Landsat 4 is the fourth satellite of the Landsat program. It was launched on July 16th, 1982, with the primary goal of providing a global archive of satellite photos. Although the Landsat Program is managed by NASA, data from Landsat 4 was collected and distributed by the USGS. Landsat 4 is no longer in operation, due to technical failure. It finally ceased transmission in 1993, far beyond its designed life expectancy of five years. The satellite orbit continues to be maintained by NASA.

Satellite Specifications

Landsat 4 had a maximum transmission bandwidth of 85Mbps, and carried an updated Multi-Spectral Scanner used on previous Landsats, and a Thematic Mapper . It had a maximum 80m resolution. Shortly after launch, the satellite lost half of its solar power, prompting fears the satellite would fail sooner than expected. This prompted the early launch of Landsat 5, a satellite identical in specification to Landsat 4.