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There are no restrictions on Landsat data downloaded from the USGS; it can be used or redistributed as desired. We do request that you include a statement of the data source when citing, copying, or reprinting USGS Landsat data or images.
Details are on the EROS Data Citation page.
Learn more: USGS Copyrights and Credits statement
Many image processing programs can handle GeoTIFF and Cloud optimized GeoTIFF (COG) Landsat files, including free software like Multispec and QGIS. To view Landsat scenes without using specialized software, download Landsat Full Resolution browse images (.jpg) from EarthExplorer or GloVis. * The USGS does NOT endorse or support specific software packages. Any usability questions relating to...
The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. On July 23, 1972, in cooperation with NASA, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) was launched. It was later renamed Landsat 1. Additional Landsat satellites have launched to bring the world an archive of remote sensing data. Currently orbiting and active...
The Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites together acquire approximately 1,500 scenes daily. These scenes are available for download within 6 hours of acquisition. Landsat satellite acquisitions are managed as a system, known as a satellite constellation. Long-Term Acquisition Plans (LTAPs) direct and optimize the daily acquisitions of each active Landsat satellite. Special requests for future...
In 2016, the USGS reorganized the Landsat archive into a tiered collection. This structure ensures that Landsat Level-1 products provide a consistent archive of known data quality to support time-series analyses and data “stacking”, while controlling continuous improvement of the archive and access to all data as they are acquired. Learn more: Landsat Collections Landsat Data Access
Landsat Collections Real-Time (RT) data is provided within 12 hours of acquisition in support of the International Charter to help mitigate the effects of disasters on human life and property. The RT tier contains data received from Landsat 8 immediately after acquisition. Estimated radiometric and geometric calibration parameters are applied to these scenes. When final radiometric and geometric...
The Spectral Characteristics Viewer is an interactive tool that can be used to visualize how the bands, or channels, of different satellite sensors measure the intensity of the many wavelengths (colors) of light. This is also known as the relative spectral response (RSR). By overlaying the spectral curves from different features (spectra), one can determine which bands of the selected sensor will...
Landsat data products held in the USGS archives can be searched and downloaded at no charge from a variety of sources. Visit Landsat Data Access for information about how Landsat data products can be downloaded individually or in bulk. Landsat imagery not found in the USGS archive might have been collected by one of the USGS International Cooperator ground stations, each of which are the primary...
This satellite image of the Seattle, Tacoma Washington area was acquired by the Landsat 1 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on September 16, 1973.
Path 50, Row 27
Visit the Landsat Missions Web Site to learn more about the Landsat satellites that have been acquiring data of the Earth since 1972.
This satellite image of the Seattle, Tacoma Washington area was acquired by the Landsat 1 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on September 16, 1973.
Path 50, Row 27
Visit the Landsat Missions Web Site to learn more about the Landsat satellites that have been acquiring data of the Earth since 1972.
The Washburn Fire started July 7, 2022 in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. Landsats 8 and 9 both captured imagery of it a day later. The Landsat 9 image uses shortwave infrared and near-infrared bands to show the active burning.
The Washburn Fire started July 7, 2022 in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. Landsats 8 and 9 both captured imagery of it a day later. The Landsat 9 image uses shortwave infrared and near-infrared bands to show the active burning.
Boston University Professor Curtis Woodcock talks about the significance Landsat was had in science and what he hopes to see as the mission continues.
Boston University Professor Curtis Woodcock talks about the significance Landsat was had in science and what he hopes to see as the mission continues.
Barbara Ryan, Director of GEO talks about the distribution of Landsat data, starting in 1972, and ultimately transitioning to the free and open policy of today.
Barbara Ryan, Director of GEO talks about the distribution of Landsat data, starting in 1972, and ultimately transitioning to the free and open policy of today.
Landsat Collections: Providing a Stable Environmental Record for Time Series Analysis
Landsat Collections: Providing a Stable Environmental Record for Time Series Analysis
Geoscience Australia's Acting Chief Scientist Adam Lewis talks about the value of Landsat data, the importance of free and open policy, and how analysis ready data is advancing earth observing science.
Geoscience Australia's Acting Chief Scientist Adam Lewis talks about the value of Landsat data, the importance of free and open policy, and how analysis ready data is advancing earth observing science.
This is the third video in a series describing the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Collection 1 inventory structure. Collection 1 required the reprocessing of all archived Landsat data to achieve radiometric and geometric consistency of Level-1 products through time and across all Landsat sensors.
This is the third video in a series describing the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Collection 1 inventory structure. Collection 1 required the reprocessing of all archived Landsat data to achieve radiometric and geometric consistency of Level-1 products through time and across all Landsat sensors.
Landsat 8 satellite image of the Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory, showing how glacier melt has altered meltwater discharge to the Kaskawulsh River.
Landsat 8 satellite image of the Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory, showing how glacier melt has altered meltwater discharge to the Kaskawulsh River.
Landsat-7 satellite image of Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The Valles and Toledo Caldera margins are approximated by dashed yellow lines, and the resurgent dome and lava domes are labeled. The Banco Bonito lava flow is the youngest in the region at 68,000 years old. The town of Los Alamos is located just east of the caldera.
Landsat-7 satellite image of Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The Valles and Toledo Caldera margins are approximated by dashed yellow lines, and the resurgent dome and lava domes are labeled. The Banco Bonito lava flow is the youngest in the region at 68,000 years old. The town of Los Alamos is located just east of the caldera.
Natural color Landsat 5 image of the Great Salt Lake acquired on July 1, 1986. In 1986, the lake was at a record high and covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons).
Natural color Landsat 5 image of the Great Salt Lake acquired on July 1, 1986. In 1986, the lake was at a record high and covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons).
The first Landsat 4 image was acquired over western Lake Erie on July 25, 1982, just 9 days after launch. This image shows the Detroit River dividing the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario while acting as a strait between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
The first Landsat 4 image was acquired over western Lake Erie on July 25, 1982, just 9 days after launch. This image shows the Detroit River dividing the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario while acting as a strait between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
Landsat 3’s first image features a slice of Northern California on March 7, 1978.
Landsat 3’s first image features a slice of Northern California on March 7, 1978.
The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) onboard the Landsat 2 satellite captured the data used to create this color infrared image on May 15,1975. Chesapeake Bay leads up the image to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Potomac River leads west and north up to Washington, DC.
The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) onboard the Landsat 2 satellite captured the data used to create this color infrared image on May 15,1975. Chesapeake Bay leads up the image to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Potomac River leads west and north up to Washington, DC.
Many image processing programs can handle GeoTIFF and Cloud optimized GeoTIFF (COG) Landsat files, including free software like Multispec and QGIS. To view Landsat scenes without using specialized software, download Landsat Full Resolution browse images (.jpg) from EarthExplorer or GloVis. * The USGS does NOT endorse or support specific software packages. Any usability questions relating to...
The Landsat Program is a series of Earth-observing satellite missions jointly managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. On July 23, 1972, in cooperation with NASA, the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1) was launched. It was later renamed Landsat 1. Additional Landsat satellites have launched to bring the world an archive of remote sensing data. Currently orbiting and active...
The Landsat 8 and Landsat 9 satellites together acquire approximately 1,500 scenes daily. These scenes are available for download within 6 hours of acquisition. Landsat satellite acquisitions are managed as a system, known as a satellite constellation. Long-Term Acquisition Plans (LTAPs) direct and optimize the daily acquisitions of each active Landsat satellite. Special requests for future...
In 2016, the USGS reorganized the Landsat archive into a tiered collection. This structure ensures that Landsat Level-1 products provide a consistent archive of known data quality to support time-series analyses and data “stacking”, while controlling continuous improvement of the archive and access to all data as they are acquired. Learn more: Landsat Collections Landsat Data Access
Landsat Collections Real-Time (RT) data is provided within 12 hours of acquisition in support of the International Charter to help mitigate the effects of disasters on human life and property. The RT tier contains data received from Landsat 8 immediately after acquisition. Estimated radiometric and geometric calibration parameters are applied to these scenes. When final radiometric and geometric...
The Spectral Characteristics Viewer is an interactive tool that can be used to visualize how the bands, or channels, of different satellite sensors measure the intensity of the many wavelengths (colors) of light. This is also known as the relative spectral response (RSR). By overlaying the spectral curves from different features (spectra), one can determine which bands of the selected sensor will...
Landsat data products held in the USGS archives can be searched and downloaded at no charge from a variety of sources. Visit Landsat Data Access for information about how Landsat data products can be downloaded individually or in bulk. Landsat imagery not found in the USGS archive might have been collected by one of the USGS International Cooperator ground stations, each of which are the primary...
This satellite image of the Seattle, Tacoma Washington area was acquired by the Landsat 1 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on September 16, 1973.
Path 50, Row 27
Visit the Landsat Missions Web Site to learn more about the Landsat satellites that have been acquiring data of the Earth since 1972.
This satellite image of the Seattle, Tacoma Washington area was acquired by the Landsat 1 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) on September 16, 1973.
Path 50, Row 27
Visit the Landsat Missions Web Site to learn more about the Landsat satellites that have been acquiring data of the Earth since 1972.
The Washburn Fire started July 7, 2022 in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. Landsats 8 and 9 both captured imagery of it a day later. The Landsat 9 image uses shortwave infrared and near-infrared bands to show the active burning.
The Washburn Fire started July 7, 2022 in the southern part of Yosemite National Park. Landsats 8 and 9 both captured imagery of it a day later. The Landsat 9 image uses shortwave infrared and near-infrared bands to show the active burning.
Boston University Professor Curtis Woodcock talks about the significance Landsat was had in science and what he hopes to see as the mission continues.
Boston University Professor Curtis Woodcock talks about the significance Landsat was had in science and what he hopes to see as the mission continues.
Barbara Ryan, Director of GEO talks about the distribution of Landsat data, starting in 1972, and ultimately transitioning to the free and open policy of today.
Barbara Ryan, Director of GEO talks about the distribution of Landsat data, starting in 1972, and ultimately transitioning to the free and open policy of today.
Landsat Collections: Providing a Stable Environmental Record for Time Series Analysis
Landsat Collections: Providing a Stable Environmental Record for Time Series Analysis
Geoscience Australia's Acting Chief Scientist Adam Lewis talks about the value of Landsat data, the importance of free and open policy, and how analysis ready data is advancing earth observing science.
Geoscience Australia's Acting Chief Scientist Adam Lewis talks about the value of Landsat data, the importance of free and open policy, and how analysis ready data is advancing earth observing science.
This is the third video in a series describing the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Collection 1 inventory structure. Collection 1 required the reprocessing of all archived Landsat data to achieve radiometric and geometric consistency of Level-1 products through time and across all Landsat sensors.
This is the third video in a series describing the new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat Collection 1 inventory structure. Collection 1 required the reprocessing of all archived Landsat data to achieve radiometric and geometric consistency of Level-1 products through time and across all Landsat sensors.
Landsat 8 satellite image of the Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory, showing how glacier melt has altered meltwater discharge to the Kaskawulsh River.
Landsat 8 satellite image of the Kaskawulsh Glacier in Canada's Yukon Territory, showing how glacier melt has altered meltwater discharge to the Kaskawulsh River.
Landsat-7 satellite image of Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The Valles and Toledo Caldera margins are approximated by dashed yellow lines, and the resurgent dome and lava domes are labeled. The Banco Bonito lava flow is the youngest in the region at 68,000 years old. The town of Los Alamos is located just east of the caldera.
Landsat-7 satellite image of Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, New Mexico. The Valles and Toledo Caldera margins are approximated by dashed yellow lines, and the resurgent dome and lava domes are labeled. The Banco Bonito lava flow is the youngest in the region at 68,000 years old. The town of Los Alamos is located just east of the caldera.
Natural color Landsat 5 image of the Great Salt Lake acquired on July 1, 1986. In 1986, the lake was at a record high and covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons).
Natural color Landsat 5 image of the Great Salt Lake acquired on July 1, 1986. In 1986, the lake was at a record high and covered approximately 2,300 square miles and contained 30 million acre-feet of water (an acre-foot is the amount of water necessary to cover 1 acre of land with water 1 foot in depth or about 326,000 gallons).
The first Landsat 4 image was acquired over western Lake Erie on July 25, 1982, just 9 days after launch. This image shows the Detroit River dividing the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario while acting as a strait between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
The first Landsat 4 image was acquired over western Lake Erie on July 25, 1982, just 9 days after launch. This image shows the Detroit River dividing the metropolitan areas of Detroit, Michigan and Windsor, Ontario while acting as a strait between Lake Erie and Lake St. Clair.
Landsat 3’s first image features a slice of Northern California on March 7, 1978.
Landsat 3’s first image features a slice of Northern California on March 7, 1978.
The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) onboard the Landsat 2 satellite captured the data used to create this color infrared image on May 15,1975. Chesapeake Bay leads up the image to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Potomac River leads west and north up to Washington, DC.
The Multispectral Scanner (MSS) onboard the Landsat 2 satellite captured the data used to create this color infrared image on May 15,1975. Chesapeake Bay leads up the image to Baltimore, Maryland, and the Potomac River leads west and north up to Washington, DC.