The release of 28 satellites from the ISS - Geekweek at INTERIA.PL has begun

The International Space Station (ISS) has also been functioning as a platform for "firing" miniaturized satellites for low Earth's orbit (Leo) for several years.The satellites are delivered to the ISS aboard unmanned supply vehicles, then (at the right time) transferred to the Japanese Kibo module, and then led through the mucus outside the station and "fired" using the JemRMS robotic arm.

In January this year, 28 miniaturized Cubesat 3 U satellite satellites were delivered to the ISS using the unmanned Cygnus vehicle.These are satellites with the English name "dove" ("pigeon"), belonging to Planet Labs.The process of releasing these satellites has been underway since February 11.In total, it will be the most numerous constellation of satellites ever placed in orbit.It is also an indicator of the possibilities of miniaturizing satellites and easier availability of orbit.The release process requires some interference from astronauts from the ISS deck, in particular when installing the platform with satellites inside the Kibo module lock.These 28 satellites are called English "Flock 1" ("Stad 1").These are satellites that will provide land images for various applications, including commercial ones.Data collected by satellites from this "herd" will be available on commercial terms.It is very likely that the price for images from "pigeons" will be much lower than in the case of large satellites of land observation.The slope of the satellite orbit "herd 1" will be the same as ISS, i.e. 51.6 degrees.This means that areas near the poles may be beyond the range of "pigeons" optical systems, although these satellites will fly over most of the areas where human activity occurs.Each of the "pigeons" is to be able to provide images with a maximum resolution of up to about 3-5 meters.This is not enough to see individual people, but enough to detect the effects of natural disasters, environmental pollution, monitor the state of agriculture, observe the movement of large ships in the seas and oceans and detect changes in urban areas.Many of this data are still too expensive for many recipients - in particular those from outside the rich countries.Therefore, it can be assumed that the images obtained by "herd 1" will enjoy great popularity.

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