Capella Space Sequoia, First Light - Electron (fl 14) - Mahia, LC-1A – 31.08.2020, 03:05:47 UTC

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Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1 ч. назад

We're excited to confirm our next mission is just days away! We're launching a dedicated commercial mission from LC-1. Stay tuned for more info next week.

Lift-off is targeted for no earlier than:
UTC: 27 Aug, 03:05 UTC
ET:    26 Aug, 23:05
PT:    26 Aug, 20:05
NZT: 27 Aug, 15:05

[tnt22]

Опубликованы уведомления мореплавателям на закрываемые зоны 14-го пуска РН - зона космодрома, зоны затопления 1-й ст РН (A) и ГО (B)

NOTMARs

HYDROPAC 2443/20

WESTERN SOUTH PACIFIC.
NEW ZEALAND.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, ROCKET LAUNCHING
    0105Z TO 0736Z DAILY 26 AUG THRU 08 SEP
    IN AREA BOUND BY
        39-13.4S 177-51.0E, 39-12.0S 177-55.0E,
        39-25.0S 178-25.0E, 39-29.0S 178-22.0E,
        39-17.0S 177-49.0E.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 080836Z SEP 20.//

Authority: CNW 173/20 202310Z AUG 20.

Date: 202325Z AUG 20
Cancel: 08083600 Sep 20


HYDROPAC 2442/20

SOUTH PACIFIC.
CHATHAM ISLANDS.
DNC 06.
1. HAZARDOUS OPERATIONS, SPACE DEBRIS
    0105Z TO 0736Z DAILY 26 AUG THRU 08 SEP
    IN AREAS BOUND BY:
    A. 40-48S 175-48W, 41-48S 171-30W,
        42-54S 171-54W, 41-42S 176-18W.
    B. 43-30S 163-30W, 44-18S 152-00W,
        45-30S 152-00W, 44-42S 163-54W.
2. CANCEL THIS MSG 080836Z SEP 20.//

Authority: NAVAREA XIV 141/20 202300Z AUG 20.

Date: 202311Z AUG 20
Cancel: 08083600 Sep 20

[tnt22]

Ранее

Peter Beck @Peter_J_Beck 14 ч. назад

Flight 14's stage test is complete. Next stop, the launch site ... #PuttingTheHammerDown
(0:07)

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 Peter Beck @Peter_J_Beck 5 ч. назад

Electron is on the pad.

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 Peter Beck @Peter_J_Beck 3 ч. yfpfl

Wet dress proceeding well.

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 3 ч. назад

LOx on board as the crew conducts the standard pre-launch dress rehearsal at LC-1 today.

Electron is scheduled for lift-off no earlier than:
UTC: 03:05, 27 Aug
PT:    20:05, 26 Aug
ET:    23:05, 26 Aug
NZT: 15:05, 27 Aug

[tnt22]

https://www.capellaspace.com/announcing-our-sequoia-launch-i-cant-believe-its-not-optical/

Announcing Our Sequoia Launch: I Can't Believe It's Not Optical!

WRITTEN BY PAYAM BANAZADEH, CEO AND FOUNDER OF CAPELLA SPACE ON AUGUST 24, 2020. POSTED IN CAPELLA SPACE.

When I founded Capella Space in 2016, it was with a clear mission: to make timely, reliable Earth observation data available on demand. Since then, my team has worked tirelessly to build small but powerful satellites and the ground infrastructure needed to deliver synthetic aperture radar (SAR) in the most user-friendly and customer-centric way possible.

Today, I'm excited to announce that we are one step closer to making that vision a reality. We're partnering with Rocket Lab, a launch provider and space systems company, to launch Sequoia, the first publicly available satellite in our planned constellation. The two-week launch window opens on August 26, 2020.

I'm especially proud of the team for achieving this milestone right now, despite the challenges we're facing because of COVID-19. The pandemic has impacted much of the economy, and the space industry is no exception. COVID-19 has affected our supplier network and our initial launch plans and required our satellite team to work in shifts in reduced group sizes. But despite all the challenges, our team was able to not only get Sequoia across the world to launch out of New Zealand, but also is on track for manufacturing the rest of the constellation as our other launches are approaching.

Sequoia is a 100 kg class microsatellite and will be positioned in a 45-degree inclination. This mid-inclination allows us to give our customers immediate access to rapid coverage of important regions, including the Middle East, Korea, Japan, Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and the U.S. Like all of our Capella satellites, Sequoia will be able to see through clouds and in the dark and detect sub-0.5 meter changes on Earth's surface. When fully deployed, our satellite constellation will offer hourly coverage of every point on Earth.

We were fortunate to work with Rocket Lab to name this mission "I Can't Believe It's Not Optical," a reference to our innovative SAR satellite technology, which overcomes the limits of the optical imagery used in other commercial satellites. Unlike optical, SAR can see through clouds, in all weather conditions and even at night. Our team voted on the mission name in June, ultimately choosing it as a nod to our unique satellite technology and the infamous advertisement campaign (youtu.be/1LEWaTM2hbk) for "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter." We take our work seriously, but we don't take ourselves that seriously.

This launch marks a significant milestone for Capella. We are looking forward to the next few weeks and days as we prepare for launch. Please stay tuned as we approach the launch window and ready Sequoia.

[tnt22]

Capella Space CEO

 Payam Banazadeh @payamban 1 ч. назад

Excited to announce that our @capellaspace satellite is the primary payload on @RocketLab's upcoming electron launch. @Peter_J_Beck and his team have been great partners as we both worked through COVID19 challenges and the re-scheduling of the #14 rocket after to the anomaly.

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 26 мин. назад

L-2 days until we get to launch this exciting satellite for our friends at @capellaspace! #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical

[tnt22]

Открыта страница миссии

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/missions/next-mission/

NEXT MISSION: I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S NOT OPTICAL

Mission Name:		I Can't Believe It's Not Optical				Launch Window		NET 27 August 2020
Rocket:		Electron				Launch Time:		03:05 - 07:05 UTC
Electron Name:		I Can't Believe It's Not Optical				Launch Site:		Launch Complex 1

MISSION OVERVIEW

'I Can't Believe It's Not Optical' is a dedicated mission for Capella Space, an information services company providing Earth observation data on demand.

Capella's payload, 'Sequoia', is a single 100 kg class microsatellite which will be the first publicly available satellite in the company's commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation. By positioning the satellite to a 45-degree inclination, Capella Space will maximize coverage over important areas such as the Middle East, Korea, Japan, Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and the U.S.

The mission name is a nod to Capella's SAR technology that provides high quality images of the Earth day or night, and in any weather conditions. Capella's space-based radar can detect sub-0.5 meter changes on the surface of the Earth, providing insights and data that can be used for security, agricultural and infrastructure monitoring, as well as disaster response and recovery.

[tnt22]

Опубликована брошюра миссии

I-Cant-Believe-Its-Not-Optical-Press-kit.pdf - 1.2 MB, 6 стр, 24.08.2020 23:07:28 UTC

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Закрываемые прикосмодромные зоны

LAUNCH SAFETY ZONE

ROCKET LAB LAUNCH information

Launch-information-F14-I-cant-believe-its-not-optical.pdf - 1.2 MB, 1 стр, 19.08.2020 22:29:44 UTC

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Началось... в колхозе утро...

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 28 мин. назад

Launch Update: The launch window for our #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical mission opens tomorrow, but due to weather we're now targeting no earlier than 03:05, 29 Aug UTC.

PT:    20:05, Aug 28
ET:    23:05, Aug 28
NZT: 15:05, Aug 29

Stay tuned for updates!

[zandr]

https://vk.com/spacex?w=wall-41152133_244236

Rocket Lab Electron - не ранее 29 августа 06:05 МСК (3:05 UTC)
Миссия "I Can't Believe It's Not Optical!", стартовая площадка LC-1, Новая Зеландия.

— Миссия запустит малый аппарат для наблюдения Земли Sequoia (Capella-2) компании Capella Space, массой 100 кг на солнечно-синхронную орбиту высотой 500 км с наклонением 45°
— Спутник имеет радар с синтезированной апертурой (SAR) и является первым доступным решением такого класса на рынке. Радар способен различать объекты на Земли размером в 0,5 метра. В отличие от оптического, SAR-наблюдение Земли позволяет видеть сквозь облака при любых погодных условиях и даже ночью. Радар спутника будет осуществлять быстрый охват таких регионов, как Ближний Восток, Корея, Япония, Европа, Юго-Восточная Азия, Африка и США. При полном развёртывании (в будущем) спутниковая группировка компании обеспечит сканирование необходимых регионов Земли каждый час
— Забавный факт: первоначально, спутник планировали запустить в миссии SpaceX SAOCOM-1B и ещё вчера обе миссии стояли в один день, но из-за переноса запуска миссии ULA, SpaceX пришлось сдвигать свой запуск. Rocket Lab не отстали от "старших братьев" и тоже подвинули свой запуск. Отметим, что Electron имеет стартовое окно более недели, поэтому день запуска миссии может ещё не раз измениться.

[tnt22]

И эти тож поехали - прям вирус какой-то...

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 2 ч. назад

We're tracking high winds and heavy cloud at Launch Complex 1 in the coming days, so we're now targeting no earlier than 30 Aug UTC (29 August PT) for the #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical mission.

Learn more about this exciting mission here: https://bit.ly/3b2NRnZ

[tnt22]

Брошюра миссии обновлена

I-Cant-Believe-Its-Not-Optical-Press-kit2.pdf - 1.2 MB, 6 стр, 26.08.2020 22:39:36 UTC

Отличие от исходного варианта - незначительные.

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 3 ч. назад

: Lift-off targeted for 30 Aug, 03:05 UTC
: Mission info https://bit.ly/3gyzZDk
: Webcast http://rocketlabusa.com/live-stream

Time zone conversions:
ET:    23:05, Aug 29
PT:    20:05, Aug 29
NZT: 15:05, Aug 30

[tnt22]

Прям эпидемия какая-то

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 20 мин. назад

Launch Update: Ground winds remain high at LC-1 tomorrow, so we're now targeting no earlier than Aug 31 UTC for the #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical mission.

Mission info https://bit.ly/3gyzZDk

Launch timing:
ET:    23:05, Aug 30
PT:    20:05, Aug 30
NZT: 15:05, Aug 31

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 4 ч. назад

We're at L-1 day for the #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical mission for @CapellaSpace! The launch team will conduct the standard launch readiness review later today to assess all conditions before giving the final green light for launch tomorrow.

Mission info: http://bit.ly/2YHT9jW

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 4 ч

Launch readiness review is complete, weather is currently green and we are GO for tomorrow's launch for @CapellaSpace. Stay tuned for updates!

Mission info https://bit.ly/3gyzZDk

Launch timing:
UTC:  03:05, Aug 31
ET:    23:05, Aug 30
PT:    20:05, Aug 30
NZT: 15:05, Aug 31

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https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/30/amid-shuffling-schedules-capella-to-fly-its-first-commercial-satellite-with-rocket-lab/

Amid shuffling schedules, Capella to fly its first commercial satellite with Rocket Lab
August 30, 2020 | Stephen Clark


Artist's concept of a Capella synthetic aperture radar satellite. Credit: Capella Space

After switching rockets two times due to launch delays, Capella Space is set to launch the first spacecraft in a constellation of commercial radar reconnaissance satellites from New Zealand Sunday on a Rocket Lab Electron booster.

The small radar satellite, named Sequoia, is scheduled to take off during a four-hour window opening at 11:05 p.m. EDT Sunday (0305 GMT; 3:05 p.m. New Zealand time Monday).

Rocket Lab has delayed the launch four days to wait for improved weather at the company's privately-run spaceport on Mahia Peninsula, located on the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island. But the U.S.-based launch company said early Sunday that managers completed a launch readiness review and were proceeding with final launch preps for liftoff Sunday night, U.S. time.

After launching toward the east from New Zealand, the 55-foot-tall (17-meter) light-class Electron launcher will deliver Sequoia to a roughly 310-mile-high (500-kilometer) orbit inclined 45 degrees to the equator, according to Rocket Lab.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Capella plans to deploy a fleet of small radar observatories to provide regularly-updated imagery to the U.S. government, international governments, and commercial customers.

Payam Banazadeh, founder and CEO of Capella, says much of the early demand for the company's imagery is coming from governments.

"I think initially it's going to be government, defense and intelligence, both for the domestic U.S. government as well as international governments," Banazadeh said in an interview with Spaceflight Now before the launch of the Sequoia satellite. "That's going to be the primary driver for a lot of the applications in the short term."

Capella plans a constellation of small satellites to enable rapid revisit, allowing the company's orbiting radar observers to collect imagery of the same locations multiple times per day. That will allow government and commercial customers to detect changes in the environment.

Other remote sensing companies have similar business plans.

Planet, another San Francisco-based company, operates a fleet of around 150 small optical Earth observation satellites. BlackSky is also deploying a constellation of optical remote sensing spacecraft.

But Capella's satellites use synthetic aperture radar technology, allowing imagery collection night and day and in all weather conditions. Optical satellites are limited to observations in daylight and in cloud-free skies.

Last year, the National Reconnaissance Office awarded Capella a contract to study the integration of Capella's commercial radar imagery with the NRO's government-owned surveillance satellites. The U.S. Air Force awarded Capella a contract in November 2019 to incorporate the company's imagery into the Air Force's virtual reality software.

Capella also has a contract with the Navy, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, earlier this year to allow researchers from the U.S. government's intelligence community to assist Capella.

An inter-satellite link with Inmarsat's network of geostationary communications satellites will enable real-time tasking of Capella's satellites. Customers can use an electronic portal to task a Capella satellite for a radar image.

"In the long term, like other remote sensing companies, everyone is really still trying to find those applications," Banazadeh said. "The most interesting ones that we're finding are things that require an understanding of change, whether it be monitoring infrastructure, or just looking around and identifying change."

He identified pipeline, easement and infrastructure monitoring as possible uses for Capella's imagery. Radar images are also helpful in identifying oil spills, tracking agriculture, and in disaster response.

A Finnish company named ICEYE is also building out a fleet of small commercial radar observation satellites. ICEYE has launched five radar satellites to date, more than Capella. But Capella is a U.S. company, which could give it an advantage selling to the U.S. military.

Capella has a license from NOAA, which regulates space-based remote sensing by U.S. companies, for a constellation of 36 small radar surveillance satellites. The company says it also has permission from U.S. regulators to sell high-resolution radar images globally.


Capella's Sequoia radar satellite is encapsulated inside the payload fairing of Rocket Lab's Electron rocket. Credit: Rocket Lab

Capella's first test satellite, named Denali, launched in December 2018 on a rideshare mission aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After surveying prospective customers, Capella began redesigning its next series of larger satellites to gather sharper imagery, and collect more data on shorter notice, two leading demands from consumers of satellite remote sensing data.

The first of the new satellites is Sequoia launching Sunday night on Rocket Lab's Electron rocket.

With a launch weight of roughly 220 pounds, or 100 kilograms, Sequoia was built by Capella in-house. It's the sole payload on the Electron mission, according to Rocket Lab.

The Sequoia satellite was originally supposed to launch as a secondary payload on an Indian rocket in late 2019, but the mission was postponed, prompting Capella to move the satellite to a Falcon 9 launch, according to Banazadeh.

It was booked to fly as a rideshare passenger on the Falcon 9 launch with Argentina's SAOCOM 1B radar observation satellite in late March. But that launch was also delayed at the request of Argentina's space agency as travel and work restrictions were implemented at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

That left Capella looking for another ride for Sequoia. Capella had previously signed a contract with Rocket Lab for a dedicated launch of a future satellite, and Banazadeh said the company decided instead to put Sequoia on the Rocket Lab mission.

Rocket Lab also encountered delays after an Electron launch failed in early July. The Electron mission Sunday will be Rocket Lab's first launch since the failure, which engineers blamed on a faulty electrical connector on the second stage, which led to a premature engine shutdown.

Meanwhile, SAOCOM 1B launch preparations resumed and the Argentine satellite is set for launch Sunday, hours before the Rocket Lab mission with Sequoia.

"We've been playing this aerospace poker thinking this is going to go before SAOCOM, and now it's going pretty much at the same time," Banazadeh said.

Capella is building and launching an initial block of seven "Whitney-class" satellites, and Sequoia is the first of the group, according to Banazadeh, a former engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Two more Whitney satellites are expected to launch on a SpaceX rideshare mission into a polar sun-synchronous orbit later this year. Banazadeh said the experience with launch delays this year has reinforced the importance of having multiple rockets available to deliver Capella's satellites into orbit.

After the next seven Whitney-class satellites, Capella will assess demand to determine how many more satellites to launch.

"We're putting up the seven, and the seven are funded and under production," Banazadeh said. "After that, we plan to have more satellites, but whether it's going to be 12, 24, or 36 is driven by our market, so as we launch more satellites and we identify where the market is going, we will respond to the market."

Radar remote sensing is a newcomer in the small satellite market. Radar imaging from space has previously been limited to large government-owned satellites costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

Companies like Capella and ICEYE are trying to break that paradigm, thanks to hardware miniaturization and other technological advances.

Radar instruments have an appetite for high power, and radar antennas are usually large. Those requirements have previously forced radar imaging satellites to be large and expensive.

"Power and the size of the antennas are the two biggest constraints you have for a SAR (synthetic aperture radar) satellite, and that has secondary implications," Banazadeh said. "You need a big antenna. There are two ways to get that. You can have a fixed antenna, or you can have a deployable antenna."

With a fixed antenna, "you can only launch as the primary payload on big rockets, which increases your price per launch," he said. "And if you've got a deployable antenna and not a fixed antenna, then it's a little more complex in the structure you build to make sure it deploys appropriately."

Capella went with a deployable mesh-based radar reflector antenna. It folds up origami-style for launch, but then unfurls to a diameter of about 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) after the satellite separates from its rocket in orbit. The antenna deployment adds some complexity to the satellite.

"The more complex the satellite the longer it takes to commission," Banazadeh said. "We have quite a bit of deployable structures to deploy, and we'll be working through that for a few weeks before we release imagery. We expect to be pretty busy for those first few weeks. We're going to take our time, and we have to calibrate the instruments, so it will definitely be a process for us."

Capella says its spacecraft will be capable of gathering radar images for 10 minutes out of every nearly 100-minute orbit, a relatively high duty cycle for a small radar satellite. The radar imager will have a resolution of better than 50 centimeters, or about 20 inches, and can produce images in strips up to 2,500 miles (4,000 kilometers) long, Capella says.

Banazadeh said other challenges in fielding a fleet of radar reconnaissance satellites include downlinking and processing the vast amount of data the fleet will produce.

There is still a role for bigger, more costly radar satellites, Banazadeh said.

The bigger satellites do have other advantages," he said. "Where they're lacking, I think, is going to be in the revisit."

"So I don't see it as a replacement," Banazadeh said. "I see it as bringing a new capability that those companies and those satellites can't also do. They can't put put up seven of those even, let alone 20 or 30 with this cost. I think it's very complementary."

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 17 мин. назад

Welcome to launch day! Electron is on the pad at LC-1 and the launch team is conducting final checks before taking the vehicle vertical within the next two hours.

Lift-off is currently targeted for:
03:05 UTC
20:05 PT
23:05 ET
15:05 NZT

Mission info https://bit.ly/3gyzZDk




 Peter Beck @Peter_J_Beck 8 мин. назад

Weather at 80% go.


6 мин. назад

Update, 90% go.

[tnt22]

COUNTDOWN
Hr:Mn:Sc	Event	NZT	UTC	ДМВ
06:00:00	Road to the launch site closed	09:05:00	21:05:00	00:05:00
04:00:00	Electron is raised vertical, fueling begins	11:05:00	23:05:00	02:05:00
02:30:00	Launch pad personnel exit area ahead of launch	12:35:00	00:35:00	03:35:00
02:00:00	Electron filled with liquid oxygen (LOx)	13:05:00	01:05:00	04:05:00
02:00:00	Safety zones are activated for designated marine space	13:05:00	01:05:00	04:05:00
00:30:00	Safety zones are activated for designated airspace	14:35:00	02:35:00	05:35:00
00:18:00	A go/no-go poll Electron is ready for launch	14:47:00	02:47:00	05:47:00
00:02:00	Launch autosequence begins	15:03:00	03:03:00	06:03:00
00:00:02	Ignition of the first stage engines	15:04:58	03:04:58	06:04:58
00:00:00	Lift-off	15:05:00	03:05:00	06:05:00

[tnt22]

Пока
Вы не можете просматривать это вложение.

[tnt22]

Таки дороги перекрыли

Вы не можете просматривать это вложение.

[tnt22]

 Payam Banazadeh @payamban 1 ч. назад

Our mission patch for today's satellite (Sequoia) launching with @RocketLab. The hawk is the name and symbol of our radar system, flying in the Sequoias, hanging with our goat.
@capellaspace

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1 ч. назад

Electron is vertical on the pad at LC-1 for today's #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical mission for @capellaspace!

Less than four hours to go until scheduled lift-off.

Mission Info: http://bit.ly/3gyzZDk
Webcast: http://rocketlabusa.com/live-stream (begins 15 mins before T-0)

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 1 ч. назад

The launch team has completed a successful igniter test and vehicle fueling is underway at LC-1. Happily, the weather is also cooperating for today's launch.

[tnt22]

Закрыта морская зона космодрома

Вы не можете просматривать это вложение.

[tnt22]

О трансляции пуска

youtu.be/FPIhI5mRDRI

The live webcast will begin here at approx. T-15 minutes before launch.
Начало трансляции - примерно за 15 минут до пуска

[tnt22]

https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/08/30/electron-sequoia-mission-status-center/

08/31/2020 04:29 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab confirms super-cold liquid oxygen is now being loaded into the two-stage Electron rocket at Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand.

This follows the loading of RP-1 kerosene fuel into the rocket earlier in the countdown sequence.

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 45 с

Almost time to go to space!

Lift-off is just over 30 minutes away:
03:05 UTC
20:05 PT
23:05 ET
15:05 NZT

Webcast: https://youtu.be/FPIhI5mRDRI

[tnt22]

Закрыто воздушное пространство над космодромом

Вы не можете просматривать это вложение.

[tnt22]

08/31/2020 05:45 Stephen Clark

T-minus 20 minutes. ... Liftoff remains set for 11:05:47 p.m. EDT (0305:47 GMT).

[tnt22]

Пошла муззаставка

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08/31/2020 05:57 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab's live webcast has started, and the countdown remains on track for liftoff from Launch Complex 1 on Mahia Peninsula at 11:05:47 p.m. EDT (0305:47 GMT; 3:05:47 p.m New Zealand time).

[tnt22]

08/31/2020 05:58 Stephen Clark

The strongback structure will soon be retracted to an angle of 22 degrees from the Electron launch vehicle. The first step in the strongback retraction is the opening of gripper arms around the rocket's second stage.

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Ведущие трансляции: Арианна Райан и Доминик Ву

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08/31/2020 06:03 Stephen Clark

The Electron rocket's flight termination system is confirmed "green" and enabled for flight.

[tnt22]

08/31/2020 06:03 Stephen Clark

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The Electron rocket is confirmed ready for flight.

[tnt22]

Борт-Земля

[tnt22]

08/31/2020 06:06 Stephen Clark

T-minus 60 seconds and counting. The Electron's four kerosene and liquid oxygen propellant tanks are now pressurized for flight. Ignition of the rocket's nine Rutherford first stage engines is set for T-minus 2 seconds.

Flight SEQUENCE
Hr:Mn:Sc	Event	NZT	UTC	ДМВ
00:00:00	Lift-off	15:05:47	03:05:47	06:05:47
00:02:36	Main Engine Cut Off (MECO) on Electron's first stage	15:08:23	03:08:23	06:08:23
00:02:39	Stage 1 separation	15:08:26	03:08:26	06:08:26
00:02:43	Electron's Stage 2 Rutherford engine ignites	15:08:30	03:08:30	06:08:30
00:03:16	Fairing separation	15:09:03	03:09:03	06:09:03
00:06:28	Battery hot-swap	15:12:15	03:12:15	06:12:15
00:08:52	Electron reaches orbit	15:14:39	03:14:39	06:14:39
00:09:01	Stage 2 separation from Kick Stage	15:14:48	03:14:48	06:14:48
00:52:52	The Curie engine on the Kick Stage ignites	15:58:39	03:58:39	06:58:39
00:55:18	Curie engine cuts off	16:01:05	04:01:05	07:01:05
01:00:00	Payload deployed	16:05:47	04:05:47	07:05:47

Все времена - ориентировочные

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Зажигание!

[tnt22]

Пуск!!!

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 15 мин. назад

I Can't Believe It's Not Optical'  has cleared the pad for our 14th Electron launch!

 Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 35 мин. назад

LAUNCH! Rocket Lab Electron launches with the "I Can't Believe It's Not Optical" mission.
(0:32)

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Звуковой барьер

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MaxQ

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 15 мин. назад

Electron has cleared Max-Q.

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Выкл ДУ 1-й ст РН

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Отделение 1-й ст РН

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 15 мин. назад

Electron's 1st & 2nd stage have separated cleanly following successful MECO of the booster's 9 Rutherford engines.

[tnt22]

Вкл ДУ 2-й ст РН

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 15 мин. назад

Stage 2 propulsion is continuing nominally.

 Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 35 мин. назад

Staging 1-2.
(0:28)

[tnt22]

Сброс ГО

[tnt22]

"Горячее" переключение батарей

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 13 мин. назад

Battery hot swap successful!

 Chris B - NSF @NASASpaceflight 33 мин. назад

Battery hot swap. Electron's second stage isn't a fan of carrying drained batteries uphill.
(1:13)

[tnt22]

Выкл ДУ 2-й ст РН

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 11 мин. назад

SECO confirmed on Electron's second stage. Payload deployment is up next and will mark the end of this mission. Keep an eye out here for confirmation of payload deployment.

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Отделение 2-й ст РН

08/31/2020 06:18 Stephen Clark

Rocket Lab confirms the Electron's second stage placed the Curie kick stage and the Capella's Sequoia spacecraft into the planned transfer orbit. The Curie kick stage was confirmed to have separated from the Electron second stage.

The Curie engine will ignite around 53 minutes after liftoff for a nearly two-and-a-half minute burn to place the Sequoia spacecraft into the proper orbit for deployment.

Separation of the Sequoia from the Curie kick stage is expected around an hour after liftoff, but Rocket Lab is ending its live webcast at this time. The company says it will update the progress of the mission on social media.

[tnt22]

Ведущие трансляции попрощались со зрителями

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Electron "I Can't Believe It's Not Optical" launch

 SciNews

30 авг. 2020 г.

youtu.be/Dggaqx-hSjk

(1:51)

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Запись трансляции пуска

Rocket Lab - I Can't Believe It's Not Optical Launch

 Rocket Lab

Трансляция началась 36 минут назад

youtu.be/FPIhI5mRDRI

(28:05)

[tnt22]

Есть отделение КА!

Rocket Lab @RocketLab 7 мин. назад

Perfect mission. Electron has deployed the Sequoia satellite to orbit for @CapellaSpace. It was a good day to go to space.

#ICantBelieveItsNotOptical
#ICanBelieveItsInOrbit

[tnt22]

 Peter Beck @Peter_J_Beck 12 мин. назад

Payload deployed, perfect orbit!

[tnt22]

Найден один объект запуска (ступень?)

Код Выделить Развернуть

1 46268U 20060A   20244.17023654 -.00002771  87610-5  00000+0 0  9998
2 46268  45.1077 330.9249 0275016 256.9070 199.2450 15.69185914    0146268 / 2020-060A : 176 x 547 km x 45.108°, 91.77 min, 2020-08-31 04:05:08

[tnt22]

Второй объект запуска

Код Выделить Развернуть

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 46269U 20060B   20244.16653009 -.00002780  87911-5  00000+0 0  9995
2 46269  45.1195 331.0092 0280142 257.6088 177.4897 15.70638800    0646269 / 2020-060B : 168 x 546 km x 45.120°, 91.67 min, 2020-08-31 03:59:48

[tnt22]

И третий подоспел - похоже, сабж (потом перенумеруют)

Код Выделить Развернуть

0 TBA - TO BE ASSIGNED
1 46270U 20060C   20244.17018387 -.00000253  00000-0  00000+0 0  9994
2 46270  45.0969 330.9048 0013488 250.7963 204.3966 15.09814764    0246270 / 2020-060С : 527 x 546 km x 45.097°, 95.37 min, 2020-08-31 04:05:03

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 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 28 с

Electron on its way to orbit for our 14th mission. It never gets old. #OpeningAccessToSpace

[tnt22]

Официоз

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/rocket-lab-successfully-deploys-satellite-for-capella-space-on-14th-mission/

Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys Satellite for Capella Space on 14th Mission

Rocket Lab Successfully Deploys Satellite for Capella Space on 14^th Mission

31 August 2020 UTC – Rocket Lab, a space systems company and the global leader in dedicated small satellite launch, has successfully launched its 14th Electron mission and deployed a single microsatellite for Capella Space. The mission was Rocket Lab's fourth this year and takes the company's total number of satellites deployed to 54.

The 'I Can't Believe It's Not Optical' mission launched from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand's Māhia Peninsula at 03:05 UTC, 31 August 2020. Electron successfully deployed a single microsatellite to a circular orbit at approximately 500 km for Capella Space. Capella's 100kg class Sequoia payload is the first synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite to deliver publicly available data from a mid-inclination orbit over the U.S., Middle East, Korea, Japan, Europe, South East Asia, and Africa, and is powered by technology that can detect sub-0.5 meter changes to the Earth's surface from space. As the first publicly available satellite in orbit as part of Capella Space's constellation, Sequoia will provide insights and data that can be used for security, agricultural and infrastructure monitoring, as well as disaster response and recovery. Today's dedicated mission for Capella Space also marks the successful return to flight for the Electron launch vehicle fewer than 9 weeks since the company experienced an anomaly on July 4th during its 13th launch.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said: "Congratulations to the Capella Space team in this first step to building out a new constellation to provide important Earth observation data on-demand. Electron is the ideal launch vehicle for missions like this one, where the success of a foundational deployment relies heavily on a high level of control over orbit and schedule. I'm also immensely proud of the team, their hard work, and dedication in returning Electron to the pad safely and quickly as we get back to frequent launches with an even more reliable launch vehicle for our small satellite customers."

Rocket Lab has monthly launches scheduled for the remainder of 2020, including Rocket Lab's first attempt to recover an Electron first stage after launch. The first recovery mission is slated for Rocket Lab's 17th launch, scheduled for lift-off in Q4. Details about the customer and launch window for Rocket Lab's next Electron launch will be released shortly.

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 Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 8 ч. назад

Two objects cataloged from the Sequoia launch in elliptical orbit:  176 x 547 km x 45.1 deg and 168 x 546 km x 45.1 deg. Possibly the second stage and a debris object? Expecting the payload to be in about 550 km circular, no TLEs for it yet.


8 ч. назад

Now a third object cataloged in a 527 x 546 km orbit from the @RocketLab launch, confirming success - congrats to RocketLab and Capella. Expecting a 4th object (kick stage) in a similar orbit.

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 Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 21 мин. назад

Looks like the catalog numbers have been swapped around: we now have 46268 and 46269 in 530 x 546 km orbit (Sequoia and kick stage), 46270 in 179 x 545 km (second stage).  The other elliptical orbit TLE must have been kick stage pre circularization.

[zandr]

https://news.liga.net/world/video/rocket-lab-perestupili-neudachu-13-y-missii-idealno-zapustiv-na-orbitu-sekvoyyu-video

Rocket Lab переступили неудачу 13-й миссии, идеально запустив на орбиту "Секвойю" – видео

Частная американско-новозеландская компания снова в деле: провал миссии Pics Or It Didn't Happen в июле "перекрыт" новым успешным запуском
31 августа в 06:05 по Киеву в Новой Зеландии состоялся успешный запуск ракеты Electron. Миссия по традиции частной компании Rocket Lab носила оригинальное название I Can't Believe It's Not Optical ("не могу поверить, что оно не оптическое") — из-за того, что на борту был спутник для мониторинга за поверхностью Земли, оснащенный радаром с синтезированной апертурой: ему не страшны ночь или облака. Более того, в США была популярная продуктовая реклама со слоганом "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" – отсылка также к ней.
Это был первый старт после катастрофического запуска "Электрона" в начале июля, когда ракета впервые в истории компании отказала и была потеряна вместе со спутниками. 

СПУТНИКИ. Под головным обтекателем был аппарат Sequoia компании Capella Space, который вывели на круговую солнечно-синхронную орбиту высотой 525 км с наклонением 45°. Это миниспутник, который будет снабжать заказчиков высококачественными радарными изображениями поверхности Земли в любое время суток и при любой погоде, причем в режиме реального времени. Обеспечивает детекцию изменений менее 0,5 м, что можно использовать в сферах безопасности, мониторинга с/х и инфраструктуры, а также для реагирования на стихийные бедствия и поддержки операций спасения.
Весит 100 кг, основная сеточная SAR-антенна в развернутом виде – около 3,5 м. Менее продвинутого предшественника – аппарат Denali – запустили в декабре 2018-го. Capella разрабатывает группировку из 36 спутников в X-диапазоне. Когда все они будут на орбите, система обеспечит ежечасное покрытие каждой точки на Земле (и 10 ч для InSAR).
...

[tnt22]

Объекты запуска внесены в каталог (в основном - в статусе TBA, один - идентифицирован)

NORAD CAT ID

SATNAME

INTLDES

TYPE

COUNTRY

LAUNCH

SITE

DECAY

PERIOD

INCL

APOGEE

PERIGEE

RCS

TLE

46270

ELECTRON R/B

2020-060C

ROCKET BODY

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

91.75

45.11

542

179

TLE | OMM

46269

OBJECT B

2020-060B

TBA

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

95.41

45.10

546

531

TLE | OMM

46268

OBJECT A

2020-060A

TBA

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

95.39

45.10

546

528

TLE | OMM

[tnt22]

Capella Space @capellaspace 2 ч. назад

Thank you @rocketlab for a smooth ride to space. Our team has taken over the operations and has made successful contact with Sequoia. We will take the next few weeks to go through commissioning and calibration.

[tnt22]

Странно всё это...

Объекты запуска идентифицированы

NORAD CAT ID

SATNAME

INTLDES

TYPE

COUNTRY

LAUNCH

SITE

DECAY

PERIOD

INCL

APOGEE

PERIGEE

RCS

TLE

46268

RLFL14

2020-060A

PAYLOAD

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

95.39

45.10

547

528

TLE | OMM

46269

CAPELLA-2

2020-060B

PAYLOAD

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

95.41

45.10

546

531

TLE | OMM

46270

ELECTRON R/B

2020-060C

ROCKET BODY

US

2020-08-31

RLLC

91.58

45.11

527

178

TLE | OMM

[tnt22]

К #70

 Jonathan McDowell @planet4589 37 мин

From the @RocketLab launch on Aug 31, the Sequoia payload is now identified as 46269/60B. The 46268/60A object is on spacetrack as payload RLFL14 (which obviously  stands for RocketLab Flight 14). Possibly this means the kick stage has a Photon-style payload onit?

[tnt22]

Rocket Lab - The Next Chapter

 Rocket Lab

Трансляция началась 14 минут назад

youtu.be/zC8RxgL9tK4

(13:43)

[tnt22]

Официально

https://www.rocketlabusa.com/about-us/updates/media-release-rocket-lab-launches-first-in-house-designed-and-built-photon-satellite/

Rocket Lab Launches First In-house Designed & Built Photon Satellite

Rocket Lab Launches First In-house Designed & Built Photon Satellite

The mission is Rocket Lab's first full demonstration of an end-to-end mission service, encompassing satellite build, launch, and on-orbit operations

Long Beach, Calif. September 3, 2020. Space systems company Rocket Lab has launched its first in-house designed and built operational satellite, cementing the company's evolution from a launch provider to an end-to-end space solutions company that offers turnkey satellites and spacecraft components, launch, and on-orbit operations.

The satellite, named 'First Light', is the first spacecraft from Rocket Lab's family of configurable Photon satellites to be deployed to orbit. Launched as a technology demonstration, 'First Light' builds upon the existing capabilities of the Electron launch vehicle's Kick Stage with additional subsystems to enable long duration satellite operations. This pathfinding mission is an initial demonstration of the new power management, thermal control and attitude control subsystem capabilities. By testing these systems for an extended period on orbit, Rocket Lab is building up flight heritage for future Photon satellite missions planned to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Venus.

'First Light' was deployed to orbit on Rocket Lab's 14th Electron mission, 'I Can't Believe It's Not Optical', which lifted-off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand on August 31, 2020. Approximately 60 minutes after lift-off, Electron deployed a 100 kg microsatellite for Capella Space, an action that would typically signal the successful completion of a standard Rocket Lab mission. However, shortly after deploying the customer payload, Rocket Lab conducted an entirely new operation for the first time: Rocket Lab engineers sent a command to transition the Kick Stage into Photon satellite mode. This action marked the first on-orbit demonstration of Rocket Lab's Photon satellite as a two-in-one spacecraft, first using it to complete its conventional launch vehicle function to deploy customer satellites, then transitioning into a satellite to continue a standalone mission.

"We started with launch and solved it, releasing small satellites from the time and orbit constraints experienced when flying on larger launch vehicles. Now we've simplified satellites too," said Rocket Lab's founder and CEO, Peter Beck. "Launching the first Photon mission marks a major turning point for space users – it's now easier to launch and operate a space mission than it has ever been. When our customers choose a launch-plus-spacecraft mission with Electron and Photon, they immediately eliminate the complexity, risk, and delays associated with having to build their own satellite hardware and procure a separate launch."

Designed for launch on Electron, as well as other launch vehicles, 'First Light' paves the way for future, high-energy variations of Photon designed for lunar and interplanetary missions, including the CAPSTONE mission to the Moon for NASA in early 2021. Lifting off from Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, Rocket Lab will use the Electron rocket and Photon Lunar spacecraft to launch NASA's Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE) CubeSat to Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit (NRHO), the same orbit planned for Artemis.

With the 'First Light' mission, Rocket Lab has completed its first full demonstration of its end-to-end mission services, encompassing mission design, component build and spacecraft assembly, integration and test (AIT), launch, ground segment, and on-orbit mission operation. The process of developing the first on-orbit Photon also enabled Rocket Lab to refine and streamline production and testing processes for higher volume Photon production to meet growing customer demand.

Rocket Lab recently opened a new headquarters and manufacturing complex in Long Beach, California, to accommodate streamlined, rapid production of Photons. The facility is also home to payload integration facilities for Photon missions, as well as a state-of-the-art mission operations center. The production complex is already home to extensive production lines delivering more than 130 Rutherford engines for the Electron launch vehicle every year, along with guidance and avionics hardware. In addition to expanding its manufacturing complex, Rocket Lab recently acquired Sinclair Interplanetary, a leading provider of high-quality, flight-proven satellite hardware, to strengthen the Rocket Lab Space Systems division. Sinclair Interplanetary products have become key features of the Photon satellite platforms, and Rocket Lab is also dedicating resources to grow Sinclair's already strong merchant spacecraft components business. The acquisition enables Sinclair Interplanetary to tap into Rocket Lab's resources, scale, manufacturing capability, and innovative technologies to make world-leading satellite hardware accessible to more customers.

[tnt22]

Possibly this means the kick stage has a Photon-style payload onit?

#73 подтверждает... Получается, что зарегистрированный в каталоге RLFL14 - есть КА 'First Light'.

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 47 мин. назад

Earlier this week we launched our first Photon satellite on our 14th Electron mission, #ICantBelieveItsNotOptical. We might have hidden some clues about Photon in the mission patch
(0:21)

[tnt22]

Эмблема КА 'First Light' (1024x1024 px)

[zandr]

https://vk.com/spacex?w=wall-41152133_247472

Rocket Lab тайно запустила миссию "двойного назначения"
Миссия First Light - первая полноценная демонстрация платформы Photon компании Rocket Lab.
Photon - первая полностью спроектированная и построенная собственными силами спутниковая платформа компании, на базе неё были проведены демонстрационные операции на орбите в рамках усилий компании по удешевлению доступа клиентов к разнообразным космическим миссиям.
Платформа Photon была анонсирована в начале прошлого года [vk.cc/azsEZD]. Спутник, названный First Light, является первым космическим аппаратом из семейства Photon. Запущенный в качестве демонстрации технологии, First Light основывается на существующих возможностях кick stage ракеты Electron (это одновременно и разгонная ступень и платформа с полезной нагрузкой). Но при этом космический аппарат имеет дополнительные подсистемы, обеспечивающие длительную работу спутника в космосе. В этой миссии компания испытывала подсистемы управления питанием, температурный контроль и ориентацию в космическом пространстве. На борту также есть камера (фотографии с неё смотрите в посте). По оценкам компании, Photon из данного запуска будет находиться на орбите пять-шесть лет.
First Light был запущен на орбиту в рамках 14-й миссии Rocket Lab - I Can't Believe It's Not Optical - 31 августа [vk.cc/azsETH]. Примерно через 60 минут после старта Electron развернул 100-килограммовый микроспутник Sequoia для Capella Space. Обычно на этом стандартная миссия Rocket Lab завершается, однако вскоре после развёртывания полезной нагрузки заказчика, Rocket Lab отправили команду на перевод их кick stage в спутниковый режим Photon.
"Запуск первой миссии Photon знаменует собой важный поворотный момент для космонавтики - теперь запустить космическую миссию и управлять ею стало проще, чем когда-либо. Когда наши клиенты выбирают миссию с Photon, они сразу же устраняют ряд сложностей, рисков и задержек, связанных с необходимостью создавать собственное спутниковое оборудование. Доступ к орбите не должен быть своего рода занозой в заднице", - сказал исполнительный директор Rocket Lab Питер Бек.
"Следующая самая большая проблема, по его словам, заключается в том, чтобы безболезненно перейти от идеи к практике запуска доступных миссий. Rocket Lab осуществила эту идею за 18 месяцев. Это слишком медленно, чтобы успевать за инновациями, особенно для стартапов, которым может не хватить 18 месяцев на их существование. И нам нужно это исправить", - добавил Бек.
Компания не объявила заранее о планах испытать Photon: "Мне нравится сначала делать и проверять, что это работает, прежде чем объявить об этом", - сказал Питер Бек.
"Безбилетный пассажир" стал первой демонстрацией новой платформы Photon, как космического аппарата "два в одном", который сначала используется для выполнения своей обычной функции вывода для развёртывания спутников, а затем переходит в режим спутника для автономной миссии. Компания отмечает, что силовая установка Photon предлагает "невероятно высокую дельта-V, что вызвало интерес со стороны государственных клиентов".
Rocket Lab недавно открыла новую штаб-квартиру и производственный комплекс в Лонг-Бич, Калифорния, для более быстрого производства спутников на платформе Photon. Компания также недавно приобрела Sinclair Interplanetary, ведущего поставщика спутникового оборудования, чтобы усилить своё подразделение Rocket Lab Space Systems. Оборудование Sinclair стало ключевой особенностью спутниковой платформы Photon.
"Цель Rocket Lab - не построить платформу, которая необходима лишь для определённых миссий, а создать универсальную платформу для вывода полезной нагрузки. Что-то лучшее в своём классе, что позволит решать самые разные задачи в космосе. Со временем доходы от спутниковой программы Photon может конкурировать с доходами от услуг запусков на ракете Electron, а это необходимо для того, чтобы выделиться на космическом рынке. У нас отличный бизнес по запускам, но в 2020 году и в будущем, вы не можете быть просто компанией, которая запускает ракеты", - сказал Бек.
Разработанный для запуска на Electron, а также на других РН, First Light прокладывает путь для будущих вариаций Photon, предназначенных для лунных и межпланетных миссий [vk.cc/azsEPm], включая миссию CAPSTONE на Луну в интересах NASA в начале 2021 года [vk.cc/ayq4x].

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 8 ч. назад

In the past 3 weeks we've been testing Photon First Light's capabilities & verifying tech for exciting future missions. It's with this spacecraft's levelled-up sibling (the high-energy, interplanetary Photon) that we'll to go to the Moon for NASA and onto Venus in search of life.

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 3 мин. назад

Our 1st Photon satellite has been in orbit for more than a month now! First Light has settled into an altitude of 538 km, completed about 500 orbits & covered more than 14 million km. Meanwhile, our team has been busy testing Photon systems for our upcoming Moon & Venus missions.

[tnt22]

 Rocket Lab @RocketLab 5 ч. назад

With this 1st Photon we're testing tech for exciting future missions of First Light's levelled-up sibling, the high-energy, interplanetary Photon. It's with this spacecraft version that we'll head to the Moon next year for @NASA & later onto Venus to support the search for life.

[tnt22]

https://www.capellaspace.com/americas-first-commercial-sar/

America's First Commercial SAR
WRITTEN BY PAYAM BANAZADEH, CEO AND FOUNDER OF CAPELLA SPACE ON OCTOBER 6, 2020. POSTED IN SAR.

When I started Capella Space in 2016, there were a number of European providers operating and building commercial SAR, but the United States had no horse in the commercial SAR race. Capella decided to change that dynamic, and challenge the international competition by bringing a fully American designed, built, and operated capability to market. Today we accomplished that goal and we can proudly say we are the first American SAR operator.
Following the launch of our Sequoia satellite, I am excited to publicly showcase a few images from Sequoia that have been collected over the last few weeks during satellite calibration. Below you will see three of my favorite images in our Strip mode at 2 meter resolution along with some descriptions of what can be seen in these images: Palm Jumeirah in Dubai, Santa Ana Volcanoes in El Salvador, and Sundarban National Park in India.



The image above is of Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. Even though this is our 2 meter Strip imagery individual balconies of the tall buildings on either side of the Nakheel Mall are visible, as well as boats moored at the docks behind the buildings. The incredible dynamic range and low noise in this picture allows you to see wakes left behind by boats as well as waves on the ocean surface. The direction of the waves changes as they refract around the island. Dark regions on the water surface indicate smooth areas of water that are most likely caused by either biological or man-made surfactants that dampen the small-scale surface roughness. The details on this image are incredibly powerful and can be used for a variety of applications across commercial and government applications.



The image above is a Strip image of Santa Ana Volcano. The geometrical patterns of the terraced gardens of Lomas de San Marcelino can be seen beneath the backdrop of the towering Volcan de Santa Ana O Ilamatepec. The volcano appears to bend towards the sensor, exhibiting a layover commonly seen in SAR images' over-exaggerated relief. The crater exhibits a large radar shadow that blends in with any potential water located within it, and the desirable characteristics of SAR for terrain mapping are on display as we can observe the fluvial patterns striped across the faces of the peaks. The Izalco volcano can also be seen in the bottom left corner, nesting the meadows within the town of San Blas directly between the two powerful mountains and surrounding tropical rainforest.



The image above is a Strip image of Sundarban National Park in India. The Mangrove forest of the Sundarbans (right hand side of the river) is starkly contrasted with the harvested land on the left hand side of the river. The remains of the original Mangrove forest can be seen along the banks of the river at the ends of the strips of plowed fields. A number of boats are visible along the river. The clarity of the river highlights the great radiometric quality and low Noise-Equivalent Sigma Zero (NESZ) of Capella imagery, where almost zero speckle interferes with the delineation of water boundaries and smaller stream branching from the meandering rivers. Tree counts, deforestation, and biomass are simply three of the key applications that can be derived from this image in a region notorious for the cloudiness and monsoons that prevent optical imaging. 

We're glad to share this historic moment both for Capella, as well as for the American Earth Observation industry by being its first commercial SAR provider. Over the coming weeks and months, we will continue sharing images that showcase some of the higher resolution imagery including our 50 cm resolution Spot, more advanced capabilities, and the unique advantages of our systems. These advantages will include exceptionally large imaging capacity, the highest resolution available commercially, near real-time collection and delivery latency, and incredible ease of use of our services and customer service. 
 
Stay tuned and follow our blog for more exciting updates over the coming weeks and months.

[tnt22]

 Capella Space @capellaspace 5 нояб.

The West Region of Singapore is home to the top three global export refining centers.
Capella's latest Sequoia stripmap SAR imagery shows oil tankers, container ships, and even the wake of small vessels located at the mouth of the Straits of Johor.  #MDA




1 ч. назад

Can you read this #SAR image of the Panama Canal?

See if you can identify the Gatún and Agua Clara Locks, Puente Chagres Dam, Fort Davis, and Gatún Lake.