New satellite will let government, Google see even tinier objects from space

If you go outside on August 22^nd and start waving at the sky for a few consecutive months*, chances are you might be able to spot yourself on Google Maps in the near future.

On that date, Virginia-based company GeoEye will launch the GeoEye-1 satellite from Vandenburg Air Force Base in California. When it reaches its orbit, GeoEye-1 will start snapping photos of Earth – and it will do so fast.  The satellite can take high-resolution photos of an area the size of Texas within a day.

GeoEye-1, holding an ultra high-resolution digital camera attached to a massive telescope, will be able to take clear images of objects just 20 inches across – a huge improvement over Google Earth’s current 3-foot resolution. At this resolution, we should soon be able to see the shapes of people in online maps – but still not license plates. Read more »