Tag: BlackSky
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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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Rocket Lab’s Electron launches two BlackSky satellites on 25th mission
Rocket Lab has launched two satellites for BlackSky on the 25th flight of its Electron rocket. The mission lifted off from Launch Complex-1A (LC-1A) at Rocket Lab’s launch site on the Mahia peninsula in New Zealand at 12:41 UTC on Saturday (1:41 AM local time on Saturday). California-based Rocket Lab has begun a tradition of…
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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 another pair of BlackSky satellites
Rocket Lab has conducted its final orbital launch of the year, “A Data With Destiny.” Liftoff of the Electron rocket occurred at the beginning of the launch window that opened at 7:02 PM EST on December 8, 2021 (00:02 UTC on December 9) from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on the Māhia Peninsula in New…
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Rocket Lab returns to action with dual satellite launch and successful booster splashdown
Following a hiatus of several months, Rocket Lab returned to launch operations with its 22nd overall mission on Thursday. An Electron rocket lifted off from the company’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand at 01:38 UTC (14:38 local time) on November 18, following delays to evaluate an out-of-family ground sensor and wait for cooperative…
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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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Rocket Lab suffers failure on Electron’s 20th mission
Rocket Lab conducted its twentieth launch of an Electron rocket, named “Running Out of Toes,” carrying two Earth-observation satellites for BlackSky’s global monitoring constellation. The mission also included a successful attempt to recover an Electron first stage for the second time after a soft splashdown in the Māhia Recovery Zone in the Pacific Ocean. This…