Landsat Celebrates Major Open Data Milestone

By Landsat Missions September 2, 2025

On July 14, 2025, downloads of Landsat products passed 200,000 terabytes (TB)—roughly equivalent to the storage capacity of one million smartphones. This milestone highlights the vast scale of the Landsat archive and growing demand for its data.

This achievement stems from the 2008 policy change that made all Landsat products available for download from the U.S. Geological Survey for no-charge. In the last 17 years, scientists, land managers and the public have used this resource to understand the changes on our landscapes around the world.

A graphic showing the cumulative download volume of Landsat products — *The cumulative downloads from 2008 to present are shown in this graphic. The release of Collection 2 products in 2020, which improved data quality and accessibility, helped drive downloads upward.*

Today, the USGS archive contains more than 13.8 Petabytes (PB) of Landsat satellite data, packaged into a variety of products tailored to different needs. Landsat data are vital to scientists studying water and food security, agriculture, disaster response, land use and land cover change, and energy and mineral development. 

The 200,000-terabyte milestone is not just a number. It represents millions of studies, projects, and decisions supported by the Landsat Program around the world — from safeguarding food and water resources to guiding disaster response.

Below are a few of the 215 images that were downloaded within the first minute of the milestone being reached.

Satellite image of northern Greenland showing Ryder Glacier, C.H. Ostenfeld Glacier, Victoria Fjord, and Greenland Ice Sheet

Landsat View of Glaciers and Fjords in Northern Greenland

Satellite image of the Colorado River delta and the Gulf of California near San Luis Río Colorado, Mexico.

Landsat View of the Colorado River Delta and Gulf of California

Satellite image of the Strait of Belle Isle showing L’Anse-au-Loup and Flowers Cove

Landsat View of the Strait of Belle Isle, Canada

Satellite image of Ethiopia’s central highlands showing Robe, Ginir, and the Harenna Forest.

Landsat View of Ethiopia’s Highlands and the Harenna Forest

Satellite image of central Chile showing Santiago, Quilpué, and the snow-covered Andes Mountains.

Landsat View of Central Chile and the Andes Mountains

a satellite image showing shades of brown and green

Landsat View of Central Germany and the Harz Mountains

Landsat View of Namibia’s Fish River Canyon and ǀAi-ǀAis / Richtersveld Transfrontier Park

Satellite image of eastern South Dakota showing Sioux Falls, the USGS EROS Center, Sioux City, and the Missouri River.

Landsat View of Sioux Falls, USGS EROS, and the Missouri River

Visit these webpages for more information about accessing data and more interesting Landsat statistics.

- Landsat Data Access Landsat Data Access
  
  In 2008, the Landsat products stored in the USGS EROS archive became available for download at no cost to users.  The applications described below allow access to the Landsat products from the USGS archive. Each application provides unique capabilities that may be useful to user preferences, as either single file or large quantity (bulk) downloads. 
  
  Landsat Data Access
  
  Landsat Data Access
  
  In 2008, the Landsat products stored in the USGS EROS archive became available for download at no cost to users.  The applications described below allow access to the Landsat products from the USGS archive. Each application provides unique capabilities that may be useful to user preferences, as either single file or large quantity (bulk) downloads. 
  
  Learn More
- Landsat Project Statistics Landsat Project Statistics
  
  How much Landsat data is available, and how much is downloaded? Who downloads Landsat products and what do they use it for? We answer these questions and more on this page.
  
  Landsat Project Statistics
  
  Landsat Project Statistics
  
  How much Landsat data is available, and how much is downloaded? Who downloads Landsat products and what do they use it for? We answer these questions and more on this page.
  
  Learn More