Disclaimer: All the information below is to offer guidance on what factors can impact your tasking order. If you have any questions about the information in this article, please contact our support team.
Time Duration
A general rule that all our suppliers recommend is to set the time duration for a tasking order to 14 days. The more time you allow a satellite to task, the greater chance of a successful capture will be collected.
AOI Size
The size of your AOI can have an impact on the number of times the satellite will need to pass over to cover 100% of the area. This becomes a contributing factor when the AOI width is greater than the swath width of the satellite.
For example, the Maxar Legion constellation has a swath width of 10 km (at nadir). If your AOI width is >10 km, more than 1 capture will be required. This can increase the time needed for your tasking order to fulfill.
More information on our suppliers tasking satellites can be found below:
Weather
Weather is a major factor that impacts the fulfillment rate of a tasking order.
It is always recommended to review the local weathe forecast over your area of interest.
If the weather is reported to be poor, it will mean the chances of a successful capture are very low.
If the weather is reported to be fair, you will have a higher chance of a successful capture (competition dependent).
It is also worth noting if your AOI is over a region where monsoons and rainstorms are frequent, you may have to set a large time duration to acquire a capture.
Off-Nadir Angle
The off-nadir angle (ONA) set on EXPLORE when you first open the "Order New" tab is the default recommendation by our suppliers.
If you were to increase the ONA maximum, you will increase chances of a capture, but it is worth noting that any capture with an ONA >30 degrees will potential have degraded resolution (lower quality).
If you were to decrease the ONA maximum, you would reduce your chances of a capture since now the suppliers can only schedule the satellite to collect an image if it meets the adjusted ONA.
Competition
Some regions of the world are heavily contested for satellite imagery. Large cities typically have more competition than rural and remote regions.