A signed contract for the Earth Observation satellites for the UrtheDaily Constellation was announced by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) and UrtheCast of Canada. The UrtheDaily Constellation, planned for launch in 2020, will be capable of scientific-grade quality, multispectral imagery, high-resolution, targeted specifically at geoanalytics applications.
The UrtheDaily spacecraft are based on the SSTL-250 platform and will be built by SSTL at its facilities in Guildford UK. The spacecraft will deliver high-resolution imagery using spectral bands, which have been specifically selected to match Landsat-8, Sentinel-2, RapidEye and Deimos-1 bands to ease cross-calibration with trusted references and to minimise the effects of aospheric variations.
Wade Larson, President and CEO of UrtheCast commented "I am delighted to be announcing the UrtheDaily Constellation contract has been placed swith SSTL, the world leader in the design and manufacture of small satellites.
"Our two companies have developed a close synergy, and our combined experience and expertise has resulted in a space systems architecture for the UrtheDaily Constellation that will deliver exceptional data quality for a range of geoanalytics products."
Andrew Cawthorne, Director of Earth Observation at SSTL said "We have worked closely with UrtheCast to develop an imaging system capable of detecting subtle changes on the planet, and we are very much looking forward to supplying the satellites for this landmark Earth Observation constellation."
SSTL is a leading supplier of LEO missions to commercial owner operators: previous missions include Beijing-1, platforms for the 5 satellite RapidEye constellation, Deimos-1, exactView-1, KazEOSAT-2, and the 3-satellite TripleSat constellation.
Satellite spots springtime phytoplankton bloom off New Zealand coast
Phytoplankton are proliferating along the coast of New Zealand's South Island. The bloom was photographed this week by the camera on NASA's Aqua satellite. The space agency shared the image on Wednesday.
While temperatures drop and days lengthen on the north half of Earth to the equator, the Southern Hemisphere is awakening to spring. The warming temperatures and increased sunlight can … read more