A Successful Launch for Flock 4p on the PSLV
Today, 12 SuperDove satellites (Flock 4p) were successfully launched and deployed into a 500 kilometer Sun Synchronous Orbit by India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). This marks 25 successful launches for Planet and our 407th satellite launch attempt.
Shortly thereafter, Planet’s Mission Operations team successfully made contact with all twelve satellites and initiated the satellite phasing and commissioning process, continuing Planet’s long standing record of 100 percent success rate in contacting each Dove satellite after launch. The Flock 4p satellites are now undergoing detumbling maneuvers, various subsystem health checks, solar panel deployments, and calibration of their imagery systems.
Planeteers watch the successful launch of 12 SuperDoves from Planet HQ in San Francisco, CA
The Planet team watched the live stream of the launch from our offices in San Francisco, Berlin, and Washington DC as we welcomed the latest batch of SuperDoves to the world’s largest fleet of Earth imaging satellites. As has been customary for every Planet launch date since Dove 1, pancakes were served for good luck. Although true credit for today’s success goes to our partners at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), NewSpace India Limited (NSL), ISILAUNCH and Planet’s amazing Space Systems team.
Ad astra! And stay tuned for Planet’s next launch scheduled in the coming months.
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