on February 22, 2023

Landsat: Searching for and downloading cloud-free images for a small area

Geographic Information Systems

Are Landsat images free?

Since 2008, Landsat Level-1 data, as well as Level-2 and Level-3 science products held in the USGS archive, have been available for download at no charge from a variety of data portals.

Is Landsat 8 imagery free?

All Landsat data are available from USGS for free.

How do I find Landsat images?

The USGS Global Visualization Viewer GLOVIS site at: http://glovis.usgs.gov/ has Landsat data, as well as ASTER and some MODIS satellite images. Select the appropriate image collection e.g. Landsat Archive | Landsat 4 – 5 TM and then navigate to the region you are interested in.

Why is Landsat free?

The United States (U.S.) federal government provides imagery obtained by federally funded Earth Observation satellites typically at no cost. For many years Landsat was an exception to this trend, until 2008 when the United States Geological Survey (USGS) made Landsat data accessible via the internet for free.

How much does Landsat cost?

As of FY2021, NASA has spent $699 million on its responsibilities for developing and launching Landsat 9 and the USGS has spent over $120 million on its ground system development.
 

How much does Landsat imagery cost?

approximately US$600

Encouraged more data use and research



Before the free data policy, the USGS and private sector sold at most 3,000 Landsat images per month. At the time, a single Landsat image cost approximately US$600.

Is Landsat 9 data free?

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Where to download Landsat 9 images?

All Landsat 9 data and products are available for download through the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center at no charge.



How do I download satellite images from Google Maps?

Save your favorite map image

  1. Open Google Earth Pro.
  2. Navigate to a place on the globe.
  3. In the top menu bar, click File Save Save Image.
  4. In the upper menu bar below the icon strip, click Map Options.
  5. If you already have map options saved on your computer, click Load.
  6. To choose new map options, you can set up new options.

How to download Sentinel 2 data free?

All Sentinel-2 data are freely available from the Copernicus Open Access Hub. Users can download the data via https://scihub.copernicus.eu/. To learn more about Sentinel data access information please visit: https://sentinel.esa.int/web/sentinel/sentinel-data-access.