A satellite will be launched next month from the Vandenburg AFB, which is deemed to be one of the best to capture images from space. GeoEye 1 is capable of 16-inch resolution or .41 meters as the US government lays strict conditions regarding the resolutions and does not allow anything beyond .5 resolutions. The GeoEye 1 is probably going to be a polar orbit satellite as for a high-resolution image, you need a very low orbit, which is possible only at the poles. In spite of these setbacks, the images from the satellite are going to be amazingly crisp with its clients being the likes of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others. These crisp images would help in mapping, and may help in tracking as well, though; tracking people in real time is the stuff that science fiction is made of. The satellite and its peripherals are going to cost a whopping $500,000,000.
Via: GearLog
