The Flock-1 earth observing constellation built and operated by Planet Labs (formerly Cosmogia Inc.) of San Francisco, CA, consists of 28 triple CubeSats, called "Doves". Deployment of Flock 1 marked a number of first-time achievements in the space industry, and provides a whole-Earth dataset that is unmatched in its breadth and freshness.
Leveraging on the Dove 1, 2, 3 and 4 prototypes, the 28 Flock-1 satellites were launched on 9 January 2014 on an Antares-120 booster, and carried to ISS by Cygnus Orb-1. They were deployed from the Kibo airlock by Nanoracks deployers.
The satellites provide imagery with a resolution of 3-5 m, and operate in a relative short-lived 400 km orbit with an inclination of 52 degrees.
The first four were deployed on 11 February, two more followed the next day with two more postponed. The 4th pair, delayed by a deployer issue, was released on 13 February. The 5th and 6th pairs followed on 14 February and the 2 delayed pairs on 15 February.
Deployment of the second batch started with a pair on 25 February, two pairs on 26 February, two pairs on 27 February and the final pair on 28 February.
In March 2014, Planet labs announced that they will launch 100 more satellites within one year, using both US and Russian launch vehicles.
Facts in Brief
Launch Date: 2014-01-09
Launch Vehicle: Antares
Launch Site: Wallops Island, Virginia, United States