Abstract: A satellite-based imaging system (100) is used to provide imaging services to users located anywhere on the earth. The surface of the earth is imaged, and the resulting images are geolocated using stars as registration marks on the images. The imaging system comprises a scene imaging system (120) which forms an image of a scene on a first section of a focal plane system (150), a second group of imaging systems (122-128) that form images of unmoving objects, that geolocate the scene on a second group of sections of the same focal plane system (150), and an internal self-consistent system timing mechanism. The satellite-based imaging system (100) stores the images and transmits the images to earth-based processing centers.