Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whole Planet Daily

Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by titzer on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @10:23AM (#13652587)

Given that now a new kind of space race between private entities seems to be on, and the trend toward micro satellites is continuing, we are going to end up with lots and lots more objects in LEO (and AFAICT these satellites are indeed in LEO), which just increases the potential for cascading failure as Kessler predicted. Or were you assuming that none of these satellites would malfunction?

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by panzagl on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @10:57AM (#13652870)

88 small commanded satellites in a high drag LEO circular orbit contribute to Kessler syndrome in the same way that your production of CO2 contributes to global climate change. Your attitude is just as anti-science as that of people who think Jesus rode a dinosaur.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by titzer on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @11:57AM (#13653409)

I appreciate your very constructive comments on my belief system.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by oh_sigh on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @12:34PM (#13653705)

But the person you're responding to isn't wrong. These satellites contribute absolutely 0 to space junk.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by panzagl on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @12:36PM (#13653722)

It was gratuitous, but not everything humans do is bad.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by jofer on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @10:47AM (#13652774)

LEO isn't the problem. Anything in the orbit these are in has a lifetime of a few years at most unless they have active propulsion (i.e. not debris or microsatellites).

The problem with space debris is mostly higher orbits where it will remain in orbit indefinitely. In LEO, the atmosphere does a good job of "cleaning up" debris and inactive satellites.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by titzer on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @11:57AM (#13653405)

I'm looking at this http://scilogs.spektrum.de/kosmo/gallery/4/liftime_satellite....

I couldn't find a reference for what the orbital height for these satellites are, but I am guessing they are high enough to last decades.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by chimere on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @12:43PM (#13653791)

This launch was to 500km, and the Doves are around 150kg/m^2 (4.5kg / 0.03m^2). This puts their lifetime at around 5 years according to that linked plot.

For reference, Planet's earlier launches were to the ISS (400km) and lasted less than a year, which your plot agrees with.

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Re:Planet Launches Satellite Constellation to Image the Whol... by panzagl on Wednesday February 15, 2017 @12:34PM (#13653707)

The previous launch for their system has satellites with a perigee of 494 km, so not high at all.

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