Information expectations from Landsat-D

The first satellite of the Landsat-D Project is to be launched in the third quarter of 1982 with a second satellite to be prepared for launch 12 to 15 months later. Both spacecraft are to include the familiar Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and the advanced multispectral scanner called the Thematic Mapper (TM). The ground data processing system for the MSS data is to be ready to produce 200 scenes a day in 1982. The data processing systems for the TM are to be fully operational at the 50 to 100 scenes a day level in early 1985. The fabrication of the system components has proceeded well in recent months, and integration of the total system is under way. The procedures for processing the data and meeting specifications are nearly completed for the MSS and are outlined in detail for the TM. An outline of an investigation program stressing systems performance has been developed for the period 1982 to 1985.