Engadget by Rachel England 6/9/2020
Planet's six new skysats will photograph the Earth up to 12 times a day.When Planet purchased the SkySat constellation from Google in 2017, it did so with the aim of becoming the most agile and comprehensive satellite imaging company in the world. Now, thanks to some smart space math, and with a little help from Elon Musk’s SpaceX, the company is gearing up to provide the most detailed and up-to-the-minute imaging of Earth yet.
Planet provides satellite imaging services to a wide range of sectors, such as agriculture, energy, maritime and forestry. These customers want timely and accurate information, which the existing 15-strong SkySat constellation has done a decent enough job of providing. But Planet thinks it could be better. That’s why, over the last six months, the company has lowered its fleet from an altitude of 500km to 450km. If you want to see something more clearly, you have to move closer to it, right? This exercise has increased Planet’s image resolution from 80cm to 50cm.
That might not sound like a lot, but it means that previously indistinct vehicles on roadways can now be identified as being a car or a truck, and it’s this sort of development that’s needed to help bolster infrastructure for the eventual arrival of autonomous vehicles — and even to improve the way we use GPS right now.
More:
https://www.engadget.com/space-xs-next-starlink-launch-will-help-improve-satellite-imagery-of-the-earth-130033228.html
