BlackSky

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SpaceX is set to launch more BlackSky satellites this Tuesday June 30th. We never did get to see true potential of Elektra. This is huge, and I think going under radar of what’s happening here.

Imagine having almost real time image of the earth at 50cm resolution, if not more with their future technology development. We are a few years away from this. Right now their resolution is 1m.

These guys are getting very aggressive at sending their imaging satellites with various suppliers.

Intelligence is being pushed to a whole new level.

Here are some interesting clips from this source...

SpaceX rideshare provides new path to orbit for BlackSky – Spaceflight Now

spaceflightnow.com

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Each of the current generation of BlackSky Global spacecraft can capture up to 1,000 color images per day, with a resolution of about 3 feet (1 meter).
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Herman said the two satellites launching Friday are the first of BlackSky’s “Generation 2.1” spacecraft. Engineers have introduced refined optics, software, and an improved communications system. In the future, BlackSky will deploy a third generation of BlackSky satellites with sharper resolution level of about 20 inches, or 50 centimeters.
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These next two coming off are a next iteration, basically a version upgrade when you think of it from a software perspective, and they’re based on this assembly line that’s now cranking out these satellites at a rate of about one to two per month,” Herman said. “So this is the beginning of a much faster cadence of getting more and more satellites up and deployed into the constellation.”
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The National Reconnaissance Office, which owns the U.S. government’s spy satellites, awarded study contracts to BlackSky, Planet and Maxar last year to allow government analysts to evaluate the utility of commercial imagery in intelligence-gathering and overhead surveillance.

“Servicing the U.S. government with a site monitoring or an activity monitoring mission is super important,” Herman said.
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BlackSky also sees foreign governments, which may not field their own reconnaissance satellites, large multinational companies and the financial industry as other key customers.
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Who needs drones anymore when you have the new space force and all these satellites zipping around collecting almost real-time intelligence. Wonder if they have special imagery that can see through clouds and various weather conditions. They also want to build moon based and Trump was talking about these amazing missiles

The future just got a whole lot more exciting, that’s for sure.

Hopefully they don’t start referencing BlackRain anytime soon.