Techniques for improving the quality of images captured by a remote sensing overhead platform such as a satellite. Sensor shifting is employed in an open-loop fashion to compensate for relative motion of the remote sensing overhead platform to the Earth. Control signals are generated for the sensor shift mechanism by an orbital motion compensation calculation that uses the predicted ephemeris (including orbit dynamics) and image geometry (overhead platform to target). Optionally, the calculation may use attitude and rate errors that are determined from on-board sensors.