Tag: BlackSky Global
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NRO strikes multibillion-dollar deals with BlackSky, Maxar and Planet for spy satellite imagery
An artist’s conception shows one of BlackSky’s satellites in orbit. (Black Sky Illustration) Three satellite imaging companies are in line to receive billions of dollars from the National Reconnaissance Office over the next decade, thanks to a string of contracts announced today. The companies are the same satellite operators who won study contracts from the…
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Seattle’s Space Needle makes its debut on Rocket Lab mission patch, thanks to Spaceflight Inc.
The rocket nose cone for Rocket Lab’s mission to launch two BlackSky satellites is emblazoned with a mission patch that features Seattle’s Space Needle on the right side. (Rocket Lab via Twitter) What could be more fitting than to put Seattle’s Space Needle on the patch for an actual space mission? Even though this particular…
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Thanks to new satellites, BlackSky picks up the pace for updating space imagery
BlackSky captured multiple satellite images of Fremantle Harbour in Perth, Australia, to document the comings and goings of maritime traffic. (BlackSky Images) BlackSky says it has set a new standard for refreshing its satellite views of spots on Earth after adding six spacecraft to its Earth observation constellation in a month. The company, which has…
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Rocket Lab launches two more Earth observation satellites for BlackSky — and tracks a falling rocket
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its New Zealand launch pad. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) BlackSky’s Earth-watching constellation has grown by two satellites, thanks to Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle and Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc.’s logistical help. Rocket Lab’s previous BlackSky launch ended in failure back in May, but the launch team traced the problem…
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Beyond satellites: Now that it’s gone public, BlackSky will boldly go into new markets
BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole (center) and other company executives celebrate ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange. (Black Sky Photo) As a private venture, BlackSky made a name for itself providing satellite imagery and data analysis primarily for military and government customers. But now that it’s an independent, publicly traded company, the…
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Inside the satellite factory: How LeoStella uses software to track spacecraft hardware
Workers check out an assembled satellite at LeoStella’s manufacturing facility. (GeekWire Photo / Alan Boyle) TUKWILA, Wash. — LeoStella’s satellite factory has tons of hardware spread out over 22,000 square feet of space, but the secret ingredient for its manufacturing process may well be the software. “What you see here is the physical layout,” Brian…
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BlackSky Earth-observing satellites lost due to anomaly during Rocket Lab launch
Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle rises from its pad in New Zealand. (Rocket Lab via YouTube) Two satellites for BlackSky’s Earth observation constellation were lost today when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle suffered an anomaly, just minutes after liftoff from New Zealand. Rocket Lab said the mission failure was under investigation.…
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Seattle’s satellite industry plays leading role in BlackSky’s Earth-observing network
The two BlackSky satellites that were launched, and lost, during a Rocket Lab mission are seen here at LeoStella’s satellite factory being prepared for shipment to New Zealand in March. (LeoStella Photo) Update for 6:30 a.m. PT May 15: Two BlackSky satellites were lost when the second stage of Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket suffered an…
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BlackSky’s latest satellite delivers first images (and AI insights) hours after launch
One of the first pictures from the BlackSky 7 satellite zeroed in on Perth, Australia, and the city’s billion-dollar Waterbank development site. Click on the image for a larger version. (BlackSky Photo) That didn’t take long: BlackSky says the latest Earth observation satellite in its growing constellation delivered its first imagery less than a day…
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BlackSky satellite data venture makes a $1.5B deal to go public in SPAC merger
An artist’s conception shows BlackSky’s Global satellites in orbit. (BlackSky Illustration) BlackSky Holdings, which is operating a growing fleet of Earth observation satellites as well as a cloud-based platform to analyze geospatial data, says it will become a publicly traded company through a blank-check merger valued at nearly $1.5 billion. The agreement with Osprey Technology…