# Satellite Mission Reference # Canonical lifecycle, capabilities, and gotchas for agent-assisted dataset selection. # # Usage: When a user asks for satellite imagery, use this to pick the right # mission/collection for their date range and requirements. missions: # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # LANDSAT PROGRAM (USGS/NASA) # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ landsat-5: platform: landsat-5 sensor: TM (Thematic Mapper) operator: USGS/NASA modality: optical launch: 1984-03-01 decommission: 2013-06-05 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m (optical), 120m (thermal) revisit_days: 16 stac_collection: landsat-c2-l2 stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "landsat-5" } } gee_collection: LANDSAT/LT05/C02/T1_L2 bands: [blue, green, red, nir08, swir16, swir22, lwir11] useful_range: "1984-03 to 2012-11" notes: > Longest-operating Earth observation satellite. Good for long-term change detection back to the 1980s. No SLC issues. Thermal band at 120m resampled to 30m in L2 products. gotchas: - Radiometric quality degrades in final years (2011-2012) - No coastal aerosol or cirrus bands - Thermal band lower resolution than Landsat 8+ landsat-7: platform: landsat-7 sensor: ETM+ (Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus) operator: USGS/NASA modality: optical launch: 1999-04-15 decommission: 2022-04-06 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m (optical), 15m (pan), 60m (thermal) revisit_days: 16 stac_collection: landsat-c2-l2 stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "landsat-7" } } gee_collection: LANDSAT/LE07/C02/T1_L2 bands: [blue, green, red, nir08, swir16, swir22, lwir11, pan] useful_range: "1999-04 to 2003-05 (full), 2003-06 to 2022-04 (SLC-off)" events: - date: 2003-05-31 label: Scan Line Corrector failure — ~22% of every later scene is missing notes: > Added panchromatic band (15m). The Scan Line Corrector (SLC) failed on May 31, 2003. After this date, ~22% of pixels per scene are missing in a characteristic striping pattern. gotchas: - "SLC-OFF: After 2003-05-31, ~22% of each scene is missing data (stripe gaps)" - "DO NOT USE post-2003 Landsat 7 as a single scene — data will have stripe gaps" - "Post-2003 data can be used in composites (gap-filling with multiple dates)" - "When sorting by cloud_cover, Landsat 7 SLC-off scenes often rank first because gaps reduce measured cloud pixels" - "Always filter with platform: landsat-8 or landsat-9 for single-scene analysis after 2003" landsat-8: platform: landsat-8 sensor: OLI/TIRS (Operational Land Imager / Thermal Infrared Sensor) operator: USGS/NASA modality: optical launch: 2013-02-11 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30m (optical), 15m (pan), 100m (thermal) revisit_days: 16 stac_collection: landsat-c2-l2 stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "landsat-8" } } gee_collection: LANDSAT/LC08/C02/T1_L2 bands: [coastal, blue, green, red, nir08, swir16, swir22, lwir11, cirrus, pan] useful_range: "2013-04 to present" scale: { factor: 0.0000275, offset: -0.2 } notes: > Major upgrade: 12-bit radiometry (vs 8-bit), coastal aerosol band, cirrus detection band. OLI has excellent signal-to-noise. Combined with Landsat 9, provides 8-day revisit. gotchas: - Surface reflectance values are stored as integers; apply scale factor 0.0000275 and offset -0.2 - TIRS Band 10 has known stray light issue (corrected in Collection 2) - Fill pixels have value 0 (before scaling) landsat-9: platform: landsat-9 sensor: OLI-2/TIRS-2 operator: USGS/NASA modality: optical launch: 2021-09-27 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30m (optical), 15m (pan), 100m (thermal) revisit_days: 16 stac_collection: landsat-c2-l2 stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "landsat-9" } } gee_collection: LANDSAT/LC09/C02/T1_L2 bands: [coastal, blue, green, red, nir08, swir16, swir22, lwir11, cirrus, pan] useful_range: "2022-02 to present" scale: { factor: 0.0000275, offset: -0.2 } notes: > Near-identical to Landsat 8. 14-bit radiometry. Phased 8 days from Landsat 8 orbit for combined 8-day revisit. gotchas: - Same scale factor as Landsat 8 - Data availability starts Feb 2022 (commissioning period) # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # SENTINEL-2 (ESA/Copernicus) # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ sentinel-2a: platform: sentinel-2a sensor: MSI (MultiSpectral Instrument) operator: ESA modality: optical launch: 2015-06-23 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 10m (VNIR), 20m (red edge, SWIR), 60m (atmospheric) revisit_days: 10 (single), 5 (with 2B) stac_collection: sentinel-2-l2a stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "Sentinel-2A" } } gee_collection: COPERNICUS/S2_SR_HARMONIZED bands: [B01, B02, B03, B04, B05, B06, B07, B08, B8A, B09, B11, B12] useful_range: "2015-07 to present" scale: { factor: 0.0001, offset: 0 } notes: > 13 spectral bands including 3 red-edge bands (unique among free missions). 10m resolution for RGB+NIR. Excellent for vegetation, agriculture, and water monitoring. gotchas: - Band values are integers 0-10000; multiply by 0.0001 for reflectance - Mixed resolutions (10/20/60m) — bands must be resampled to common grid - SCL (Scene Classification Layer) band useful for cloud masking - Harmonized collection (S2_SR_HARMONIZED) recommended for time series sentinel-2b: platform: sentinel-2b sensor: MSI (MultiSpectral Instrument) operator: ESA modality: optical launch: 2017-03-07 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 10m (VNIR), 20m (red edge, SWIR), 60m (atmospheric) revisit_days: 10 (single), 5 (with 2A) stac_collection: sentinel-2-l2a stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "Sentinel-2B" } } gee_collection: COPERNICUS/S2_SR_HARMONIZED bands: [B01, B02, B03, B04, B05, B06, B07, B08, B8A, B09, B11, B12] useful_range: "2017-07 to present" scale: { factor: 0.0001, offset: 0 } notes: > Twin of Sentinel-2A. Together they provide 5-day revisit at equator. Spectrally cross-calibrated. gotchas: - Same as Sentinel-2A - Minor spectral response differences from 2A (handled by Harmonized collection) # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # MODIS (NASA) # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ modis-terra: platform: terra sensor: MODIS operator: NASA modality: optical launch: 1999-12-18 decommission: null status: operational (degrading) resolution: 250m (bands 1-2), 500m (bands 3-7), 1000m (bands 8-36) revisit_days: 1-2 stac_collection: modis-13A2-061 gee_collection: MODIS/061/MOD13A2 useful_range: "2000-02 to present" notes: > Daily global coverage. Best for continental/global vegetation monitoring, fire detection, ocean color. Pre-computed products (NDVI, LST, snow, fire) available as analysis-ready composites. gotchas: - Coarse resolution (250m+) — not suitable for field-level analysis - Orbit is drifting; data quality declining since ~2020 - NDVI products (MOD13) are 16-day composites, not daily - Scale factors vary by product (check product-specific documentation) modis-aqua: platform: aqua sensor: MODIS operator: NASA modality: optical launch: 2002-05-04 decommission: null status: operational (degrading) resolution: 250m (bands 1-2), 500m (bands 3-7), 1000m (bands 8-36) revisit_days: 1-2 stac_collection: modis-13A2-061 gee_collection: MODIS/061/MYD13A2 useful_range: "2002-07 to present" notes: > Afternoon overpass (vs Terra morning). Same sensor, different orbit timing. MYD products = Aqua, MOD products = Terra. gotchas: - Same as Terra MODIS # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # SENTINEL-1 (ESA/Copernicus) — C-band SAR # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ sentinel-1a: platform: sentinel-1a sensor: C-SAR (C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar) operator: ESA modality: sar access_tier: open launch: 2014-04-03 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 5m × 20m (IW SLC), 10m (GRD) revisit_days: 12 stac_collection: sentinel-1-grd stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "Sentinel-1A" } } gee_collection: COPERNICUS/S1_GRD bands: [vv, vh, hh, hv] useful_range: "2014-10 to present" notes: > C-band SAR. All-weather, day/night imaging. Gold standard for flood-extent mapping, ship detection, post-event damage assessment, and oil-spill detection. S1A still operational; S1B failed Dec 2021 until S1C launch. gotchas: - S1B failed Dec 2021 — global coverage degraded until S1C - GRD products not phase-preserving (use SLC for InSAR) - "Polarization availability varies by mode (IW: VV+VH; EW: HH+HV)" # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # HYPERSPECTRAL — OPEN # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ emit: platform: iss-emit sensor: EMIT Imaging Spectrometer operator: NASA/JPL modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 381, max_nm: 2493 } access_tier: open launch: 2022-07-14 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 60m revisit_days: irregular stac_collection: EMITL2ARFL_001 stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "ISS" } } gee_collection: null bands: null useful_range: "2022-08 to present" notes: > Hyperspectral imaging spectrometer mounted on the ISS. 285 bands, 381–2493 nm at ~7.4 nm sampling. Primary mission: mineral dust source mapping. Secondary: methane plume detection (matched-filter retrieval on SWIR absorption). See SENSOR_CATALOG.md spectral_grid. gotchas: - "ISS orbit — irregular revisit, gaps at high latitudes" - Bands not enumerated in STAC; wavelengths inside the NetCDF coord variable - Daytime acquisitions only (passive optical) aviris-ng: platform: aviris-ng sensor: AVIRIS-NG (Next-Generation Airborne Imaging Spectrometer) operator: NASA/JPL modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 380, max_nm: 2510 } access_tier: open launch: "2014" decommission: null status: operational (campaign-based, airborne) resolution: 1-20m (altitude-dependent) revisit_days: campaign stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: null useful_range: "2014 to present (per-campaign availability)" notes: > Airborne hyperspectral imaging spectrometer. 380–2510 nm at 5 nm sampling, 425 bands. Flown on NASA ER-2 (~20 km), G-III, B-200. Primary uses: methane detection, mineralogy, ecological validation. Campaign archive at AVIRIS Data Portal (LP DAAC) and ORNL DAAC. gotchas: - "Airborne campaign-based — no systematic global coverage" - "Resolution varies by altitude (~1m low-altitude, ~20m ER-2)" - "Data archived per-campaign, not a single STAC collection" # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # COMMERCIAL — MULTISPECTRAL & SAR # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ planetscope: platform: planetscope-superdove sensor: PS2 / PS2.SD / PSB.SD (Dove / SuperDove CubeSats) operator: Planet Labs modality: optical access_tier: commercial launch: "2014" decommission: null status: operational resolution: 3m revisit_days: 1 stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [coastal_blue, blue, green_i, green, yellow, red, red_edge, nir] useful_range: "2014 to present" provenance: spec_source: spec_sheet spec_url: "https://www.planet.com/products/planet-imagery/" fetched_at: 2026-05-27 verified: false notes: > World's largest EO constellation (~200 active CubeSats). Daily global coverage at 3m. SuperDoves have 8 bands (vs 4 on older Doves — archive is mixed). Available via Planet API or brokers (SkyFi). gotchas: - "Mixed archive: older Doves are 4-band; only SuperDoves are 8-band" - "Commercial pricing per-km² or subscription" - "Cross-sensor radiometric calibration imperfect across constellation" skysat: platform: skysat sensor: SkySat optical (sub-meter tasking) operator: Planet Labs modality: optical access_tier: commercial launch: 2013 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 0.5m (pan, super-resolved); 0.5-1m multispectral revisit_days: tasked stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [blue, green, red, nir, pan] useful_range: "2014 to present" provenance: spec_source: spec_sheet spec_url: "https://www.planet.com/products/planet-imagery/" fetched_at: 2026-05-27 verified: false notes: > Sub-meter tasking constellation (~21 satellites). Acquired by Planet from Google/Terra Bella in 2017. Primary use: targeted high-resolution imaging on demand for monitoring/security/insurance verticals. gotchas: - "Tasking-only — not systematic; requires pre-order" - Pricing per scene, commercial license - 5 bands only (no SWIR, no red-edge) worldview-3: platform: worldview-3 sensor: WV-3 (VNIR + SWIR + CAVIS) operator: Vantor (formerly Maxar / DigitalGlobe) modality: optical access_tier: commercial launch: 2014-08-13 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 31cm pan; 1.24m multispectral; 3.7m SWIR revisit_days: 1 stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [coastal, blue, green, yellow, red, red_edge, nir1, nir2, swir1, swir2, swir3, swir4, swir5, swir6, swir7, swir8] useful_range: "2014 to present" provenance: spec_source: spec_sheet spec_url: "https://vantor.com" fetched_at: 2026-05-27 verified: false notes: > 8-band VNIR + 8-band SWIR + 12-band CAVIS atmospheric. Highest open-commercial resolution globally. Operated by Vantor since the 2025 Maxar→Vantor rebrand. gotchas: - "High $/km² — commercial license" - SWIR bands optional/may be deselected from purchased imagery - "Vantor brand new (2025 rebrand from Maxar Intelligence)" pixxel-firefly: platform: firefly sensor: Pixxel Firefly hyperspectral operator: Pixxel modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 470, max_nm: 900 } access_tier: commercial launch: "2024" decommission: null status: operational resolution: 5m revisit_days: tasked stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: null useful_range: "2024 to present" provenance: spec_source: spec_sheet spec_url: "https://www.pixxel.space/firefly" fetched_at: 2026-05-27 verified: false notes: > Commercial hyperspectral constellation. ~150 bands across 450–900 nm at 5m resolution. Use cases: agriculture, mining, methane (limited), environment. VNIR-only — less suitable for SWIR-absorption molecules like CH4/CO2 vs EMIT/AVIRIS. gotchas: - "Spec-sheet only — band specs not all verified against vendor API" - "Constellation under deployment — coverage incomplete" - "VNIR only (no SWIR) — limited methane/CO2 utility" capella: platform: capella sensor: Capella X-band SAR operator: Capella Space modality: sar access_tier: commercial launch: 2020-08-31 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 50cm (spotlight); 1.2m (stripmap) revisit_days: tasked stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [hh, hv, vv, vh] useful_range: "2020 to present" provenance: spec_source: spec_sheet spec_url: "https://www.capellaspace.com" fetched_at: 2026-05-27 verified: false notes: > Commercial X-band SAR constellation. Sub-meter tasking. Use cases: maritime monitoring, infrastructure, disaster response. Acquired SkyFi in 2024 (now provides the brokerage layer). gotchas: - "Tasking-driven — sparse archive, not systematic global coverage" - "X-band — different physics from C-band Sentinel-1 (less foliage penetration)" - Pricing per task, commercial license # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # FREE COMMERCIAL-TIER OPEN-DATA PROGRAMS # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # # Added 2026-06-07. These missions release a subset of their commercial # archive under CC-BY-style licenses. New fields beyond the baseline # schema: # # modality — sar | optical | hyperspectral | lidar | thermal | rgb # license — SPDX id or short tag # coverage_kind — chronological | hierarchical_stac | api | static_manifest # coverage_endpoint — URL for footprint discovery # coverage_script — repo path to crawler # # See docs/platform_research/free-commercial-data-programs/README.md for # the wider survey. umbra-sar-x: platform: umbra-sar-x sensor: Umbra X-band SAR operator: Umbra Space access_tier: open launch: 2021-07-01 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 25cm – 1m revisit_days: tasked modality: sar license: CC-BY-4.0 stac_collection: null stac_root: https://umbra-open-data-catalog.s3.amazonaws.com/stac/catalog.json coverage_kind: chronological coverage_endpoint: s3://umbra-open-data-catalog/stac/ coverage_script: products/explore/scripts/discover_umbra_timeseries_sites.py gee_collection: null bands: [hh, vv, hv, vh] useful_range: "2024-01 to present" provenance: spec_source: stac_crawl + program_page spec_url: "https://umbra.space/open-data/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: true notes: > Open subset of Umbra's commercial X-band SAR constellation. STAC catalog is organized chronologically (year/month/day), not by AOI — site discovery requires the crawler. ~25 persistent time-series sites + 1000+ ad-hoc. Bingham Copper Mine (Utah) at 113 visits is the densest US site and sits inside the SLC 90-min Explore AOI. gotchas: - "Chronological STAC layout — no native AOI search" - "Persistent vs ad-hoc captures are mixed; require clustering to separate" - "Site list expands ~monthly; refresh the crawler" wyvern-dragonette: platform: wyvern-dragonette sensor: Wyvern VNIR Hyperspectral Imaging Sensor operator: Wyvern (Edmonton, Canada) access_tier: open launch: 2023-06-12 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 5.22m – 5.26m revisit_days: opportunistic modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 503, max_nm: 799 } license: CC-BY-4.0 stac_collection: surface-reflectance stac_root: https://wyvern-odp.com/catalog.json coverage_kind: hierarchical_stac coverage_endpoint: "https://wyvern-odp.com/year/{year}/collection.json" coverage_script: products/explore/scripts/discover_wyvern_open_data.py gee_collection: null bands: [vnir_23_to_31_channels] useful_range: "2024-01 to present" provenance: spec_source: stac_crawl + program_page spec_url: "https://opendata.wyvern.space/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: true notes: > 4 on-orbit smallsats (Dragonette-001/002/003/004) producing 23–31 band VNIR hyperspectral at ~5.2 m GSD. 151 items in the open archive as of 2026-06-07; 12 repeat-site clusters. Densest site is Suez Canal (9 visits). Two Folia-AOI hits: SLC (1 capture near Bingham, June 2025) and Denver-Boulder (4-capture cluster on Pawnee Grassland). gotchas: - "STAC blocks default Python-urllib User-Agent — set a custom UA" - "STAC license field is 'Public Release' (vague); CC-BY-4.0 asserted by program page" - "L1B-only in open archive; one L2A surface-reflectance pilot in 'Surface Reflectance' collection" neon-aop: platform: neon-aop sensor: "NEON AOP — RGB camera (10cm) + AVIRIS-NG-class spectrometer (1m) + waveform LiDAR (1m)" operator: NSF / Battelle (NEON) access_tier: open launch: 2014-01-01 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 10cm (RGB) / 1m (hyperspectral) / 1m (LiDAR) revisit_days: ~annual per site (peak greenness) modality: hyperspectral # tri-modal; primary listing is hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 380, max_nm: 2510 } license: public-domain stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: https://data.neonscience.org/api/v0/products/DP1.30010.001 coverage_script: null # to be authored gee_collection: null bands: [rgb_3, hyperspectral_426, lidar_waveform] useful_range: "2014 to present" provenance: spec_source: neon_api + program_page spec_url: "https://www.neonscience.org/data-collection/aerial-remote-sensing" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: true notes: > NEON's Airborne Observation Platform (AOP). 59 ecologically-diverse US sites (out of 81 in the network), continental + Alaska + Puerto Rico + Hawaii. Co-registered tri-modal stack (RGB + hyperspectral + LiDAR) is unmatched in the open ecosystem. DP1.30010.001 is the 10cm RGB product; DP1.30006 is hyperspectral; DP1.30003 is LiDAR. AOP visits each site ~annually during peak greenness. gotchas: - "NSF funding contested in FY25/FY26 budget cycles — future cadence uncertain (existing 2014-2025 archive locked in regardless)" - "Co-registered stack only at sites visited in the same campaign — verify before assuming temporal alignment across modalities" - "Tri-product retrieval: must fetch DP1.30010 + DP1.30006 + DP1.30003 separately" enmap: platform: enmap sensor: "EnMAP VNIR-SWIR Imaging Spectrometer" operator: DLR / GFZ access_tier: registration_required launch: 2022-04-01 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30m revisit_days: 27 modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 420, max_nm: 2450 } license: "free w/ registration (DLR EnMAP portal)" stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: "https://planning.enmap.org/" coverage_script: null # registration-gated; to be authored gee_collection: null bands: null # 228 bands, 420–2450 nm at ~6.5 nm sampling useful_range: "2022-11 to present" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://www.enmap.org/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > DLR/GFZ hyperspectral satellite. 228 spectral bands across 420–2450 nm at ~6.5 nm sampling. 30 m GSD, 30 km swath. Level-2A surface reflectance products available free after registration at the EnMAP Science Portal (planning.enmap.org). Primary uses: mineralogy, vegetation biochemistry, methane plume detection (SWIR range), soil properties. Launched April 2022; science operations began November 2022. gotchas: - "Registration required — data not openly downloadable without account" - "27-day exact repeat — much longer revisit than Sentinel-2" - "30 km swath — relatively narrow for large-area surveys" - "L1C/L2A processing chain run by DLR; L2A preferred for surface-reflectance work" prisma: platform: prisma sensor: "PRISMA VNIR-SWIR Imaging Spectrometer" operator: ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) access_tier: registration_required launch: 2019-03-22 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30m revisit_days: 29 modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 400, max_nm: 2505 } license: "free w/ registration (ASI portal)" stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: "https://prisma.asi.it/" coverage_script: null # token-gated; to be authored gee_collection: null bands: null # ~250 bands, 400–2500 nm useful_range: "2019-04 to present" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://prisma.asi.it/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > ASI hyperspectral satellite. ~250 spectral bands across 400–2500 nm at ~10 nm sampling. 30 m GSD, 30 km swath. Data freely accessible after registration at the ASI PRISMA portal; API access requires a user token issued post-registration. Companion mission to EnMAP (overlapping spectral range, same 30 m class). Primary uses: methane detection, mineralogy, vegetation stress, water quality. gotchas: - "API token required — issued after registration; not suitable for fully automated pipelines without pre-auth" - "~29-day repeat orbit — even longer revisit than EnMAP" - "L2D (surface reflectance) product recommended; L1 radiance requires atmospheric correction" - "Archive access sometimes slow via web portal; bulk orders via dedicated API" tandem-x: platform: tandem-x sensor: X-band SAR Interferometer (TSX-1 / TDX-1 bistatic pair) operator: DLR / Airbus DS access_tier: registration_required launch: 2010-06-21 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 12m – 90m (GLO-30 / GLO-90 DEMs) revisit_days: 11 modality: sar license: "Free w/ registration (DLR)" stac_collection: null coverage_kind: static_manifest coverage_endpoint: null coverage_script: null # static manifest; to be authored gee_collection: JAXA/ALOS/AW3D30/V3_2 bands: null useful_range: "2010-12 to present" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://tandemx-science.dlr.de/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > DLR/Airbus DS bistatic X-band SAR pair (TerraSAR-X + TanDEM-X) that produced the globally-consistent TanDEM-X Global DEM. The 90 m product (GLO-90) is freely downloadable after registration at the DLR Earth Observation Center; the 12 m product (GLO-12) is commercial. Best globally-consistent DEM for regions with complex topography (Galápagos, Andes, Alps). Matters for shadow/3D in the Explore product. gotchas: - "DEM, not a SAR image archive — not useful for time-series change detection" - "GLO-90 free; GLO-30 and GLO-12 require commercial license from Airbus" - "Void-filled version available but fill method varies by region" - "Copernicus DEM (GLO-30) is derived from TanDEM-X and is freely available via MSPC without registration" alos-2: platform: alos-2 sensor: PALSAR-2 (L-band SAR) operator: JAXA access_tier: registration_required launch: 2014-05-24 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 25m (annual mosaic) / 3m–10m (spotlight/stripmap) revisit_days: 14 modality: sar license: "Non-commercial (JAXA)" stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: "https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/dataset/palsar2_mosaic_e.htm" coverage_script: null # to be authored gee_collection: JAXA/ALOS/PALSAR-2/Level2_2/ScanSAR bands: [hh, hv, hh_hv, hh_hv_vh_vv] useful_range: "2014-08 to present" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/ALOS/en/alos-2/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > JAXA L-band SAR satellite. Primary open-data product is the annual global PALSAR-2 mosaic at 25 m GSD (HH + HV). L-band penetrates forest canopy — excellent for above-ground biomass estimation and flood mapping under vegetation. Annual mosaic available free after JAXA AUIG2 registration; non-commercial license caveat. Archive from predecessor ALOS/PALSAR-1 (2006–2011) also available. gotchas: - "Non-commercial license — verify NC terms before any commercial recipe use" - "Annual mosaic only in free tier; scene-level archive requires additional JAXA agreement" - "L-band single-look penetrates foliage — backscatter value not directly comparable to C-band Sentinel-1" - "Mosaic compositing method (mosaicking date range, gamma-naught normalization) varies by year" spot-world-heritage: platform: spot-1-5 sensor: "HRV / HRVIR / HRG (SPOT 1–5 optical)" operator: CNES / Airbus DS access_tier: open launch: 1986-02-22 decommission: 2015-03-31 status: decommissioned resolution: "2.5m–20m (varies by sensor and mode)" revisit_days: 26 modality: optical license: CC-BY-SA-2.0 stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: "https://regards.cnes.fr/user/swh/" coverage_script: null # regards.cnes.fr API; to be authored gee_collection: null bands: [pan, green, red, nir, swir] useful_range: "1986-02 to 2015-03" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://regards.cnes.fr/user/swh/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > CNES/Airbus SPOT 1–5 World Heritage collection. ~6 million scenes spanning 1986–2015, released as open data under CC-BY-SA-2.0. Unique 30-year historical baseline at 2.5–20 m resolution — the longest-running sub-30m open optical archive. SPOT 1–3 are 20 m multispectral / 10 m panchromatic; SPOT 4 adds SWIR; SPOT 5 reaches 2.5 m super-resolved. Primary use: long-baseline change detection (deforestation, urbanization, coastline evolution) before Sentinel and Landsat 8 era. gotchas: - "CC-BY-SA-2.0 (ShareAlike) — derived works must be released under the same license" - "Archive at regards.cnes.fr; older interface, API can be slow" - "Mixed resolutions and band sets across SPOT generations — check per-scene metadata" - "SPOT 6/7 are NOT in this heritage program (commercial, operated by Airbus)" vantor-opendata: platform: maxar-worldview-2-3 sensor: "WorldView-2/3 (VNIR + SWIR) and GeoEye-1" operator: Vantor (formerly Maxar Intelligence) access_tier: open launch: 2009-10-08 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30cm – 50cm pan; 1.24m–1.65m multispectral revisit_days: tasked modality: optical license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 stac_collection: null stac_root: https://maxar-opendata.s3.amazonaws.com/events/catalog.json coverage_kind: hierarchical_stac coverage_endpoint: "https://maxar-opendata.s3.amazonaws.com/events/catalog.json" coverage_script: registry/connectors/vantor/discover.py gee_collection: null bands: [coastal, blue, green, yellow, red, red_edge, nir1, nir2] useful_range: "2010 to present (disaster activations only)" provenance: spec_source: stac_catalog + program_page spec_url: "https://registry.opendata.aws/maxar-opendata/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > Vantor (formerly Maxar/DigitalGlobe) open-data program. Sub-meter imagery released under CC-BY-NC-4.0 for major disaster events (earthquakes, floods, wildfires, conflict zones). WorldView-2/3 at 30–50 cm pan, 1.24 m multispectral. Canonical STAC on AWS RODA. Existing registry source at registry/sources/datasets/source-coop/source-coop-maxar-maxar-opendata.yaml. gotchas: - "CC-BY-NC-4.0 — non-commercial use only" - "Disaster-activation only — not systematic global coverage" - "STAC organized by event, not AOI — discovery requires event enumeration" - "Vantor rebrand from Maxar Intelligence completed 2025" constellr-skybee: platform: constellr-skybee sensor: "Constellr SkySat-class thermal IR imager" operator: Constellr (Freiburg, Germany) access_tier: open launch: "2024" decommission: null status: operational resolution: 30m – 100m (thermal LST) revisit_days: tasked modality: thermal license: "TBD" stac_collection: null coverage_kind: static_manifest coverage_endpoint: null coverage_script: null # static manifest; license verification pending gee_collection: null bands: [thermal_ir] useful_range: "2024 to present" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://www.constellr.com/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > Constellr (Freiburg-based start-up) provides high-revisit thermal infrared imagery for Land Surface Temperature (LST) applications. The SkySat-class thermal imager targets agricultural water stress, urban heat islands, and industrial thermal monitoring. A sample open-data archive has been released; full license terms not yet publicly finalized — verify at constellr.com before incorporating into commercial workflows. gotchas: - "License TBD — do not use in commercial workflows without verification" - "Early-stage constellation — archive coverage is sample/demonstration quality" - "Thermal LST (not raw brightness temperature) — product depends on atmospheric correction" - "Constellr is a start-up; continuity risk higher than ESA/JAXA missions" capella-opendata: platform: capella-opendata sensor: Capella X-band SAR (open-data subset) operator: Capella Space access_tier: open launch: 2020-08-31 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 50cm (spotlight) revisit_days: tasked modality: sar license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 stac_collection: null stac_root: https://capella-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/stac/catalog.json coverage_kind: hierarchical_stac coverage_endpoint: "https://capella-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/stac/catalog.json" coverage_script: registry/connectors/capella/discover.py gee_collection: null bands: [hh, vv] useful_range: "2020 to present (curated open-data subset)" provenance: spec_source: program_page + aws_registry spec_url: "https://registry.opendata.aws/capella-opendata/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > Capella Space open-data program. Curated subset of their commercial X-band SAR archive released under CC-BY-NC-4.0. 50 cm resolution spotlight scenes — the highest-resolution openly licensed SAR product available. STAC catalog on AWS RODA. Distinct from the commercial `capella` entry which represents the full tasking product. Primary uses: disaster damage assessment, infrastructure monitoring, maritime. gotchas: - "CC-BY-NC-4.0 — non-commercial use only; limits self-serve recipe path" - "Curated sample archive, not systematic coverage — fewer scenes than Umbra open program" - "X-band vs C-band Sentinel-1: different penetration physics" - "Distinct from capella (commercial tasking) entry in this vocabulary" iceye-opendata: platform: iceye-opendata sensor: ICEYE X-band SAR operator: ICEYE (Finland / Poland) access_tier: open launch: 2018-01-12 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 1m (stripmap) / 25cm (spotlight) revisit_days: tasked modality: sar license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 stac_collection: null coverage_kind: api coverage_endpoint: "https://www.iceye.com/open-data" coverage_script: null # to be authored gee_collection: null bands: [hh] useful_range: "2020 to present (open subset)" provenance: spec_source: program_page spec_url: "https://www.iceye.com/open-data" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > ICEYE open-data program. Small but growing collection of X-band SAR scenes released under CC-BY-NC-4.0. Primarily activated for disaster events (Ukraine conflict, floods) and ecosystem monitoring. 1 m stripmap and 25 cm spotlight modes. Finland-based constellation operator with 34+ satellites. The open archive is event-driven, not systematic. gotchas: - "CC-BY-NC-4.0 — non-commercial use only" - "Event-driven archive — not systematic global coverage" - "X-band single-pol (HH) in open tier; full-pol requires commercial license" - "ICEYE API for open data not fully standardized; discovery via program page or specific event catalogs" satellogic-earthview: platform: satellogic-newsat sensor: Satellogic NewSat multispectral + hyperspectral operator: Satellogic access_tier: open launch: 2016-06-22 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 1m (multispectral) / 30m (hyperspectral) revisit_days: tasked modality: optical license: CC-BY-NC-4.0 stac_collection: null stac_root: https://satellogic-earthview.s3.amazonaws.com/stac/catalog.json coverage_kind: hierarchical_stac coverage_endpoint: "https://satellogic-earthview.s3.amazonaws.com/stac/catalog.json" coverage_script: registry/connectors/satellogic/discover.py gee_collection: null bands: [blue, green, red, nir] useful_range: "2021 to present (EarthView open subset)" provenance: spec_source: program_page + aws_registry spec_url: "https://registry.opendata.aws/satellogic-earthview/" fetched_at: 2026-06-07 verified: false notes: > Satellogic EarthView open-data program. ~13 TB sample archive of 1 m multispectral imagery released under CC-BY-NC-4.0 on AWS. Covers diverse geographies; not event-triggered (unlike Maxar/Capella). The Satellogic constellation (300+ planned NewSats) also provides 30 m hyperspectral imagery commercially. Argentina-founded, NYSE-listed. STAC catalog on AWS RODA. gotchas: - "CC-BY-NC-4.0 — non-commercial use only; limits self-serve recipe path" - "Sample archive (~13 TB) not comprehensive global coverage" - "STAC organized by region/date — AOI search requires crawling hierarchy" - "Satellite + ground track naming convention differs from other providers" # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # HISTORICAL ARCHIVES — DECOMMISSIONED MISSIONS & FAILED BANDS # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # # Added 2026-07-09. Closed (or partially closed) archives whose # observations can never be re-collected. Most are NOT cloud-native # today; entries exist so the library shows the full observational # record and so modernization gaps are visible (see # docs/strategy/SOURCE_COOP_PUBLISHING.md). New field beyond the # baseline schema: # # events — list of {date, label} mid-life failures or capability # changes, rendered as ticks on the mission timeline # (e.g. Landsat 7 SLC-off, ASTER SWIR death). terra-aster: platform: terra-aster sensor: ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) operator: NASA/METI access_tier: open launch: 1999-12-18 decommission: null status: operational resolution: 15m (VNIR), 30m (SWIR), 90m (TIR) revisit_days: 16 modality: optical license: public-domain stac_collection: aster-l1t stac_filter: { platform: { eq: "terra" } } gee_collection: ASTER/AST_L1T_003 bands: [green, red, nir08, swir1, swir2, swir3, swir4, swir5, swir6, tir1, tir2, tir3, tir4, tir5] useful_range: "2000-03 to present (VNIR/TIR); 2000-03 to 2008-04 (SWIR)" events: - date: 2008-04-01 label: SWIR detector failure — bands 4-9 dead in all later scenes notes: > 14-band multispectral + thermal imager on Terra. The six 30m SWIR bands are the only global SWIR record of the 2000s at that resolution — irreplaceable for mineral alteration mapping. The five 90m TIR bands are similarly unique (nothing civilian matched them until ECOSTRESS). SWIR detector failed April 2008; VNIR and TIR still acquire. Full archive at LP DAAC (Earthdata auth, HDF-EOS); Planetary Computer mirrors L1T for 2000-2006 only. gotchas: - "SWIR bands 4-9 are dead in every scene after 2008-04 — check acquisition date first" - "Tasked acquisition, not systematic — coverage is patchy, check before assuming a scene exists" - "SWIR crosstalk artifacts require destriping before band-ratio analysis" - "Three subsystems at three pixel scales — co-registration requires resampling to a common grid" - "MPC STAC covers 2000-2006 only; full archive needs LP DAAC + Earthdata login" eo-1-hyperion: platform: eo-1 sensor: Hyperion imaging spectrometer operator: NASA/USGS access_tier: open launch: 2000-11-21 decommission: 2017-03-30 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m revisit_days: tasked modality: hyperspectral spectral_range: { min_nm: 400, max_nm: 2500 } license: public-domain stac_collection: null gee_collection: EO1/HYPERION bands: null useful_range: "2001-01 to 2017-02" notes: > First civilian spaceborne hyperspectral imager: ~220 contiguous bands, 400-2500 nm, 7.7 km swath, tasked scenes only (~85,000). The only spaceborne hyperspectral record between 2000 and the EnMAP/PRISMA/EMIT era — no substitute exists for the spectral state of a site in the 2000s. Archive at USGS EarthExplorer (login required); L1 radiance also mirrored in GEE. gotchas: - "Tasked, narrow 7.7 km swath — most places on Earth were never imaged" - "Low SWIR signal-to-noise; ~198 of 220 bands are calibrated and usable" - "Vertical striping and spectral smile require correction before analysis" - "No STAC anywhere — discovery is EarthExplorer or the GEE collection" jers-1: platform: jers-1 sensor: SAR (L-band, HH) + OPS optical operator: NASDA (now JAXA) access_tier: open launch: 1992-02-11 decommission: 1998-10-12 status: decommissioned resolution: 18m (SAR) revisit_days: 44 modality: sar license: JAXA research terms stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [hh] useful_range: "1992-06 to 1998-10" notes: > The only L-band SAR record of the 1990s — the pre-ALOS baseline for deforestation and forest-structure change. The Global Rain Forest / Boreal Forest Mapping mosaics were built from it. Archive at JAXA G-Portal; ASF DAAC holds the Americas coverage and the global forest mosaics. gotchas: - "Not cloud-native anywhere — CEOS/level-0 formats behind JAXA G-Portal or ASF logins" - "Single polarization (HH) only" - "Mission ended by power failure Oct 1998 — archive is closed" seawifs: platform: orbview-2 sensor: SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) operator: NASA/GeoEye access_tier: open launch: 1997-08-01 decommission: 2010-12-11 status: decommissioned resolution: 1.1km (LAC), 4.5km (GAC) revisit_days: 1 modality: optical license: public-domain stac_collection: null gee_collection: NASA/OCEANDATA/SeaWiFS/L3SMI bands: null useful_range: "1997-09 to 2010-12" notes: > Foundational ocean-color record: 8 visible/NIR bands tuned for chlorophyll. The 1997-2010 baseline that MODIS and VIIRS ocean color are calibrated against, spanning the major 1997-98 El Nino. Archive at NASA OB.DAAC (Earthdata auth); L3 mapped products mirrored in GEE. gotchas: - "L1/L2 archive is HDF4 behind Earthdata login — not cloud-native" - "Commercial-heritage sensor (OrbImage); early access restrictions are lifted, all data now open" - "Ocean-tuned bands saturate over bright land targets" ers-1: platform: ers-1 sensor: AMI (C-band SAR) + radar altimeter + ATSR-1 operator: ESA access_tier: open launch: 1991-07-17 decommission: 2000-03-10 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m (SAR) revisit_days: 35 modality: sar license: ESA earth-observation terms stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [vv] useful_range: "1991-08 to 2000-03" notes: > Europe's first EO satellite and the start of the C-band SAR record that Envisat and Sentinel-1 continue. With ERS-2, enables the longest InSAR baseline available (1991 onward) for slow deformation: subsidence, landslides, volcanoes. Archive via ESA EO Sign In (dissemination service). gotchas: - "Not cloud-native — ESA archive access requires EO Sign In registration" - "Repeat cycle varied by mission phase (3, 35, and 168 days)" - "VV polarization only" ers-2: platform: ers-2 sensor: AMI (C-band SAR) + ATSR-2 + GOME operator: ESA access_tier: open launch: 1995-04-21 decommission: 2011-09-05 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m (SAR) revisit_days: 35 modality: sar license: ESA earth-observation terms stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: [vv] useful_range: "1995-05 to 2001-01 (full quality); 2001-02 to 2011-07 (degraded attitude)" events: - date: 2001-01-15 label: Gyroscope failures — degraded attitude control from 2001 - date: 2003-06-22 label: Tape drive failure — thereafter only acquisitions within ground-station visibility notes: > Tandem partner to ERS-1 (the 1995-1996 one-day-apart tandem phase is a unique InSAR dataset). GOME was the first European ozone mapper. Gyro failures from 2001 degrade attitude; after the 2003 tape failure, only scenes within ground-station masks exist. Archive via ESA EO Sign In. Deorbited; reentered February 2024. gotchas: - "Post-2001 scenes have degraded Doppler/attitude — InSAR pairs need care" - "Post-2003-06 coverage is limited to ground-station visibility masks" - "Not cloud-native — ESA archive access requires EO Sign In registration" envisat: platform: envisat sensor: ASAR (C-band) + MERIS + AATSR + 7 more instruments operator: ESA access_tier: open launch: 2002-03-01 decommission: 2012-04-08 status: decommissioned resolution: 30m (ASAR), 300m (MERIS) revisit_days: 35 modality: sar license: ESA earth-observation terms stac_collection: null gee_collection: null bands: null useful_range: "2002-05 to 2012-04" notes: > The bridge between ERS and the Sentinels: ASAR continues the C-band SAR record, MERIS (15 bands, 300m) is the direct precursor to Sentinel-3 OLCI, AATSR continues the SST record. Contact was lost abruptly in April 2012, ending the mission. Archive via ESA EO Sign In. gotchas: - "Mission ended without warning 2012-04-08 — no decommissioning pass, archive simply stops" - "Ten instruments with separate product lines — each has its own format and quirks" - "Not cloud-native — ESA archive access requires EO Sign In registration" landsat-mss: platform: landsat-1-5-mss sensor: MSS (Multispectral Scanner, Landsat 1-5) operator: USGS/NASA access_tier: open launch: 1972-07-23 decommission: 1992-12-31 status: decommissioned resolution: 60m (nominal 79m x 57m) revisit_days: 18 modality: optical license: public-domain stac_collection: landsat-c2-l1 gee_collection: LANDSAT/LM05/C02/T1 bands: [green, red, nir08, nir09] useful_range: "1972-07 to 1992-12 (plus a brief L5 MSS reactivation 2012-06 to 2013-01)" notes: > The start of the civilian EO record: four bands at ~60m from 1972. The only systematic satellite imagery of the 1970s, and the pre-1984 baseline for any change study that outruns TM. Already cloud-native: Collection 2 Level-1 COGs on Planetary Computer (landsat-c2-l1) and USGS. One entry covers the MSS instrument across Landsat 1-5; filter by platform for a specific satellite. gotchas: - "Level-1 only — no surface-reflectance product exists for MSS" - "Radiometry is 6-bit (L1-3) — quantitative time series need careful cross-calibration" - "No blue band and no SWIR/thermal — many modern indices are impossible" - "Early-era georegistration can be off by multiple pixels, especially outside the US" # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # DECISION GUIDE # ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════ # # When to use what: # # Date Range | Best Mission | Why # -------------------|----------------------|---------------------------- # 1984-1999 | Landsat 5 | Only option at 30m # 1999-2003 May | Landsat 7 | Full scenes, 15m pan # 2003-2013 Feb | Landsat 5 or 7 | L5 preferred (no SLC gaps), composite L7 if needed # 2013-2015 Jun | Landsat 8 | Best radiometry at 30m # 2015-present | Sentinel-2 or L8/L9 | S2 for 10m/red-edge, Landsat for thermal/SWIR # Any (coarse) | MODIS | Daily revisit, continental scale # # Key rules: # - NEVER use single Landsat 7 scenes after May 2003 (SLC-off stripes) # - Always filter landsat-c2-l2 by platform when you want a specific mission # - For vegetation indices: prefer Sentinel-2 (10m, red-edge bands) # - For thermal analysis: must use Landsat (Sentinel-2 has no thermal) # - For time series spanning missions: use Harmonized collections # - For pre-2013: Landsat 5 > Landsat 7 (no SLC issue)