Worldview 4- Gyroscope Failure

Looks like it may be curtains for the satellite providing the highest image resolution currently available on the market. At 0.31m (max spatial resolution permissible for commercial sale under US law - no idea what it was technically capable of) World view 4's panchromatic band was the crispest image you could get from space to the best of my knowledge. I have never used any WV4 data - but having used the Pleiades 0.5m panchromatic images - you could see road markings, cars, the whole area in incredible detail so can only imagine how good it was almost x2 better. 

Space.com and others reported WV4 has experience a gyroscope malfunction - which will stop it from pointing properly. These VHR (very high resolution) satellites were critically dependant on pointing capabilities, as with the longer FOV required to enable a hi-res image capture, the image footprint was reduced correspondingly. Targets of opportunity and localized areas in high detail were their specialty.

Interesting figures given on return of investment for WV4 - net book value is €155 million (i assume that means to build and launch - possibly maintain and process data), but the returns were approximately €85m in 2018 alone. Having launched in Nov 2016 - had it paid for itself yet? Possibly.

Digital Globe plan to continue efforts to restore it - but they expect those efforts to be unsuccessful.