NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program has acquired commercial datasets from Orbital Sidekick.
Orbital Sidekick, Inc. operates a three-satellite constellation carrying identical hyperspectral instruments that deliver high-resolution (8-meter) hyperspectral imagery across 472 spectral bands to support a range of Earth science applications, including the detailed analysis of biodiversity, ecosystem health, and surface geology; greenhouse gas detection; and detecting solid chemicals related to pollutants. Each satellite is designed with a maximum off-nadir pointing angle of 25 degrees, which expands the accessible ground swath and enables flexible tasking. When operating individually, each satellite provides regular revisit opportunities across mid- and low-latitude regions. When operated as a three-satellite constellation, the revisit rates increase, particularly at higher latitudes, where overlapping orbital tracks provide enhanced temporal coverage. This capability allows users to receive frequent, daylight-consistent revisits around the globe to support the monitoring of both broad-areas and specific areas of interest.
Obtaining Data
All newly awarded commercial data provider products are currently undergoing CSDA evaluation. If you have any questions about these products, please email CSDA Support.
Copyright
Data products and derivatives for imagery must contain copyright markings as specified below, where YYYY is the year of the image acquisition.
- For data products: “© Orbital Sidekick YYYY. All rights reserved.”
- For derivatives: “Includes copyrighted material of Orbital Sidekick. All rights reserved.”
- A joint copyright notice may be used as appropriate.
CSDA Acknowledgment
To help CSDA identify your publications, we request that you include the following acknowledgment when publishing work created using these data:
“This work utilized data made available through the NASA Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program.” Authorized users should send CSDA a courtesy copy of any publications that include CSDA-distributed data.
Documentation
OSK Hyperspectral Product Data Sheet
Orbital Sidekick Data Available through NASA’s CSDA Program
GHOSt Constellation
| Specification | Description |
| Satellites on Orbit | 5 GHOSt satellites launched to date |
| Active Commercial Satellites | GHOSt 3 – GHOSt 5 providing commercial imagery and data analytics |
| Satellites Ready for Launch | 1 satellite (G6) planned for launch |
| Orbit Type | Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) |
| Coverage | Global |
| Revisit Rate | Up to twice weekly |
GHOSt Satellites
| Specification | Description |
| Sensor Type | Spaceborne hyperspectral imaging sensor |
| Spectral Coverage | Full VNIR–SWIR |
| Spectral Range | 400 – 2500 nm (VNIR & SWIR, including methane absorption features and vegetation red-edge) |
| Spectral Bands | 472 bands |
| Spectral Bandwidth | ~10 nm FWHM |
| Native Spatial Resolution | ~8.3 m Ground Sample Distance (GSD) |
| Delivered Spatial Resolution | 10 m GSD (downsampled per NOAA license requirements for data, not derived products) |
| Geometric Accuracy | < 20 meters (post-geocorrection) |
| Imaging Mode | Linescan1 (Pushbroom hyperspectral) |
| Collection Type | Tasked satellite collections |
| Off-Nadir Capability | ±25° |
| Minimum Area Collection | ~4.3 km × 12 km (swath × along-track) |
| Maximum Along-Track Coverage | Up to ~ 60 km per collection |
Authorized Data Use and Users
Access to this data is governed by the CSDA End User License Agreements (EULAs). The minimum access level for data is the USG license. Depending on the specific data products provided, some or all data may also be available under higher-tier CSDA licenses, including USG-Plus and Public licenses.
Under the applicable license tier, authorized users may include:
- U.S. Government federal employees
- State, local, territorial, and tribal government personnel
- U.S. Government contractors and subcontractors
- U.S. Government–funded researchers and academic partners
- Other users authorized under applicable CSDA license levels (USG, USG-Plus, or Public)
All data use must comply with the terms of the EULA. All data requests must be reviewed and approved by NASA’s Commercial Satellite Data Acquisition (CSDA) program.
Learning Resources
Precision Monitoring with Orbital Sidekick & Spectral Evolution (Webinar)
Top Banner Image: Orbital Sidekick’s GHOSt satellite imagery displaying two applications from left-to-right. Summer 2026 Montana Wildfire (Panels 1–2): True-color RGB (1) shows visible smoke, while (2) shortwave infrared (SWIR) reveals active fires. Rocklea Dome, Australia (Panels 3–5): True-color RGB (3), a mineral index (4) mapping hematite (red), carbonates (green), and white mica (blue), and a decorrelation stretch (5) highlighting magnesium carbonate, felsic, and iron oxide minerals. Credit: ©2026 Orbital Sidekick, Inc.
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