Satellites can be placed in several types of orbits around Earth. The three common classes of orbits are low-Earth orbit (approximately 160 to 2,000 km above Earth), me… See more

Electromagnetic energy, produced by the vibration of charged particles, travels in the form of waves through the atmosphere and the vacuum of space. These waves have different wa… See more

Sensors, or instruments, aboard satellites and aircraft use the Sun as a source of illumination or provide their own source of illumination, measuring energy that is reflected ba… See more

Resolution plays a role in how data from a sensor can be used. Resolution can vary depending on the satellite’s orbit and sensor design. There are four types of resolution t… See more

Remote sensing data acquired from instruments aboard satellites require processing before the data are usable by most researchers and applied science users. Mos… See more