Earlybird 1 [OSC]
Official name EARLY BIRD
Alternative name EarlyBird 1
Cospar ID 1997-085A
Norad ID 25123
Launch date 1997-12-24
Launch site SVOB
Launch vehicle Start-1
Country/Organization USA
Type application Earth observation
Operator Earthwatch Inc.
RCS size LARGE
Decay date 2000-07-27
Shape Hex Cyl + 2 Pan
Mass (kg) 284
Diameter (m) 1.1
Height (m) 2
Span (m^2) 4
Lifetime 3 years (design); 5 years (fuel)
Contractors CTA → Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) (bus); Earthwatch (payload)
Equipment 3-meter panchromatic camera, 15-meter multispectral camera
Propulsion ?
Power Deployable fixed solar array, batteries

EarlyBird 1, a remote sensing satellite built by CTA Space Systems (now part of Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC)) for EarthWatch, Inc., was to provide high resolution commercial imagery. EarthWatch planed to offer black-and-white images with a resolution as high as 3 meters per pixel, and color images with a resolution of 15 meters per pixel. The imaging sensor was derived from NASA's cancelled Clark satellite.

A Russian Start-1 rocket, a version of the SS-25 ICBM, carried the satellite into orbit from the Svobodny cosmodrome in eastern Russia. While the launch went well, placing the satellite into a nearly circular orbit, contact was lost with the satellite four days after launch.

EarthWatch has announced that contact was lost with the satellite on 28 December 1997.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
EARLY BIRD 1997-085A 1997-12-24 SVOB Start-1