First Pléiades Neo Constellation Satellite Safely Delivered in Orbit

Start of a new era for Airbus and geospatial applications

Date:

VV18_Pose PAC sur lanceur_ZLV

Toulouse.  The first satellite of the Pléiades Neo constellation was safely delivered in orbit by Arianespace’s European launcher Vega, from French Guiana last night.

First telemetry signals were received this morning and the solar arrays are deployed. The early orbit phase activities have started, commanded from Airbus control centre in Toulouse, to prepare acquisition of first image next week. In-orbit calibration phase will follow before opening commercial service.

ads

Entirely funded, designed, manufactured, owned and operated by Airbus, Pléiades Neo will provide commercial and institutional customers with high-level insights for the next decade. Each satellite will add half a million km² per day at 30cm native resolution. The images will be easily accessible on Airbus’ OneAtlas digital platform, allowing customers immediate access to both freshly acquired and archive data, as well as extensive analytics.

VV18

Comprising four identical satellites, the Pléiades Neo constellation will work hand in hand with the existing Pléiades satellites and the rest of the dozen-strong Airbus Earth observation satellite fleet. The highly compact Pléiades Neo spacecraft have a light weight, next generation silicon carbide optical instrument, building on the technology that Airbus first pioneered in the early 2000s. They also have inter-satellite links with SpaceDataHighway (EDRS) geostationary satellites to enable urgent acquisitions 30 to 40 minutes following the tasking request to swiftly respond to the most critical situations.

“The launch of this first Pléiades Neo satellite will pave the way to new services and great opportunities for our customers, thanks to its high accuracy and increased reactivity. The Pléiades Neo constellation will definitively boost the 30cm imagery market, bringing a lot of innovation and coverage capacity to the commercial and governmental end-users,“ said François Lombard, Head of Intelligence at Airbus Defence and Space.

The satellite will soon be joined by its twin, Pléiades Neo 4, already in Kourou and ready for launch this summer, also on a Vega rocket.

big bang

More like this

Indo-US Diplomatic Tussle at ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not travel to Malaysia...

Strategic Diplomacy Challenges: India’s Greatest Strength Lies in Building Bridges

In an age of shifting power equations and fractured...

PTC Industries Receives GTRE’s Order for Single Crystal Turbine Blade

New Delhi: PTC Industries Limited has achieved a significant...

DGCA Directs Air India to Carry Out Comprehensive Inspection of RAT Systems on All Boeing 787 Dreamliners

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)...

Gaganyaan Mission’s Development Work Progressing Steadily, Touches 90% Completion Mark

New Delhi: The Gaganyaan mission has reached a significant...

Airbus-built SpainSat NG-II Secure Communications Satellite Successfully Launched 

Getafe, Spain. SpainSat NG-II, the second Airbus-built new generation...

Agnikul Cosmos Successfully Test Fires Semi-Cryogenic Rocket Engines

New Delhi: Agnikul Cosmos, the Chennai-based space start-up, has...

First Indigenous ASW SWC Vessel ‘Mahe’ Delivered to Indian Navy by Cochin Shipyard

Kochi: Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has successfully delivered Mahe,...
Indian Navy Special EditionLatest Issue