The options available for orientation of satellite imagery in cases requiring optimal metric precision are generally rational functions, where the RPCs are provided by the image supplier, or a rigorous physical model. In either case, it is ground control that facilitates pixel-level georeferencing via a compensation for systematic errors in the sensor metadata. In many remote parts of the world, where satellites are the most viable source of imagery for mapping, there is a lack of ground control, which thus precludes bias-free georeferencing. This paper reports on a practical means of overcoming this problem, namely the orientation of long strips of imagery through a bundle adjustment process that requires ground control at the endpoints only. The adjustment utilises a rigorous sensor orientation model. RPCs are then generated for each scene within the strip of images from the adjusted sensor orientation data. These facilitate bias-free georeferencing without reference to ground control. The approach discussed has previously proven successful for automated orthoimage generation from ALOS imagery, and in this paper its application to a 7-scene strip of QuickBird imagery is reported.