Three new ways to get imagery

The Atlantic posted an excellent article on 7 Jan about the three newer members to the satellite imagery community: Skybox, Urthecast, and Planet Labs. All are attempting to do very similar things, but they seem to be going about their attempts differently. Urthecast is using the International Space Station as its “camera tripod” for its […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 8–synchronizing flying pumpkins and suns

Sorry, this isn’t about a tribute band for 90’s alternative/grunge music, at least not “Today.” This is all about polar orbits and polar sun-synchronous orbits. But before I get into those topics, let me warn you that if you delve too far into this, understand the math involved, the terms used, and worst of all worlds—enjoy […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 7 (the dishy part)

Last week, we found out that companies flying satellites, especially low earth orbiting (LEOs) need a few ground stations to send and receive data to satellite and payload in a timely manner. How can you tell there’s something space-y going on in your neighborhood? The most visible part of the ground system is the thing […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, part 6

In my last aside, I noted it was interesting the Hubble telescope was using a low earth orbit (LEO) to conduct its mission, considering some of the challenges inherent in such a low orbit. So let’s start with the first challenge. A low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite is going around the Earth really quickly. There […]

Why space matters: Imaging satellite operations, Part 5

One is a lonely number. It takes a while for one low earth orbiting (LEO) satellite’s payload (the camera) to see the entire Earth’s surface. If you want to get pictures more quickly, say the same day something like a hurricane or a forest fire is happening, you want a CONSTELLATION of satellites orbiting the […]