Artist’s rendition of a satellite – 3dsculptor/123RF Stock Photo
We’re highlighting some of the key satellite and Earth Observation (EO) news over the last week including new satellites, first light images, and planned constellations.
India
A couple of weeks ago we reported on the launch of Earth Observation Satellite (EOS)-06, also known as OceanSat-3, on the 26th November by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Last week, on Twitter, ISRO reported that EOS-06 was now successfully collecting and issuing imagery. They also released the three first light images from the satellite were from the  Ocean Colour Monitor & Sea Surface Temperature Monitor instruments, and they showed the Himalayan region, Gujarat Kutch region, & the Arabian Sea.
Zimbabwe and Uganda Satellite
EO satellites for Zimbabwe and Uganda were deployed from the Japanese Kibo module on the International Space Station (ISS) last Friday. The nanosatellites ZimSat-1 and PearlAfricaSat-1, for Zimbabwe and Ugenda respectively, are part the BIRDS-5 constellation together with two other Japanese nanosatellites.
Both ZimSat-1and PearlAfricaSat-1 have multispectral imagers on board. ZimSat-1, which is Zimbabwe’s first orbital satellite, offers a 100 metre ground resolution and the data will be used for crop health, vegetation indices, urban settlements and supporting mining and environmental monitoring. Whilst, PearlAfricaSat-1 will offer approximately 20 metre ground resolution with the data expected to be used for applications such as water quality, soil fertility, land use and land cover, together will helping monitor the East African crude oil pipeline.
United States – SpaceX Satellite
This week the United States Federal Communications Commission gave their approval for SpaceX to build, launch and operate upto 7,500 of the second generation of their Starlink satellites, known as Gen2 Starlink. This constellation will build on the just over 3,500 first generation satellites that SpaceX has launched – and currently believed to have an operational constellation of approximately 3,200 satellites offering space based internet broadband facilities. The new satellites are expected to be larger in size and will operate in the Ku and Ka bands. SpaceX had requested permission to launch almost 30,000 satellites, but was limited to only 25% of this number due to concerns over space debris, spectrum interference and other factors.
At the start of the month, the company also announced a new business department, known as Starshield, which is aimed at the US Government, particularly for military applications. This department will look to expand the services offered by the new second generation Starlink satellites to include EO and secure communications, together with offering to host classified payloads.
United States – AST SpaceMobile
The American satellite company AST SpaceMobile has been in the news following the recent launch of its BlueWalker 3 prototype communications satellite. The satellite ,which weighs almost one and half tonnes and has a 64 square-metre antenna, was launched in September. It has made the news due to its brightness with the International Astronomical Union expressing its concern over the potential interference with the night sky through its Center for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference.
Astronomers are estimating that BlueWalker 3 is already in the top 50 brightest objects in the sky, with some indicating, at times, it could be within the top 20 brightest objects. Given that AST SpaceMobile want to launch a constellation of approximately one hundred of these, or even larger, satellites, astronomers are concerned that the night sky is being significantly transformed.
This concern, amongst others, is recognised by the United States Federal Communications Commission with their announcement on the 3rd November that they are creating a specific Space Bureau to provide leadership in the emerging space economy, promote long-term technical capacity to address satellite policies, and improve coordination with other agencies.
Conclusion
These examples all show how the space industry is continuing to develop at a rapid rate, and why it is one of the most exciting sectors to be working in.
