London: It is like viewing live Google Maps. A San Francisco firm has released first footage from a revolutionary satellite it is set to make public. The footage shows planes landing at Beijing airport in detail, to an extent that individual planes can easily be identified, while cars can be seen driving around the airport. In other footage cars are seen moving on roads and vessels travelling through shipping lanes — all from a satellite positioned 600 kms above the planet.

The video was taken by the SkySat-1 satellite and showcases high-resolution views of Tokyo, Bangkok, Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Aleppo, Syria.