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GeoEye, set to launch the world's highest resolution commercial earth-imaging satellite, GeoEye-1, on 22 August, is already working on its next satellite. GeoEye-2 will deliver even better imagery than its predecessor. However, the company says it is not yet licenced to release such high-resolution imagery.

The glass mirror blank for GeoEye-2 has been delivered to ITT Corporation, the company that is building the camera that will be carried on the satellite. It is due to fly sometime in 2011-12.

Currently, GeoEye and ITT are working on the sensor electronics and other elements of the camera's telescope, as well as the primary mirror.

The mirror measures 1.1 metre in diameter. It will have improved electronics that will allow tasking by users in the field. It will also be able to deliver 0.25-metre pixels, as opposed to the 0.5 metres of GeoEye-1.

However, the company says that, while it has a licence to build the satellite, it does not yet have a licence to release such high-resolution imagery. GeoEye is currently restricted to the half metre resolution it can obtain from GeoEye-1.

If the satellite is built to achieve this high resolution, under current licensing constraints, only the US military would be allowed access to imagery at this higher resolution.

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