As 2024 comes to an end, Maxar News Bureau has compiled a list of satellite images from the year’s most defining events. Here’s a look back to the year as seen from space:
Satellite image taken on January 11, 2024 shows beautiful ice sculptures on display at the annual ice festival in China’s Harbin, considered the largest ice and snow festival in the world. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on January 12, 2024 shows protesters on the streets in Yemen after airstrikes by the US and UK in response to Houthi attacks on ships in Red Sea. (high res here)
Infrared satellite image taken on February 28, 2024 shows an active fire line west of Miami after a massive wildfire – the largest on record for Texas – broke out in northeastern Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on February 22, 2024 shows the possible Chinese interception of a Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources vessel amid tensions in the South China Sea. (high res here)
Satellite image taken in March, 2024 shows the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge collapses in Maryland, US. The bridge collapsed on March 26 after a container ship struck one of its columns. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on April 3, 2024 shows floodwaters near the Orenburg airbase in Russia. A federal emergency was declared as the rising water levels in the Ural River flooded the region. (high res here)
Satellite image shows the Falcon 9 rocket with the WorldView Legion satellites ahead of its launch at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on May 2, 2024. (high res here)
Non-Earth satellite imagery – taken from a distance of hundreds of kilometres – shows Boeing’s Starliner docked at the International Space Station in June, 2024. (high res here)
Satellite image shows world leaders, historians, and World War II veterans at the Normandy American Cemetery on June 6, 2024, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the 1944 Allied invasion of France during World War II. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on June 28, 2024 shows a pier – consisting of a narrow causeway and a wider parking area – built by US military to transport humanitarian aid into Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. (high res here)
First satellite images taken by the WorldView Legion satellite were released on July 18, 2024, showing the fine details of San Francisco’s City Hall from space. (high res here)
Satellite images taken during July-August show the beach volleyball arena in the shadow of Eiffel Tower during a sporting event that saw the participation of over 10,000 athletes. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on October 7, 2024 shows debris clogging Lake Lure in North Carolina over a week after Hurricane Helen made landfall in Florida. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on October 31, 2024 shows damaged roads and bridges, and flooded fields after torrential rainfall and flash floods in Spain’s Valencia. (high res here)
Satellite images taken on January 11, 2024 capture the airport in Christchurch, New Zealand over a three-hour period, showing the movement of planes and fueling operations in near real-time. (high res here)
High-resolution satellite image taken on November 23, 2024 captures a portion of the Las Vegas race circuit, a closer view of which shows the start and finish lines. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on September 1, 2024 shows the new roof and improvements to the external structure of the Notre Dame Cathedral ahead of its mega reopening in December. The 850-year-old cathedral had shut in 2019 after a devastating fire. (high res here)
Satellite image taken on December 15, 2024 shows Russian military trucks and armoured vehicles assembled at Khmeimim airbase in Syria and a transport aircraft parked nearby, confirming Russia’s withdrawal of military equipment after the fall of the Assad regime. (high res here)
