Published on 22 July 2019
Airbus’ latest constellation will consist of four identical optical satellites that will provide a range of exciting new benefits for both commercial and secured governmental applications. Foremost amongst these advantages is the satellites’ 30 cm spatial resolution, combined with the highest reactivity on the market and a step change in the speed of data delivery.
The latest technical update from the Pléiades Neo development team has revealed that assembly and testing of the first two platforms is almost complete. Launch services for all four satellites have also been confirmed with Arianespace; and a partnership with Swedish Space Corporation, for services relating to polar stations – providing telecommand and telemetry links with the constellation – has been agreed.
Launched in two phases, scheduled for 2020 and 2022, Pléiades Neo will be the first constellation to combine very high-resolution imagery with intraday revisit capabilities, doubling the daily opportunities to collect detail rich optical data of any location on Earth. The capacity to task each satellite at every orbit, at a frequency that is five times higher than previous generations of Airbus Pléiades satellites, provides several significant benefits, especially for time critical requirements and first-line response for civil and military applications.