Planet Lab PBC, a company focusing on providing data and insights about Earth, announced the coming launch of its first hyperspectral satellite rocket, known as Tanager-1. The spacecraft is made by the cooperation of the Carbon Mapper Coalition and its philanthropic partners.
Currently, the spacecraft is now at Vandenberg Space Force Base to prepare for its liftoff planned in July on board the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. After being launched, Tanager-1 will be the first of a next-generation hyperspectral fleet to expand Planet’s imaging capabilities in the spectral domain. This is also to add the existing imaging capabilities in the spatial domains obtained from the missions of PlanetScope, Pelican, or SkySat.
Not only that, but the Tanager-1 mission will also support the partnership of Planet with the nonprofit organization Carbon Mapper as well as Planet’s broader commercial mission. As Tanager-1 was enabled by the Carbon Mapper satellite program, it allows Planet to combine its cutting-edge agile aerospace and smallsat bus technology with the state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer design developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Under this partnership, hyperspectral data collected by Tanager-1 will be used as scientific data to support action on sustainability use cases like greenhouse gas emission issues.
Scientists at Carbon Mapper will also analyze imagery Tanager offered, including spectral information across the visible and shortwave infrared (VSWIR) areas, to find methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) ‘super-emitters’ around the world. Meanwhile, Planet expects this also can be commercial hyperspectral data for a variety of use cases, including emissions monitoring, biodiversity assessments, vegetation analysis, minerals mapping, and water contaminant assessments.
Taking advantage of technology from JPLs in imaging spectrometer design and development, which has been experienced through decades of airborne and spaceborne sensors, Tanager’s imaging spectrometer is now also the most complex optical machine that Planet has ever introduced.
Before being launched, Tanager-1 must complete a strict series of tests on the ground to make sure that the integrated spacecraft could bear the harsh environments that it would face at launch and in orbit. Last year, Pelican-1, which also shares the same smallsat bus platform as Tanager-1, was successfully launched.
