Quote from: InfraNut2 on 02/11/2014 11:48 amKoichi got good pictures. Confirmed (This picture is from that second deployment).@Astro_Wakata tweeted: Congratulations on the successful deploy of the satellites by the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer and Kibo robotics! pic.twitter.com/GsUzvC8NKO
Koichi got good pictures.
The satellites tumbled a little bit more than I expected, but it made for good visuals, as the setting sun highlighted different parts of them in sequence.
Does anyone know of an estimate of the lifetime of these sattelites when launched from the ISS at around 410 km altitude? It could be only a few months.
Quote from: Comga on 02/09/2014 08:16 pmDoes anyone know of an estimate of the lifetime of these sattelites when launched from the ISS at around 410 km altitude? It could be only a few months.I've heard numbers in the 6-12 months for typical cubesats (varies a lot based on satellite density and density variations in the upper atmosphere).~Jon
Q: Space station operates in a fairly low orbit. Will it limit the lifespan of your satellites?A: Without an on-board propulsion system, their life will be fairly limited. Our [business] model is based on our ability to mass-produce satellites. Instead of building a more sophisticated satellite with a 10-year lifetime, we chose to build a much simpler spacecraft with a design life of a couple of years and replenish the constellation.
The Planet Labs strategy is that they can obtain high resolution images from small aperture nanosats by flying in a much lower orbit than the large aperture imaging satellites. This will reduce their lifetime to a year or two but the launch capability provided by the ISS allows them to replace lost satellites easily and at relatively low cost.
Quote from: Danderman on 02/09/2014 02:38 pmSkybox Imaging, one of the three companies mentioned in the article, provides "sub-meter" resolution imagery.Yeah, although I haven't found anything specific. Some articles say "about a meter or less," but that's still somewhat vague. I also cannot find any specifics on their satellites. What are the dimensions and what is the diameter of their imaging mirror? It looks like the satellite may be about 80 cm tall and 60 cm on a side, and I would guess that puts the mirror diameter at 40-50 cm. Somebody could then plug that into the satellite altitude and get a decent guess at the resolution.http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2013/06/startup-skybox/
Skybox Imaging, one of the three companies mentioned in the article, provides "sub-meter" resolution imagery.
Was it planned that one of them deployed with the aperture already uncovered?
Actually, the aperture cover deployment sequence was designed that way (I agree that it is a bit surprising, but there were good reasons). The covers on the "rear" satellites open later, on a timer. All have successfully opened.