3 Launches, 28 Days – Soyuz up next!

On the heels of two successful launches, we’re wrapping up 2018 with another launch of 12 Dove satellites, our Flock 3k, on a Soyuz rocket. The launch is currently scheduled for December 27, 2018 from Vostochny Cosmodrome and the Doves will be deployed into a sun-synchronous orbit with a morning crossing time.

We’ve had recent back-to-back successful launches of 21 Planet satellites – 2 SkySats and 19 Doves – on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 SSO-A and ISRO’s PLSV-C43, and this will mark our 3rd launch in just 31 days, on 3 different rockets, out of 3 different countries.

Liftoff of a Soyuz rocket. Credit: NASA.

At Planet, we maintain a diversified launch manifest, engaging with launch providers from all around the world, to mitigate the risks inherent in the launch industry. Ideally, the launches end up evenly spaced out, but sometimes when it rains (launches), it pours. Our Mission Operators eagerly await this new batch of Doves, and this will be an exciting end to another strong year for Planet.

Thanks to GK Launch Services for organizing the ride, our fourth time launching a Planet payload on a Soyuz! We’ll be sharing more updates as the launch window nears, follow along @planetlabs.