{"id":11511,"date":"2021-08-17T17:21:23","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T09:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/arianespace-launches-second-pleiades-neo-remote-sensing-satellite\/"},"modified":"2021-08-17T17:21:23","modified_gmt":"2021-08-17T09:21:23","slug":"arianespace-launches-second-pleiades-neo-remote-sensing-satellite","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/arianespace-launches-second-pleiades-neo-remote-sensing-satellite\/","title":{"rendered":"Arianespace launches second Pl\u00e9iades Neo remote sensing satellite"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_52993\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52993\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-52993\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vv19-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vv19-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vv19-1-300x213.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vv19-1-678x481.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/vv19-1-768x545.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-52993\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A European Vega rocket blasts off with nearly 700,000 pounds of thrust Monday night. Credit: ESA\/CNES\/Arianespace \u2013 Photo Optique Video du CSG \u2013 JM Guillon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>A European Vega rocket launched from French Guiana Monday night with Airbus\u2019s second Pl\u00e9iades Neo remote sensing satellite, two European Space Agency CubeSats to track space weather, a student-built nanosatellite from Italy, and a small maritime surveillance payload from the French company Unseenlabs.<\/p>\n<p>The Vega rocket\u2019s solid-fueled booster stage ignited and vaulted the 98-toot-tall (30-meter) launcher off the pad at the Guiana Space Center in South America at 9:47:06 p.m. EDT Monday (0147:06 GMT Tuesday).<\/p>\n<p>Heading north from the tropical spaceport, the Vega rocket exceeded the speed of sound in less than 30 seconds and shed its spent first stage about two minutes after liftoff. Two more solid-fueled motors fired in succession to send the mission\u2019s five payloads into space.<\/p>\n<p>The rocket\u2019s Swiss-made payload shroud jettisoned after the initial climb above Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n<p>A liquid-fueled upper stage, known as the&nbsp;Attitude and Vernier Upper Module, ignited two times to maneuver the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 4 spacecraft into its targeted polar orbit at an altitude of roughly 388 miles (625 kilometers). The satellite separated from the AVUM upper stage about 54-and-a-half minutes after liftoff.<\/p>\n<p><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" class=\"\" style=\"position: static; visibility: visible; width: 0px; height: 0px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1427447497522401289&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fspaceflightnow.com%2F2021%2F08%2F17%2Farianespace-launches-second-pleiades-neo-remote-sensing-satellite%2F&amp;sessionId=fbdd404d0d138bd9595c56ce3dd487fb9530e4fb&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&amp;width=550px\" data-tweet-id=\"1427447497522401289\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-twitter-extracted-i1782468310885332767=\"true\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Liftoff of a Vega rocket from French Guiana, hauling Airbus\u2019s Pl\u00e9iades Neo 4 Earth observation satellite and four European CubeSats into polar orbit. https:\/\/t.co\/cc7v8fPmiC pic.twitter.com\/xMBAGijFfg<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) August 17, 2021<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Two more burns by the AVUM upper stage reduced the rocket\u2019s altitude to around 344 miles (554 kilometers) for separation of four smaller rideshare payloads more than an hour-and-a-half into the mission.<\/p>\n<p>Arianespace, the French company that oversees launches from the Guiana Space Center, declared the mission a success. It was the 17th successful flight of a Vega rocket in 19 launches since 2012.<\/p>\n<p>The 2,032-pound (922-kilogram)&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo 4 atellite will take a position in a similar orbit as the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 3 spacecraft that launched in April, but will fly in a slot 180 degrees from its counterpart to begin enabling repeat coverage of the same location on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites feature improvements over&nbsp;Airbus\u2019s first-generation&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Earth observation satellites launched in 2011 and 2012. The final two Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites will launch together on an a Vega C rocket \u2014 an upgraded variant of the Vega launcher \u2014 in 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Airbus says it entirely funded the development of the&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites, with intentions to sell the imagery commercially to private companies and government users. The company announced the Pl\u00e9iades Neo program in 2016, and Airbus assembles the Pl\u00e9iades Neo spacecraft at its facility in Toulouse, France.<\/p>\n<p>The four-satellite program is costing Airbus about 600 million euros, or roughly $700 million.<\/p>\n<p>The Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites can produce optical imagery of Earth\u2019s surface with a resolution of 11.8 inches, or 30 centimeters, according to Airbus. That\u2019s good enough to resolve features such as vehicles and road markings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPl\u00e9iades Neo will offer a truly best-in-class capability to our customers and will strongly enhance our position in the very high-resolution market\u201d said Fran\u00e7ois Lombard, head of intelligence at Airbus Defence and Space. \u201cThe first images from Pl\u00e9iades Neo 3 are outstanding and confirm that we took the right decision in terms of design and performance to address the increasingly demanding requirements of the geospatial sector.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_51509\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-51509\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-51509\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pleiadesneo3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"704\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pleiadesneo3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pleiadesneo3-300x176.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pleiadesneo3-768x451.jpg 768w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/pleiadesneo3-678x398.jpg 678w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-51509\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist\u2019s concept of a Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellite. Credit: Airbus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The imaging resolution of Airbus\u2019s four&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites is comparable to the resolution provided by Maxar\u2019s six-satellite WorldView Legion surveillance satellites due to begin launching next year. The companies are competitors, providing the highest-resolution Earth observation imagery on the global commercial market.<\/p>\n<p>With the help of laser inter-satellite communications links, the&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellites will be able to respond rapidly to tasking requests within 30 to 40 minutes, according to Airbus.<\/p>\n<p>A single Pl\u00e9iades Neo&nbsp;satellite, using a new agile pointing capability enabled by control moment gyroscopes, can turn side-to-side to observe the same location every two days. Once all four satellites are in orbit, the constellation will be able to image any location on Earth twice a day.<\/p>\n<p>Each Pl\u00e9iades Neo spacecraft is designed to operate for at least 10 years.<\/p>\n<p>One&nbsp;Pl\u00e9iades Neo satellite can collect images covering an area of nearly 200,000 square miles (500,000 square kilometers) every day, Airbus says.<\/p>\n<p>Airbus released the first images from the Pl\u00e9iades Neo 3 satellite in May. The company plans make commercial imagery from Pl\u00e9iades Neo 3 available to customers later this year.<\/p>\n<p>One of the rideshare payloads launched Monday night is a briefcase-sized six-unit CubeSat for a French startup company named Unseenlabs founded in 2015.<\/p>\n<p>The small spacecraft, named BRO-4, is the fourth satellite in the company\u2019s growing constellation designed to provide maritime surveillance services. The three previous satellites launched aboard Rocket Lab missions.<\/p>\n<p>Unseenlabs says its fleet of nanosatellites will be able to locate and identify ships around the world, providing tracking services for maritime operators and helping security forces watch for pirates and smugglers. The company&nbsp;plans to build out a fleet of 20 to 25 nanosatellites by 2025.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_52994\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-52994\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-52994\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/SunStorm_pillars.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/SunStorm_pillars.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/SunStorm_pillars-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/SunStorm_pillars-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/SunStorm_pillars-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-52994\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The SunStorm CubeSat. Credit: ESA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Three small CubeSats sponsored by the European Space Agency also launched on the Vega rocket.<\/p>\n<p>The RadCube spacecraft is a three-unit CubeSat was developed by a Hungarian company named C3S. Designed as a technology demonstration mission, RadCube carries instruments to measure radiation and magnetic fields in low Earth orbit, collecting important data for space weather forecasting.<\/p>\n<p>ESA\u2019s SunStorm CubeSat, developed by Reaktor Space Lab in Finland, will test a miniature solar X-ray flux monitor measuring X-ray missions from coronal mass ejections, huge eruptions from the sun\u2019s surface that can generate space weather storms affecting satellite operations, and power grids and communications networks on Earth.<\/p>\n<p>The instrument to be tested on the SunStorm nanosatellite is similar to a sensor ESA plans to fly on a future operational space weather monitoring mission.<\/p>\n<p>The third ESA-supported CubeSat on Monday night\u2019s launch was LEDSat, a small spacecraft developed by students at Sapienza&nbsp;University of Rome. The mission is designed to investigate the performance of Light Emitting Diodes as a way of tracking satellites in low Earth orbit, according to ESA.<\/p>\n<p>ESA selected the LEDSat mission for a rideshare launch opportunity through the agency\u2019s \u201cFlight Your Satellite!\u201d educational program.<\/p>\n<p><b><i>Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A European Vega rocket blasts off with nearly 700,000 pounds of thrust Monday night. Credit: ESA\/CNES\/Arianespace \u2013 Photo Optique Video du CSG \u2013 JM Guillon A European Vega rocket launched from French Guiana Monday night with Airbus\u2019s second Pl\u00e9iades Neo remote sensing satellite, two European Space Agency CubeSats to track space weather, a student-built nanosatellite [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11511","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11511"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11511\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}