Astrium Services has posted the first images from the SPOT 6 satellite, just 3 days after its launch on 9 September.

SPOT 6 will assure continuity of data from the series of satellites operating since 1986, along with many technological innovations.

Its unique responsiveness and acquisition capacity are set to benefit a broad spectrum of operational applications. These first images present very varied landscapes, highlighting SPOT 6's potential for applications like urban and natural resource mapping or agricultural and environmental monitoring.

The wide imaging swath (60km), identical to that of the other SPOT satellites, makes SPOT 6 an ideal tool for covering vast territories, while its 1.5m resolution - against 2.5m on SPOT 5 - enables it to distinguish smaller features than ever before.

To post the images, all operational systems swung smoothly into action, from satellite tasking to image acquisition, reception and processing. In January 2014, the arrival of SPOT 7 will bring more new services including daily revisits.

Together, the SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 constellation will assure continued availability of high-resolution, wide-area products through to 2024.The first SPOT 6 images can be viewed in the image gallery on Astrium GEO-Information Services' website and subscenes can be downloaded via FTP.