View the major events of 2017 from a satellite?

According to a report on the USA Today website on December 18, on December 15, SpaceX used a second-hand orbital rocket to perform its first launch mission to replenish the International Space Station. The photo was taken on December 12. The Digital Earth Company's GeoEye-1 satellite captured the Falcon 9 rocket placed horizontally on the launch pad.

Hungahaapai Island was formed by the eruption of a submarine volcano near the Kingdom of Tonga at the end of 2014. The island was originally expected to disappear as the sea washed away in a few months, but the newly formed island is expected to be the first in more than 50 years to maintain its status quo. This photo taken by the WorldView-2 satellite on June 29 shows the new island formed by the volcanic eruption connecting two previously separated islands.

From August to September, a series of deadly hurricanes raged in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Digital Earth launched an open data project to provide humanitarian assistance during Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. The WorldView-2 satellite recorded flooding in Brookshire, Texas, on August 30.

On January 21, millions of people in the United States took to the streets to demonstrate to defend women’s rights, workers’ rights, and immigrant rights; and to call for racial equality and environmental protection. This was the largest single-day demonstration in American history. The WorldView-2 satellite recorded the march in Denver on January 21.

On April 7, the US military launched 59 Tomahawk missiles against an air force base in Syria. It is reported that a chemical weapons attack is being planned at the base. The WorldView-2 satellite captured the wreckage of aircraft and buildings after the Al Sharyrat base was bombed on April 7.

On October 1, a man fired more than a thousand rounds at a crowd attending a nearby concert at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. This was the largest and deadliest shooting in U.S. history, with 58 people killed and 546 injured. An aerial view of the hotel and concert venue returned by the WorldView-2 satellite on October 2.

In 2017, California suffered the most widespread and destructive fires in history. Digital Earth launched an open data project to monitor multiple fires in California, including the Tubbs Fire in northern California, which killed 24 people and destroyed 5,300 buildings; and the ongoing Thomas and Creek fires in southern California. On October 11, the GeoEye-1 satellite captured the tragic scene after the fire in the Coffey Park neighborhood of Santa Rosa.

In July, Iraqi Prime Minister Abadi announced that Mosul had been liberated from the "Islamic State" after nine months of fighting, which became a turning point in the conflict in Iraq. In October, U.S.-backed Syrian militia groups retook the city of Raqqa, which has been the stronghold of the Islamic State in Syria for the past three years. This photo taken by the WorldView-2 satellite on October 9 shows Syrian troops massing in Raqqa's iconic Al-Naim Square, surrounded by ruins.

On October 14, a car bomb attacked Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, killing 512 people and injuring 316 others. This is considered the most serious terrorist attack in 2017. The WorldView-3 satellite captured the aftermath of the attack two days later.

On March 10, the senior United Nations humanitarian official called on the world’s governments to cooperate to eliminate the impact of famine on 20 million people in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria. On December 2, the WorldView-2 satellite photographed the expanding refugee settlement and a medical aid tent in Nigeria.

On August 21, a total solar eclipse can be observed in the United States. This is the first time since 1918. The WorldView-2 satellite captured a picture of people waiting to watch the total solar eclipse at a campsite in Oregon on August 19.

On October 27, the Catalan Parliament voted to declare independence from Spain, causing the Spanish Senate to ask Prime Minister Rajoy to directly lead Catalonia. The picture shows the Catalan Parliament building in Barcelona taken by the WorldView-2 satellite on June 6.

On November 21, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who had been in power for 37 years, stepped down after a military coup. The WorldView-2 satellite captured the "Blue Roof" of Mugabe's mansion in Harare on August 2.