Planet – Spaceflight Now

Soyuz liftoff glimpsed by orbiting observer and launch pad cameras

July 19, 2017

The launch of a Russian Soyuz rocket July 14 with more than 70 satellites was captured in multiple views from a sharp-eyed orbiting nanosatellite and cameras positioned around the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Soyuz rocket lifts off with 73 satellites

July 14, 2017

A Russian Soyuz booster lifted off Friday from Kazakhstan on a complex mission to deploy 73 satellites into three different orbits, including a Russian spacecraft to locate forest fires, 48 CubeSats for Planet’s global Earth observation fleet, and eight nanosatellites for Spire Global’s commercial weather network.

Soyuz rolled out for launch of multinational satellite cluster

July 12, 2017

A Soyuz rocket arrived at a launch pad Tuesday in Kazakhstan for liftoff later this week with a satellite to monitor natural disasters and track forest fires from orbit and 72 secondary payloads from Russia, the United States, Germany, Norway and Japan.

Don’t miss this spectacular video of 104 satellites deployed in space

February 16, 2017

India’s space agency has released stunning video captured by cameras mounted on-board a rocket that launched this week with 104 satellites. Watch the spectacular replay of the launcher’s upper stage deploying a record number of payloads 300 miles above Earth.

India lofts a record 104 spacecraft on a single rocket

February 15, 2017

An Indian rocket deployed 104 spacecraft into orbit 300 miles above Earth on Tuesday, the largest pack of satellites ever launched on a single booster.

Indian rocket set to place 104 satellites in orbit

February 14, 2017

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle is scheduled to fire into orbit late Tuesday, U.S. time, with 104 satellites on-board, setting a record for the largest flock of spacecraft ever launched on a single rocket.

Planet acquires rival satellite company from Google

February 6, 2017

San Francisco-based Planet, a company with a fleet of miniature satellites in orbit looking down on Earth, has acquired Terra Bella from Google to add high-resolution imaging to its business portfolio.

Photos: PSLV climbs away from Indian spaceport

June 22, 2016

Firing into orbit from a barrier island on India’s east coast, a 145-foot-tall Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off early Wednesday to deploy 20 satellites in a perch more than 300 miles above Earth.

India’s PSLV blasts off with 20 satellites

June 22, 2016

A Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle lifted off early Wednesday with an assortment of payloads for the Indian government, domestic universities, and institutions and companies from Indonesia, Canada, Germany and the United States, including a pathfinder satellite for Google’s Terra Bella Earth observation division.