A Love Letter to Flock 3p: Happy Three Year Anniversary

Dear Flock 3p,

This Valentine’s Day, we’re celebrating your three year launch-anniversary. Can you believe it?!

It was February 15th, 2017 in India and February 14th in San Francisco when you soared to the heavens on the PSLV rocket and spread your solar-powered wings. My how time flies (in space)!

Not to get all lovey-dovey, but there are so many good things to say about how far we’ve come since that auspicious beginning.

First of all, there were 88 Doves on that rocket, our largest launch ever. And while Planet’s Earth imaging fleet is no longer the world’s largest constellation of satellites (SpaceX now wears that crown, but who’s counting anyway?)—we still hold the record for most satellites launched on a single rocket, and that’s pretty cool.

Because of you, Flock 3p, we were able to achieve our Mission 1: imaging the whole Earth daily. And while some of your satellites have entered retirement and passed the baton to the newer generations of SuperDove satellites, so many of your Doves don’t look a day over three thousand orbits.

Planeteers bid farewell to Flock 3p on shipment day in 2017. © 2020, Planet Labs Inc. All Rights Reserved.

There are haters out there who will say commercial electronics have no business in space (they’re just jealous), but you’re living proof that agile aerospace is the real deal. Thanks for being awesome and helping us change the world for the better.

Happy Anniversary Flock 3p!

You truly are out of this world.

Yours truly,

The Planet Team