Satellite eye candy from pathfinder-1

Our Pathfinder-1 satellite continues to dazzle us – we’re getting gorgeous daily images, and couldn’t wait to share. Here are just a couple more and some thoughts on the insights they can provide.  Coastline in Australia: The coast north of Adelaide Australia is experiencing extensive erosion of its fragile, low-lying saltmarsh, called the Samphire Coast. The … Continued

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Your world now: proving the power of the architecture

It’s been over three weeks since we launched Pathfinder-1, and by all accounts the mission has been a great success. The satellite and ground station operations have been rock solid, meeting our every expectation (more here on that.) In addition, we have moved into imaging mode and are calibrating the various spacecraft sensors. A core … Continued

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Launch +2 weeks update: the BlackSky space & ground architecture exceeds expectations

It’s hard to believe it’s been two weeks since we launched our first satellite, BlackSky’s Pathfinder-1. We’ve been working 24/7 through early operations with our demonstration spacecraft and wanted to share a brief recap of our first weeks of spacecraft operations. In a nutshell, Pathfinder-1 is exceeding our expectations. As engineers, that’s a significant statement … Continued

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We are go for launch!

We are pleased to report a successful launch of Pathfinder-1 and the subsequent first communication! Watch the video below to see our ops team receive the first signal, and then the first data.     Jason Andrews, CEO of Spaceflight Industries, reflects on this achievement: This is one more milestone in a string of milestones … Continued

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Of coconuts and rockets

There are many steps involved in getting a spacecraft ready for launch. But when we launch from India from the PSLV, there is one extra step: the coconut ceremony. Breaking a coconut has much significance in the Hindu religion. It usually marks an auspicious occasion like weddings or festival, or the start of a new … Continued

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Pathfinder-1 is ready to launch!

Pathfinder-1 Mission Blog #3 Question: What do you call a high resolution telescopic camera that is sitting on top of 241 Metric Tons (532,000 lbs) of explosives? Answer: Pathfinder-1! Pathfinder-1 is now fueled, integrated to the separation system, and sitting 120 feet above the ground on top of the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). … Continued

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