SkySat C1 [Skybox Imaging]
Official name SKYSAT C16
Alternative name SkySat 18 (C16)
Cospar ID 2020-038BM
Norad ID 45789
Launch date 2020-06-13
Launch site AFETR
Launch vehicle Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5)
Country/Organization USA
Type application Earth Observation
Operator Skybox Imaging → Terra Bella → Planet Labs
RCS size MEDIUM
Decay date ON ORBIT
Period (min) 91.7
Inclination (deg) 52.97
Perigee (km) 354
Apogee (km) 362
Eccentricity 0.0111731843575419
Mean motion (revs. per day) 15.7033805888768
Semi-Major axis (km) 6736.135
Raan (deg) 293.1577
Arg of perigee (deg) 34.8853
Shape Box
Mass (kg) 110
Height (m) 1.2
Width (m) 0.5
Depth (m) 0.5
Span (m^2) 1.2
Lifetime 6 years
Contractors SS/Loral
Propulsion ? × 1 N HPGP thrusters
Configuration SSTL-50
Power Solar cells, batteries

SkySat-3 to 21 (SkySat C1 to C19) are commercial Earth observation satellites by Skybox Imaging, licensed to collect high resolution panchromatic and multispectral images of the earth. The satellites operate in a polar inclined, circular orbit at approximately 450 km above the earth.

Skybox becomes only the fifth organization licensed to provide high resolution space-based imagery of Earth.

The first two prototype satellites were built by Skybox Imaging in house. The first satellite was launched in 2013 on a cluster launch on a Dnepr rocket. The second identical satellite was launched as a secondary payload on a Soyuz-2-1b Fregat launch in 2014.

Each SkySat satellite is equipped with a Ritchey-Chretien Cassegrain telescope with a focal length of 3.6 m, and a focal plane consisting of three 5.5 Mpixel CMOS imaging detectors. SkySat-1 and -2 use 3 CMOS frame detectors with a size of 2560 × 2160 pixels and a pixel size of 6.5 µm. The operational satellites have a higher resolution detector. The upper half of the detector is used for panchromatic capture, the lower half is divided into 4 stripes covered with blue, green, red and near infra-red color filters. The native resolution at nadir of the SkySat-1 and SkySat C is around 1.1 m. Further satellites will be placed in lower orbits, leading to increased image resolution.

Thirteen more operational satellites are being built by SS/Loral using a Skybox-licensed design, featuring a modular propuslion system. ECAPS will provide the complete High Performance Green Propulsion (HPGP) systems. Additionally, these will feture better reaction wheels for more agility. This series is about 15 cm taller and 30 kg heavier than the first two prototypes.

One of these satellites will launch in mid 2015 on an Indian PSLV-XL rocket. For more will be launched in mid 2016 on an Arianespace Vega launch vehicle. Six more will be launched on an Orbital designed Minotaur-C-XL-3210 rocket in early 2017. The final two of this batch are to be launched on Spaceflight Industry's SSO-A multi-satellite launch on a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) rocket.

Another batch of six was be ordered in January 2016. For later launches, Skybox reportedly has an agreement with Virgin Galactic to use the LauncherOne rocket. Three of these satellites will be launched as secondary payloads on a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) in June 2020, and three more later in 2020 also on a Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5).

Google announced in March 2016 that Skybox Imaging had changed its name to Terra Bella. In 20xx Terra Bella was sold to PLanet Labs.

In 2022 Planet Labs anounced the Pelican constellation which will be the successor to SkySat.

Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
SKYSAT C1 2016-040C 2016-06-22 SRI PSLV-XL with Cartosat 2C, BIROS, M3MSat, LAPAN A3, GHGSat D, Flock-2p 1, ..., 12, SathyabamaSat, Swayam, BeeSat 4
SKYSAT C4 2016-058B 2016-09-16 FRGUI Vega with PerúSat 1, SkySat 4, SkySat 5, SkySat 7
SKYSAT C5 2016-058C 2016-09-16 FRGUI Vega with PerúSat 1, SkySat 4, SkySat 5, SkySat 6
SKYSAT C2 2016-058D 2016-09-16 FRGUI Vega with PerúSat 1, SkySat 5, SkySat 6, SkySat 7
SKYSAT C3 2016-058E 2016-09-16 FRGUI Vega with PerúSat 1, SkySat 4, SkySat 6, SkySat 7
SKYSAT C11 2017-068A 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 8, SkySat 9, SkySat 10, SkySat 11, SkySat 12, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C10 2017-068B 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 8, SkySat 9, SkySat 10, SkySat 11, SkySat 13, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C9 2017-068C 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 8, SkySat 9, SkySat 10, SkySat 12, SkySat 13, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C8 2017-068D 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 8, SkySat 9, SkySat 11, SkySat 12, SkySat 13, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C7 2017-068E 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 8, SkySat 10, SkySat 11, SkySat 12, SkySat 13, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C6 2017-068F 2017-10-31 AFWTR Minotaur-C-XL-3210 with SkySat 9, SkySat 10, SkySat 11, SkySat 12, SkySat 13, Flock-3m 1, ..., 4
SKYSAT C12 2018-099AR 2018-12-03 AFWTR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with SkySat 15, Eu:CROPIS, STPSat 5, FalconSat 6, NEXTSat 1, KazSTSAT, eXCITe, SeeMe, ICEYE X2, BlackSky 2, ESEO, Hawk A, B, C, Capella 1, AISTECHSAT 2, CSIM-FD, Hiber 2, ITASAT 1, Landmapper-BC 4, ORS 7A, 7B, Al-Farabi 2, Astrocast 0.1, Audacy 0, BRIO, Centauri 1, Eaglet 1, Enoch, Flock-3s 1, 2, 3, K2SAT, KazSciSat 1, MinXSS 2, Orbital Reflector, RAAF M1, SeaHawk 1, SNUSAT 2, THEA, VESTA, PW-Sat 2, SNUGLITE, VisionCube, RANGE A, B, Elysium-Star 2, ExseedSat 1, Fox 1C, Irvine 02, JY1-Sat, KNACKSAT, MOVE 2, SpaceBEE 5, 6, 7, Suomi-100, WeissSat 1, Sirion Pathfinder 2, OrbWeaver 1, 2, SPAWAR-CAL O, OR, R
SKYSAT C13 2018-099AW 2018-12-03 AFWTR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with SkySat 14, Eu:CROPIS, STPSat 5, FalconSat 6, NEXTSat 1, KazSTSAT, eXCITe, SeeMe, ICEYE X2, BlackSky 2, ESEO, Hawk A, B, C, Capella 1, AISTECHSAT 2, CSIM-FD, Hiber 2, ITASAT 1, Landmapper-BC 4, ORS 7A, 7B, Al-Farabi 2, Astrocast 0.1, Audacy 0, BRIO, Centauri 1, Eaglet 1, Enoch, Flock-3s 1, 2, 3, K2SAT, KazSciSat 1, MinXSS 2, Orbital Reflector, RAAF M1, SeaHawk 1, SNUSAT 2, THEA, VESTA, PW-Sat 2, SNUGLITE, VisionCube, RANGE A, B, Elysium-Star 2, ExseedSat 1, Fox 1C, Irvine 02, JY1-Sat, KNACKSAT, MOVE 2, SpaceBEE 5, 6, 7, Suomi-100, WeissSat 1, Sirion Pathfinder 2, OrbWeaver 1, 2, SPAWAR-CAL O, OR, R
SKYSAT C14 2020-038BL 2020-06-13 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L8-1, ..., L8-58, SkySat 17, SkySat 18
SKYSAT C16 2020-038BM 2020-06-13 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L8-1, ..., L8-58, SkySat 16, SkySat 18
SKYSAT C15 2020-038BN 2020-06-13 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L8-1, ..., L8-58, SkySat 16, SkySat 17
SKYSAT C17 2020-057BQ 2020-08-18 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L10-1, ..., L10-58, SkySat 20, SkySat 21
SKYSAT C18 2020-057BR 2020-08-18 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L10-1, ..., L10-58, SkySat 19, SkySat 21
SKYSAT C19 2020-057BS 2020-08-18 AFETR Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) with Starlink v1.0 L10-1, ..., L10-58, SkySat 19, SkySat 20