The launch will be carried live on the Internet at http://www.connectlive.com/events/spaceimaging. Satellite dish owners can see a live feed of this launch on Galaxy 7, Transponder 2, C-band, beginning at 10 a.m. PDT.

The Ikonos satellite, designed and built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems for Space Imaging of Denver is the most sophisticated remote sensing spacecraft ever launched for the commercial market -- capable of photographing objects on the ground as small as one meter.

Space Imaging claims that Ikonos represents the best in commercial remote sensing technology, providing high-resolution black-and-white and multispectral digital pictures and other imagery.

The satellite will offer multispectral images that reveal information that cannot be seen with the naked eye, such as chlorophyll content, chemical composition, surface water penetration and the presence of oil leached from the seabed. Customers will be able to combine panchromatic and multispectral images to produce images that offer the advantages of both techniques.