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Skylark 1, ..., 12
Skylark 1 [Northstar]
The Skylark satellites are microsatellites build, owned and operated by Spire (SFL) for NorthStar Earth under a data-as-a-service agreement as Space Situational Awareness (SSA) satellites.
The satellites are built based on Spire's CubeSat (16U) bus and host an imaging instrument to detect other satellites and debris in orbit. In-situ tracking can monitor objects not observable from the ground, such as 5-cm objects in LEO and 40-cm objects in GEO. This will provide customers with more granular data on the growing orbital debris problem.
The first three satellites were originally to be launched by Virgin Orbit on a LauncherOne. After Virgin Orbit went bankrupt, the satellites were rebooked on a Rocket Lab Electron KS with a fourth satellite added. Two more Electrons launches are also booked to complete the initial 12 satellite constellation.
| Nation: | Canada |
|---|---|
| Type / Application: | Space Situational Awareness |
| Operator: | Spire for NorthStar Earth & Space |
| Contractors: | Spire |
| Equipment: | |
| Configuration: | CubeSat (16U) |
| Propulsion: | ? |
| Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
| Lifetime: | |
| Mass: | |
| Orbit: |
| Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skylark 1 (Lemur-2 171) | - | 2023 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Skylark 2 (Lemur-2 172) | - | 2023 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Skylark 3 (Lemur-2 173) | - | 2023 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Skylark 4 (Lemur-2 174) | - | 2023 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 1, 2, 3, 4 | |
| Skylark 5 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| Skylark 6 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| Skylark 7 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| Skylark 8 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 5, 6, 7, 8 | |
| Skylark 9 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 9, 10, 11, 12 | |
| Skylark 10 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 9, 10, 11, 12 | |
| Skylark 11 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 9, 10, 11, 12 | |
| Skylark 12 (Lemur-2 TBD) | - | 2024 | OnS LC-1 | Electron KS | with Skylark 9, 10, 11, 12 |
References:
- Space News: Spire to build space situational awareness satellites for NorthStar, 16 March 2022
- Lemur 1
- Lemur-2
- Lemur-2 (6U)
- Minas ?
- ADLER 1
- ADLER 2
- Ella 1
- GHGSat C9, ..., C15
- Skylark 1, ..., 12
- Vindlér 1, 2, 3, 4
