The 2,094-pound (950 kilogram) satellite will circle the globe about 372 miles (600 kilometers) above Earth while the QuickBird sensor (a high-resolution camera) gathers images of the Earth's surface during daylight hours. It will take 3.3-foot (1-meter) panchromatic (black-and-white) and 13-foot (4-meter) multispectral (color) digital images of Earth's surface.

The 10-foot- (3-meter-) high, 6.5-foot- (2-meter-) diameter satellite, developed and manufactured by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, will collect data while in a 66-degree inclination orbit, which allows variable imaging at any time during the day. Once in operation, it will provide a constellation with imaging coverage and flexibility unequaled in the remote-sensing industry.

"QuickBird 1 represents a tremendous achievement for both Ball Aerospace and EarthWatch," said David L. Taylor, vice president of Ball's Commercial Space Operations. "As a team, Ball Aerospace and EarthWatch have worked hard to meet customers' growing needs for world-class images and services."

It will be operated jointly by Ball Aerospace and EarthWatch Incorporated of Longmont, Colorado. In addition to the spacecraft bus and high-resolution camera, Ball Aerospace will provide launch support and on-orbit commissioning support for the QuickBird.

QuickBird 1 is Ball Aerospaces first commercial spacecraft built for a non-government customer from the family of the Balls commercial products. "The potential for the commercial remote-sensing market is huge, and we aim to develop and maintain a very strong foothold in this developing business," Taylor said.

The satellite uses the Ball Global Imaging System 2000 satellite design. This system comprises the Ball Commercial Platform 2000 (BCP 2000) spacecraft bus and a Ball High-Resolution Camera (BHRC 60).

Cosmos LV is manufactured by NPO (Nauchno-Proizvodstvennoye Obedineniye, or Scientific-Industrial Enterprise) Polyot located in the Siberian city of Omsk. The launcher made its maiden flight on May 15, 1967. Overall 400 of the Cosmos two-stage launch vehicles have lifted off from Plesetsk. The upcoming launch is 401st.

Cosmos boosters are used to place navigational, communication and COSPAS/SARSAT-type satellites on elliptical and circular low Earth orbits ranging from 155 to 1,055 miles (250 to 1700 kilometers).