Planet Labs RapidEYE LEO satellite constellation
| Position: | LEO |
| Operator: | Planet Labs |
| Launch vehicle: | Dnepr-1 |
| Launch date: | |
| Expected lifetime: | 6 Years |
Planet Labs RapidEYE LEO satellite constellation
Earth Imaging company Planet Labs currently operates three constellations, SkySat, with 21 satellites, RapidEYE and Doves. The satellites that comprise each constellation have unique spatial, temporal and radiometric resolutions, to capture Earth’s activities from multiple perspectives and dimensions.
The Planet Labs RapidEYE LEO satellite constellation is consisting of 5 satellites, was acquired in 2015. After operating for total 11 years, outperforming its design life, the constellation was retired in March 2020. The imaging capabilities were applied to a host of industries, including agriculture, forestry, oil and gas exploration, power and engineering and construction, governments, cartography and mining.
Planet Labs is an Earth Imaging company based in San Francisco, USA. The company has built and successfully deployed 450 satellites and is operating 200+ in orbit collecting over 350 million sq. km of imaginary data. In addition to California, Planet has offices in Germany and Canada where they deliver market-leading geospatial imagery to a global network of customers and partners in over 100 countries.
Planet Labs currently operates three constellations, SkySat, with 21 satellites, RapidEYE and Doves. The satellites that comprise each constellation have unique spatial, temporal, and radiometric resolutions, to capture Earth’s activities from multiple perspectives and dimensions.
The SkySat satellites, built by Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) aka Maxar, were originally operated by SkyBox Imaging, that was acquired by Google in 2014. In 2016 Skybox Imaging changed name in Terra Bella that was purchased by Planet in April 2017 with Google as a shareholder in Planet as part of that deal.
| Satellite | Mission | Launch Date | Launcher | Launch Operator |
| RapidEYE 1 (Tachys) | Aug 28th, 2008 | Dnepr-1 | ISC Kosmotras RUS | |
| RapidEYE 2 (Mati) | Aug 28th, 2008 | Dnepr-1 | ISC Kosmotras RUS | |
| RapidEYE 3 (Choma) | Aug 28th, 2008 | Dnepr-1 | ISC Kosmotras RUS | |
| RapidEYE 4 (Choros) | Aug 28th, 2008 | Dnepr-1 | ISC Kosmotras RUS | |
| RapidEYE 5 (Trochia) | Aug 28th, 2008 | Dnepr-1 | ISC Kosmotras RUS |
Planet Labs RapidEYE LEO satellite constellation
