On September 16, 2016 at 01:43 UTC (on September 15 at 22:43 local time) the “Vega” rocket-carrier was launched from Kourou Cosmodrome in French Guiana. The rocket orbited five sharp-eyed Earth observation satellites (the PeruSat 1 and four SkySat spacecraft) into two different orbits for the Peruvian government and a Google-owned mapping company. The PeruSat 1 reconnaissance satellite was built by Airbus Defense and Space for the government of Peru. This launch expanded a growing satellite fleet operated by Google’s Terra Bella company, giving the Silicon Valley firm seven spacecraft fitted with high-resolution cameras that can take rapid-fire pictures many times a second, allowing processors on the ground to string together video clips. Attachments: |