Maxar Successfully Launches Fifth and Sixth WorldView Legion Satellites

WESTMINSTER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb 4, 2025--

Maxar Intelligence, a provider of secure, precise geospatial insights, today confirmed that its fifth and sixth WorldView Legion satellites are performing well after being launched into mid-inclination orbit from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket earlier today.

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With this successful launch, Maxar now has seven satellites on orbit capable of collecting 30 cm-class imagery—representing a significant increase in very-high resolution imagery capacity and marking a new era for the geospatial industry. Once all six WorldView Legion satellites are fully operational, the Maxar constellation will be able to collect more than 6 million sq km of Earth imagery per day, including up to 3.6 million sq km of 30 cm-class imagery.

These capabilities offer:

“This incredible achievement puts Maxar in a category of its own within the geospatial industry, and it’s been made possible thanks to the hard work, dedication and talent of the many people who have supported this program over the years,” said Dan Smoot, Maxar Intelligence CEO. “This is the just the beginning. This additional capacity enables us to collect more timely data over more locations, and it will further fuel the industry’s most advanced 2D and 3D geospatial content products.”

“Combining this capacity with our AI-powered technologies and software platform puts Maxar in a unique position to deliver the ground truth in near real-time, empowering our government and commercial users to make mission-critical, time-sensitive decisions with confidence,” Smoot said.

In addition to increasing collection capacity, the WorldView Legion satellites enhance the capabilities of Maxar’s industry-leading constellation by:

The first two WorldView Legion launched in May 2024 and are currently supporting customer missions. The second pair launched in August 2024 and delivered first images late last year.

Built by Maxar Space Systems, these six WorldView Legion satellites are the first Maxar 500™ series platforms to reach space, following the successful launches of the four last year.

“Maxar Space Systems is committed to our Maxar Intelligence customer, delivering on our legacy of quality and reliability. The WorldView Legion spacecraft are built to be the most advanced commercial Earth observation systems, reflecting our team's dedication and hard work," said the CEO of Maxar Space Systems, Chris Johnson.

Learn more about Maxar’s next-generation WorldView Legion satellites.

About Maxar Intelligence

Maxar Intelligence is a leading provider of secure, precise geospatial insights. Operating the most advanced commercial Earth observation constellation on orbit, we use the power of very high-resolution satellite imagery and software technology to deliver mission success on Earth and in space. Our secure, AI-powered products and services deliver ground truth in near real-time to keep nations safe, improve navigation, protect our planet, speed up disaster response and more. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.

About Maxar Space Systems

Maxar Space Systems is a leading satellite manufacturer and provider of advanced solutions for space exploration and operations. We deliver innovative solutions to commercial and government customers helping them unlock the promise of space to solve problems on Earth and beyond. We address a broad spectrum of needs for our customers, including mission systems engineering, product design, spacecraft manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing. Maxar Space Systems is a trusted partner in commercial and government missions, combining more than 60 years of deep mission understanding and industry leading performance. For more information, visit www.maxar.com

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Maxar’s third and fourth WorldView Legion satellites lifts off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 4, 2025. Image credit: SpaceX.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II announced Monday he is suspending his campaign for governor and instead joining the race for secretary of state of the battleground state.

Gilchrist, a progressive Democrat from Detroit, did not cite a specific reason for the change in his video announcement, but said he is not finished being a “public servant.” His departure clears up the Democratic primary and benefits the frontrunner, Jocelyn Benson, who is the current Secretary of State, in the race to replace term-limited Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

The secretary of state is Michigan's top election official, a highly politicized and visible role since the 2020 presidential election.

“Michigan has been ground zero in the battle for free and fair elections before, and it will be again,” Gilchrist said.

As Whitmer’s second in command and her running mate in two elections, Gilchrist struggled to match Benson’s name recognition and fundraising. He reported having around $378,000 of cash on hand as of October compared to Benson’s $2.98 million.

Benson is now set to face only Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson in the Democratic primary in August.

The inclusion of a well-known independent candidate has created a new problem for Democrats this year. Former Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is avoiding costly primaries altogether by running as an independent. The Michigan Democratic Party slammed the former Democrat last week for not standing up to President Donald Trump’s second term policies.

In the Republican primary, U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, state Senate Leader Aaric Nesbitt and former Michigan House speaker Tom Leonard are jockeying for the nomination.

In his bid to become secretary of state, Gilchrist will face four other Democrats: Barb Byrum, Ingham County clerk; Aghogho Edevbie, deputy secretary of state; Suzanna Shkreli, a former Whitmer aide and commissioner of the Michigan State Lottery; and Adam Hollier, a former state senator from Detroit.

Michigan does not hold primary elections for the secretary of state position; the nominee is chosen by precinct delegates during party conventions. The Michigan Democratic Party convention is scheduled for April 19.

State Republicans plan to hold their nominating convention March 28 and GOP figures chasing the party's nomination for secretary of state include Anthony Forlini, Macomb County Clerk, and Monica Yatooma, an Oakland County executive.

In addition to the office of the governor and secretary of state, Michigan voters will be selecting a new state attorney general and a U.S. senator in November.

FILE - Michigan Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II waits before the State of the State address, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, at the state Capitol in Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis, file)