NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 2016-059E
Pathfinder 1 is a demonstration satellite for BlackSky Global, a Seattle-based company intending to field a fleet of 60 spacecraft to offer on-demand high-resolution images of any place on the planet. The U.S.-built Earth observing platform weighed about 97 pounds (44 kilograms), and will lay the foundation for BlackSky's commercial remote sensing business, which officials announced in June 2015. The main objective of the pathfinder is to return imagery, an achievement that would prove the basic technology behind the planned commercial Earth-observing satellite fleet. The satellite is designed for three-year lifetimes and will have an imaging resolution of about 3.3 feet (1 meter) from an altitude of 280 miles (450 kilometers).
Launch Date: 2016-09-26
Launch Vehicle: PSLV
Launch Site: Sriharikota, India
Mass: 44 kg
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office