Early Bird

USA

Launch data:

Designation	25123 / 97085A
Launch date	24 Dec 1997
Launch site	Svobodny
Launch vehicle	Start 1
Mission	Remote Sensing
Geostationary orbit on:
Perigee/Apogee	470 km, sun-synchronous
Inclination	97.3°
Period	revisit time: 2 to 5 days

US satellite operated by Earth Watch Inc. The cost of the system is approx. $200 million. Launch cost is said to be $7 million

Five days after launch the satellite went silent, with no communications. This was the consequence of an electrical problem. Insurers paid $29 million for the loss.

End of life

Decay

27 Jul 2000

Specifications

Prime contractor	CTA Space Systems
Platform
Mass at launch	317 kg
Payload mass
Dimension
Solar array
Stabilization
DC power
Design lifetime	5 years

On-board data storage: 2 GByte
Gimbaled-mirror pointing system for ± 30° in-track and ± 28° side-to-side pointing capability

Panchromatic Sensor

Wavebands	445-650 nm
Swath width	280 km
Resolution	3 m, image size: 3 km x 3 km

Multispectral Sensor

Wavebands	Green: 490-600 nm Red: 615-670 nm Near IR: 790-875 nm
Swath width	280 km
Resolution	15 m, image size: 15 km x 15 km

Ref.: #15 - update: 12.03.10

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