Flock-1

Flock-1

Mission type	Earth imaging
Operator	Planet Labs
Website	www.planet.com/flock1/
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	CubeSat
Bus	Dove
Launch mass	5 kg (11 lb)
Dimensions	10 cm × 10 cm × 30 cm (3.9 in × 3.9 in × 11.8 in) (3U)
Power	20 watts
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Inclination	51.66°

Flock-1 is a CubeSat satellite constellation launched on 9 January 2014. The satellite is built in a CubeSat bus, and each constellation consists of 28 satellites. All instruments are powered by solar cells mounted on the spacecraft body, along with triple-folded wings, providing approximately 20 watts at maximal power.

Launch

Flock-1 constellation was launched from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Launch Pad 0, Wallops Island, on 9 January 2014 by an Antares 120 rocket. The satellites were deployed from the International Space Station (ISS) from 11 February 2014 to 28 February 2014.^[1]

Another Flock start in January 2015 on a Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

Mission

The satellite is intended for commercial Earth observation service. For this purpose, each satellite is equipped with a camera capable of 3 to 5 m (9.8 to 16.4 ft) ground resolution. Details of intended service by individual satellites were never released publicly and are largely unknown.

References

1. "Flock-1, -1b, -1c, -1d, -1d', -1e, -1f, -2b, -2e, -2e', -2k, -2p, -3m, -3p, -3p', -3r, -3s, -4a, -4e, -4e', -4p, -4s, -4v, -4x".

External links

• Flock-1 Archived 30 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine