The Smallsat Data Explorer (SDX) allows users to search, discover, and access data acquired through the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program. All data purchased by NASA are mirrored in NASA infrastructure for long-term preservation.
Researchers interested in accessing the data can utilize Earthdata Login for authentication and initiate data download requests. Data will be made available for download upon approval and acceptance of the end user license agreement (EULA).
Currently, SDX supports access to data from Planet and Spire that was acquired as part of the CSDA pilot phase. The CSDA pilot phase evaluation also included data from Maxar (formerly DigitalGlobe, Inc.). Work is underway to support search and access to Maxar data via SDX.
For data that are not already mirrored by NASA, authorized researchers can use the following vendor-specific tools to search and request data.
All data requests must be approved by CSDA data managers. Contact CSDA to provide your name, email address, and pertinent information (grant number, contract number, etc.) to indicate that you are authorized to use the data. The CSDA team will verify if the user is authorized for data access first. Once verified, the user will be provided with additional information on how to request and access data.
As additional commercial datasets are evaluated and acquired, these datasets will also be made available. Please check back regularly.
Data and End User License Agreements
| Vendor | Data Available | Who is Authorized to Use the Data? | Where to Get Data | Can PIs Submit New Orders | EULA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Planet | PlanetScope, RapidEye | U.S. Federal civil agencies (including NSF) and their funded researchers | Planet Explorer | Yes | Planet Expanded EULA |
| SkySat | SDX | No | |||
| Spire | GNSS Radio Occultation, GNSS Grazing Angle Reflectometry, Satellite Precise Orbital Determination (POD) and Satellite Attitude, Total Electron Content, Ionospheric Profiles, Scintillation, Ocean Winds MSS Level-2 | U.S. Government (funded) researchers | SDX |
Yes |
Spire USG EULA |
| Raw intermediate frequency | By request (PDF) | ||||
| GNSS Grazing Angle Reflectometry Sea Ice Product, GNSS Grazing Angle Reflectometry Altimetry Product | SDX | ||||
| Magnetometer, Soil Moisture | Request authorization | ||||
| GNSS-R Level-1 Bistatic Radar Cross Section | SDX | ||||
| Maxar (formerly DigitalGlobe) | WorldView 1, WorldView 2, WorldView 3, QuickBird, and GeoEye | NASA (funded) researchers | CSDA data team | Yes | Commercial Data/Imagery EULAs Fact Sheet |
| IKONOS | No | NextView EULA | |||
| WorldView 4 | Maxar EULA | ||||
| Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. | DESIS | U.S. Government (funded) researchers | TCloudHost | Yes | DESIS EULA |
| Polar Geospatial Center | EarthDEM | U.S. Government (funded) researchers | SDX | Yes | Commercial Data/Imagery EULAs Fact Sheet |
More Information
- Information on technical specifications of the commercial data can be found on the Commercial Datasets page
- Get answers to frequently asked questions about accessing and requesting commercial data