Artist’s rendition of satellites orbiting the Earth – rottenman/123RF Stock Photo
The year has started with a bang with lots of Earth Observation (EO) satellite launches. This week we pick out a few of the interesting launches, but certainly not all the EO ones as there were lots more on the SpaceX rideshare mission last week. However, we’re looking at launches from Pakistan, China, India & the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan
Two Pakistan EO satellites were launched within three days of one another last week.
The first was PAUSAT-1 developed by Air University in collaboration with the Istanbul Technical University. It a 16U CubeSat carrying a high-resolution multispectral imager capable of capturing images with a ground resolution of 1.5 metres and includes a hyperspectral imager. It was launched about the latest SpaceX rideshare mission on the 14th January 2025.
Three days later, on the 17th January, the first home-made Pakistan EO satellite was put into a sun-synchronous orbit. PRSC-EO1 is the first in series of three optical satellites collecting images of the planet, with a spatial resolution of approximately 1 metre. The data from the satellite will predominantly enable the country to improve its management of natural resources, improve urban planning, support land mapping and disaster response.
China
There has also been a double launch from China this week. The first was the Chinese Long March-2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre on the 17th which launched the PRSC-E01 into orbit. Also on this launch were two Chinese satellites:
- Tianlu-1 satellite developed by Galaxy Space for the Jianghuai Frontier Innovation Technology Center. It features high vertical resolution, multi-parameter detection and all-weather observation capabilities to measure temperature, density, and composition in the middle and upper atmosphere. The data will be used to help the prediction of extreme weather events and studying climate change.
- Lantan-1 satellite developed by Geespace for Hangzhou Dianzi University. The satellite is focused on the remote sensing of water quality in China’s Zhejiang province’s estuaries, bays, and nearshore waters, and will providing support for ecological environmental protection and marine resource management.
The second launch occurred on Monday 20th January when Galactic Energy, a Beijing commercial company, successfully launched five satellites into a sun-synchronous orbit approximately 535 kilometers above Earth. Four of the satellites, Yunyao-1 numbers 37-40, carry a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) payload, and can obtain information on atmospheric temperature, humidity, pressure and ionospheric electron density; the fifth was the hyperspectral Jitianxing A-05 (JTX-A-05) satellite and it’s data is expected to be used for applications including ecological environment surveillance, agricultural monitoring, mineral exploration, forest management and urban planning.
India
The first three Firefly hyperspectral EO satellites from the India and American based commercial company, Pixxel, were also part of the SpaceX Rideshare payload last week. The satellites are reportedly the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral satellites with a 5-metre spatial resolution with a 40-kilometre swath, and over 150 spectral bands. Pixxel aims to launch more of the satellites and integrate the data with to machine learning and artificial intelligence tools to create products for clients. Applications are expected to include oil and gas industry, soil moisture, water quality, and atmospheric conditions.
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates also had a double launch last week on the SpaceX rideshare mission.
- MBZ-Sat is a high-resolution optical EO satellite developed by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre in Dubai with a spatial resolution of less than 1 metre. The satellite will support disaster management amongst other applications.
- Al Ain Sat-1 was also on the SpaceX mission. This EO CubeSat was developed by the United Arab Emirates University and hopes to provide data to support sustainable development initiatives. The mission also involved student teams in the development to give them some of the skills required to be part of the space sector.
Summary
January 2025 has begun with a myriad of EO launches, and it is expecting to see what the rest of the year will bring.
