【】
A rocket loaded down with a record number of satellites just launched on its way to orbit.
The Indian Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) blasted off on Tuesday at 10:58 p.m. ET to bring 104 satellites to space, the largest clutch of spacecraft ever launched by one rocket.
SEE ALSO:88 satellites will launch on Valentine's Day to image the entire Earth every dayThis launch beats out the previously record set by a Russian rocket that brought 37 satellites to orbit in 2014.
The PSLV's main payload is an Earth-mapping satellite for India, but its largest haul is the 88 small Dove satellites for the Earth-observing company Planet.
Via GiphyThose satellites, once functioning in orbit, will allow Planet to image the entire Earth every day, when combined with data beamed back to engineers from 12 other Doves and RapidEye satellites operated by the U.S. company.
Imaging the whole Earth every day has been the company's goal (nicknamed "Mission One") since it was founded in 2010.
"We've had a lot of launches under our belts but this is the one that we feel really defines Mission One," Mike Safyan, Planet's director of launch and regulatory affairs, said in an interview before launch.
"It's a pretty special feeling to think back [to] all those years ago when we were a scrappy team inside a garage dreaming about this day, and now this day has finally come."
Tweet may have been deleted
Being able to photograph the entire Earth every day will allow customers using Planet's data to keep close track of a number of things. One possible use of the data is in tracking deforestation, Safyan said.
Instead of just seeing one area every couple of months, tracking changes to a specific part of the world on a daily basis will allow people on the ground to actually do something about any illegal deforestation occurring.
"If everyday you're getting an alert where trees are going down where they aren't allowed to be harvested or cut down, then you can actually go and send someone and do something about it," Safyan added.
This marks the 15th Dove launch for Planet and will give the company a total of 100 of these satellites in orbit.
Featured Video For You
SpaceX's most recent rocket landing looks so sci-fi in new photos
相关文章
Tyler, the Creator helped Frank Ocean celebrate 'Blonde' release in a delicious way
The release of Frank Ocean's。 Blonde 。is a cause for celebration to the fans who waited four years fo2025-01-18Twitter's LGBTQ heart emoji just got an inclusive update for Pride Month
Twitter is kicking off LGBTQ Pride Month with a tiny but important dose of inclusion.。 The social ne2025-01-18'Pirates of the Caribbean' box office is a series
The declining popularity around Disney's Pirates of the Caribbeanmovies continues -- in the U.S., at2025-01-18A 'Friends' revival is the stuff of Matthew Perry's actual nightmares
What's the worst thing that can happen when you revive a beloved TV show? People hate it -- or worse2025-01-18Aly Raisman catches Simone Biles napping on a plane like a champion
Simone Biles is exhausted. She won five medals at the Summer Olympics in Rio, posed for selfies with2025-01-18Heat scorches eastern U.S. as snow (yes, snow) falls in California
The lower 48 states are split in more ways than just politics on Monday. A jet stream that is coiled2025-01-18
最新评论