DMC3-2

Spacecraft nº:

UK spacecraft nº: 60

Launch data: Designation  40716 / 15032B Launch date  10 July 2015 - 16:28 UT Launch site  Sriharikota, FLP Launch vehicle  PSLV-XL Mission  Earth Observation, Imaging Earth orbit: Perigee / Apogee  637 x 662 km Eccentricity   Inclination  98.3 ° Period   min

Spacecraft data:

Description:

• The DMC-3 satellites are a new smallsat design which provides unparalleled 1 metre high resolution imagery with high speed downlink and 45 degrees off-pointing
• The three satellites will form a new constellation, DMC3, with enormous imaging potential made possible by recent innovations in satellite design. Until now, the physical demands of high resolution imaging from space have required a large satellite but, by re-engineering its heritage imaging payloads and adapting the existing SSTL-300 satellite design used on NigeriaSat-2, SSTL has introduced a highly capable sub-metre resolution small satellite for a fraction of the cost of a conventional Earth observation mission.
• By combining the coverage from three satellites, the DMC3 constellation will be able to revisit a given area daily, which is crucial for change detection, disaster monitoring and response planning, and essential for acquiring cloud-free imagery. Like its SSTL-300 counterpart, the new 350 kg satellite also features advanced avionics and optical systems that make it possible to perform several different types of imaging such as mapping terrain, strip imaging and mosaic imaging for wide areas.