LaunchesI Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical (Capella 2 & First Light)
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I Can’t Believe It’s Not Optical (Capella 2 & First Light)

Electron · Earth Science

Aug 31, 2020 · 03:05 UTCRocket Lab Launch Complex 1A, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1

Mission

This return to flight mission is dedicated for Capella Space, an information services company providing Earth observation data on demand. Capella’s payload, ‘Sequoia’, is a single 100 kg class microsatellite which will be the first publicly available satellite in the company’s commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation. By positioning the satellite to a 45-degree inclination, Capella Space will maximize coverage over important areas such as the Middle East, Korea, Japan, Europe, South East Asia, Africa, and the U.S. The mission name is a nod to Capella’s SAR technology that provides high quality images of the Earth day or night, and in any weather conditions, as well as a nod to the infamous advertisement campaign for “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter”. Capella’s space-based radar can detect sub-0.5 meter changes on the surface of the Earth, providing insights and data that can be used for security, agricultural and infrastructure monitoring, as well as disaster response and recovery.

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Mission Facts

Provider
Rocket Lab
Rocket
Electron
Orbit
LEO
Pad
Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1A
NET precision
Second
Data source
LL2
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