Historical Landsat MSS Satellite Imagery Archive

Landsat MSS data collection began on July 23, 1972, providing decades of Earth observation. The National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) built this archive by acquiring scenes from ESA receiving stations, focusing on the UK but including many other countries. Products include raw digital data, radiometrically corrected versions, and photographic prints or composites.

Use Cases

• Analyze long-term land cover change using the 4 spectral bands (0.6-0.6, 0.6-0.7, 0.7-0.8, 0.8-1.1 µm) across scenes from 1972 onward.
• Compare radiometric properties between raw MSS data and its absolute or statistical radiometric correction products.
• Create historical basemaps or color composites from the archive's photographic products, such as B/W single-band prints or MSS color composites.
• Study seasonal or multi-year cycles by leveraging the 18-day (Landsat 1/2/3) and 16-day (Landsat 4/5) repeat cycle of the satellite data.

Strengths

• Data collection spans from July 1972, offering over five decades of historical Earth observation.
• Imagery is available in 4 distinct spectral bands with an 80-meter spatial resolution.
• Archive contains good quality scenes of the UK and many scenes from various countries worldwide.
• Offers multiple product levels including raw data and multiple types of radiometric correction.

Limitations

• Spatial resolution is 80 meters, which is coarse compared to modern satellite sensors.
• Specific row counts, total scene count, and geographic distribution details are unknown.
• The last update date and current data acquisition status are not provided.

Provenance

Source

National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), acquired from ESA receiving stations.

Collection Method

Satellite data acquisition from Landsat 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) sensors.

Time Range

From July 23, 1972 onward.

Geography

Focus on the UK, with many scenes from various countries worldwide.