Falcon 9 rocket launches Polish EagleEye satellite into orbit
Falcon 9 Rocket companies SpaceXElon Musk launched the largest and most advanced spacecraft to date into orbit on Friday Polish satellite EagleEye – the company informed Creotech Instrumentsthe largest Polish manufacturer of satellites, systems and satellite components. The rocket was launched at 20:56 Polish time in California (USA), the satellite disconnection occurred at approximately 10:14 p.m..
Next satellite launch procedures
“The satellite has gone into orbit and separated from the rocket. It is already in the first phase orbit. This is great news and we are all celebrating. However, this is not the end of the work. Now, in the next few hours, activities related to its launch will be undertaken. After separation, the satellite always rotates to some extent. This is normal, but it needs to be stabilized.
We also need to establish contact with him and then perform a solar panel opening maneuverwhich will power it. This is planned for the next hours. However, the full launch will only take place in a few weeks. – during this time, subsequent on-board systems will be launched. This is also a standard procedure,” project participant Dr. Tomasz Barciński, head of the Satellite Mechatronics and Robotics Laboratory at CBK PAN, told PAP.
Tasks and applications of the EagleEye satellite
The satellite’s task will be providing very high resolution images of the Earth for various applications – from agriculture to military operations. The EagleEye satellite was created by an industrial-scientific consortium led by Creotech Instruments SA and including Scanway SA and the Space Research Centre of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Industrial-scientific consortium involved in the EagleEye project
Business Creotech has created a satellite platform – to put it simply, the frame on which all on-board devices are mounted. Scanway built a telescopewhich will observe the Earth’s surface from an altitude of 350 km. CBK PAN has developed a computer that operates the telescope and algorithms controlling the satellite.
“The photos obtained thanks to EagleEye, according to predictions, will have an extremely high resolution – up to 1 meter per pixel. These photos will be taken both in visible lightWhat Infrared. This is a pioneering device – the first Polish satellite with such a large telescope,” Dr. Tomasz Barciński told PAP before the satellite was launched. The satellite weighs 55 kg and after unfolding the solar panels, its dimensions are 55 cm x 150 cm x 90 cm.
SpaceX Launch Delays and Technical Issues
The launch was supposed to take place earlier, but was postponed due to problems with SpaceX – the company that provides transport to orbit. In July this year, during a routine mission of the Falcon 9 rocket, the second-stage engine failed. The suspension of flights lasted about two weeks. (PAP)
Marek Matacz
