In early January, Dragonfly Aerospace launched its first imaging satellite from the SpaceX launch site in Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Named EOS SAT-1, this is the first of seven ag-specific satellites to be launched over the next three years, which is boasted to be the first such constellation focused on image data collection for agriculture. The constellation will maintain low Earth orbit and collect imagery for EOS Data Analytics with the goal of collecting high-quality data for crop monitoring, application mapping, soil moisture, yield prediction and biomass levels.
Per the company, the EOS SAT-1 is equipped with two DragonEye electro-optical imagers to provide 27 mile swath panchromatic and multispectral imagery across 11 spectral bands at close to 1m resolution – making it one of the most capable imaging satellites in LEO.
“This is a momentous achievement for Dragonfly Aerospace and we are thrilled to have delivered EOS SAT-1 to orbit with a number of firsts – the first imaging satellite designed and built by Dragonfly, the first microsatellite to be manufactured in South Africa since 2009, the first satellite of the EOS SAT constellation and the first agri-focused constellation in space,” said Bryan Dean, CEO and Co-founder of Dragonfly Aerospace. “This has been an important project for our whole team and has allowed us to demonstrate our capabilities, not just in producing high-performance electro-optical imagers, but in designing and manufacturing a full imaging satellite system. It’s an amazing feeling to see EOS SAT-1 leave the launch pad and take the next step in its journey to delivering crucial data that will have important environmental benefits for our planet. We look forward to supporting EOSDA with its mission to launch the next six satellites by 2025.”
Dragonfly was started in 2019 and has customers which include: EOS Data Analytics, NanoAvionics, Spire, UKRI, ZfT, EnduroSat, Loft Orbital, and Pixxel.
