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SpaceX is set to make its first launch in 2023 sending 114 satellites into orbit using the Falcon 9 rocket. Photo/Spacex/EOSDA
The Transporter-6 mission will deliver EOS SAT-1 for EOSDA, the first in a new constellation of seven satellites focused on agriculture. The EOS satellite SAT-1 will be the last to be released into orbit of the 114 satellites aboard the Transporter-6 mission.
“This launch brings new satellite technology to the agricultural sector. EOSDA will now work with proprietary datasets to provide deeper and more accurate information to its customers and partners,” said EOSDA CEO Artiom Anisimov as quoted by the Space page, on Tuesday (3/1/2022).
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The EOS satellite SAT-1 is designed to observe an area of 1 million square kilometers on a daily basis using 11 bands of light. Monitoring crop health in this way should allow farmers to better tailor crop care, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, energy consumption and water use.
The entire EOS SAT fleet, when ready around 2025, aims to monitor an area of 12 million square km per day, which is about a third of the area of the United States. The seven satellites, built by Dragonfly Aerospace, will cover 100% of the country with the largest area of agricultural land and forest.
There are also other satellites that are being carried into space with Transporter-6, such as Spire Global which is expected to launch six satellites. This satellite will expand the monitoring of maritime constellations and air traffic.
Spaceflight Inc. plans to carry four Kleos spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit while maintaining constant lighting conditions under the fleet. Kleos examines radio frequency transmissions from space for “hidden and illegal activity”.
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Transporter’s mission series are “dedicated rideshare,” meaning they feature dozens of small satellites flying through space on a single Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX has yet to confirm the full Transporter-6 manifest on its website.
The first mission in the series, Transporter-1, launched a record 143 satellites on January 24, 2021. The Falcon 9 rocket for Transporter-6 made its 15th first stage flight.
The booster previously launched SpaceX’s Transporter-2 ride-sharing missions, three commercial satellite flights and 10 Starlink satellite missions. If all goes well, the booster returns to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station landing pad.
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