| Names | Pathfinder 1 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth Imaging |
| Operator | BlackSky Global[1] |
| COSPAR ID | 2016-059E |
| SATCATno. | 41787 |
| Website | http://www.blacksky.com/ |
| Mission duration | 3 years (planned) 9 years, 4 months and 21 days (in progress) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Bus | v |
| Manufacturer | LeoStella withThales Alenia Space |
| Launch mass | 44 kg (97 lb) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 26 September 2016, 03:42UTC[2] |
| Rocket | PSLV-C35 |
| Launch site | Satish Dhawan Space Centre,Sriharikota,First Launch Pad (FLP) |
| Contractor | Indian Space Research Organisation |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Sun-synchronous orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 664 km (413 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 706 km (439 mi) |
| Inclination | 98.20° |
| Period | 90.00 minutes |
BlackSky constellation | |
BlackSky Pathfinder-1 is anEarth imaging satellite.[3] The satellite is equipped with payloads fromHarris Corporation designed to image an area approximately 4.4 × 6.6 km (2.7 × 4.1 mi).[4]
It is a demonstration satellite forBlackSky Global, aSeattle-based company intending to field a fleet of 60 spacecraft to offer on-demand high-resolution images of any place on the planet. The U.S.-built Earth observing platform weighed about 44 kg (97 lb), and will lay the foundation for BlackSky's commercialremote sensing business, which officials announced in June 2015. The main objective of the pathfinder is to return imagery, an achievement that would prove the basic technology behind the planned commercial Earth-observing satellite fleet. The satellite is designed for three-year lifetimes and will have an imaging resolution of about 1 m (3 ft 3 in) from analtitude of 450 km (280 mi).[5]
This is first in a series of 30 satellites planned to deploy the BlackSky constellation that will provide near real-time images in about 90 minutes to produce images that are more current and wide-ranging to increase global transparency.[4]
The satellite was launched at 03:42UTC on 26 September 2016 byIndian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) using thePSLV-C35launch vehicle.[6]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.