: maritime domain awareness and defense. Detects radio transmissions for geolocation, not content.

Unseenlabs

French company. ~10+ satellites. Passive RF detection specializing in ship tracking (detects vessel emissions even when AIS transponder off).

Commercial satellites may geolocate emitters but may not decode or record communications content. US regulations (FCC, NOAA licensing, ITAR) and international frameworks prohibit commercial SIGINT content interception.

Persistent Surveillance / Video from Space

Albedo

Plans very-low-Earth-orbit (~300 km) satellites. Target: 10 cm visible / 2 m thermal resolution. First launch targeted 2025. Would be highest-resolution commercial system.

Video

Planet SkySat: 50 cm video clips (up to 90 seconds). No company yet offers continuous real-time video surveillance of a location.

Analytics Firms

  • Orbital Insight: AI-driven analysis of satellite imagery
  • Descartes Labs (acquired by Unidata): geospatial analytics
  • Spire Global: AIS + weather data from satellite constellation

Who Can Buy This Data

Availability

Generally available to any paying customer — corporations, NGOs, journalists, individuals. Some restrictions:

  • US “shutter control” provisions: government can restrict collection during conflicts (never invoked)
  • Israeli site resolution limit (historically 2 m, eased 2020)

Pricing (Ballpark)

  • Archive imagery: ~$1-20/sq km
  • New tasking: $500-$10,000+ per scene (varies by resolution, priority, provider)
  • Subscription plans available

Notable Use Cases

  • Journalists: Planet imagery documented Xinjiang detention camps, Russian military buildups, North Korean missile sites
  • Hedge funds: monitor oil storage tanks (counting floating-roof shadows), retail parking lots, crop health
  • OSINT: Bellingcat and others routinely use commercial imagery for investigations

Sources

  • Company websites and press releases: Maxar, Planet, BlackSky, Capella, ICEYE, Umbra, HawkEye 360, Kleos, Unseenlabs, Albedo
  • Industry reporting on resolution limits and US licensing changes