You can designate your tasking request to occur only at night or during the day using the Collection Time parameter. This parameter can also be used to restrict the acquisition window duration to be smaller than the minimum set by your selected Tasking Tier. The Collection Time parameter can also be used to search the catalog as well as with repeat tasking requests.
Configuration of Collection Time
The Collection Time parameter is determined by the local time at the center point designed by the point Area of Interest (AOI) submitted with your tasking request. This feature is not available for area (polygon) tasking requests. The local time parameter takes into account Daylight Saving Time.
Available options are:
- Day: Task will be collected between 6am and 6pm (06:00-18:00) local time
- Night: Task will be collected between 6pm and 6am (18:00 – 06:00) local time
- Anytime: Task will be collected at any available opportunity meeting your other request constraints
The default Collection Time is Anytime as an unrestricted collection time increase the chance of the tasking request being accepted. If you would like to set a custom collection time window, please use the API.
Designating Collection Time for a Single Task in Console
1. From the Create New Task page in Console, change the Collection Time by selecting either the Day or Night button.
2. Click the Refresh Access Times button to update the potential satellite access times displayed in Mission Awareness.
The time listed under each potential satellite access time is in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). You can see the results in the timezone of your AOI by clicking the Local Time button in Mission Awareness.
3. Submit your tasking request
The Collection Time is listed in the Review New Task page. If you have changed your mind about using Night, you can click the Modify Task button, change the time to Day or Anytime, and resubmit. If you are happy with the configuration of your request, click the Submit Task button.
4. Confirm your request
Your tasking request will now go through the cost review stage, unless you have selected Pre-Approval as part of the task submission. The Collection Time is listed in the Task Configuration panel on the right-hand side of the Task Details page.