1 Million Sq Km Per Day
Between Neo 3 and Neo 4, the Pléiades Neo constellation captures up to 1 million sq km of 30-cm imagery every day.
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Pléiades Neo Satellite
Pléiades Neo is Airbus' first 30-cm high-resolution satellite constellation collecting 6-band MS.
Sample imagery
The Pléiades Neo Advantage
6-Band Multispectral
Not only does Pléiades Neo have 30-cm resolution, it also provides six 1.2-m multispectral bands, including deep blue, blue, green, red, red edge and near-infrared.
Near Daily Revisits
The Pléiades Neo constellation is able to image nearly anywhere on the planet once per day.
Fully Commercial
Since Pléiades Neo reserves 100% of its capacity for commercial sales, clients won’t get muscled out by government contracts, thereby increasing the size of the 30-cm Neo imagery archive and shortening collection times.
Overview & History
Pléiades Neo is the first constellation of two (originally planned for four) identical 30-centimeter (cm) satellites owned and operated by Airbus Defense and Space. Neo 3 launched on April 29, 2021 from Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana and was followed soon after by Neo 4 on August 17th. Both Pléiades Neo satellites will be on the same orbit, phased from each other–allowing for near daily revisits across the globe. The Pléiades Neo constellation collects up to 1 million square kilometers (sq km) of imagery a day with a 14-kilometer swath width.
Along with the 30-cm panchromatic band, Pléiades Neo boasts six 1.2-meter (m) multispectral bands, including deep blue, blue, green, red, red edge, and near–infrared. Pléiades Neo is entirely open to commercial clients, with no government ownership of tasking time, thereby increasing its collection capacity.
Pléiades Neo Specifications
Launch Details
- Launch Date: April 29, 2021, 01:50 UTC (PNeo 3); August 17, 2021, 01:47 UTC (PNeo 4)
- Vehicle: Arianespace Vega rocket
- Site: Guiana Space Centre, Kourou, French Guiana
- Expected Mission Life: at least 10 years for each satellite
Pléiades Neo 3/4 Components
- Satellite Mass: ~ 907 kg
- Solar Array: dual-wing Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) panels, 150 Amp-hour (Ah) battery
- Control Systems:
- 3-axis stabilized
- Actuators–four control movement gyros (CMGs)
- Altitude determination–three star–trackers
- Orbit determination–GNSS receiver
- Onboard Storage Capacity: 14 terabytes (TB), solid state mass memory
- Ground Communication Systems:
- Imagery downlink–X-band, 2 channels, physical downlink rate of 1,124 Mbps
- TT&C link–S–band, 2 antennas, uplink rate of 32 kbps and downlink rate of 533 Kbps
- Optical Sensor Assembly:
- NAOMIX camera, Korsch telescope with 3 folding mirrors
- Aperture–910 mm (SNR)
- Focal length–25.2 m (magnification)
- Focal Plane:
- Single pushbroom linear array, TDI instrument
- Camera–12 detectors (6 panchromatic, PAN; 6 multispectral, MS)
- Detectors: PAN–8,016 pixels, 12 µm detector size; MS–2,004 pixels x 6, 48 µm detector size
- Image size: PAN–48,096 pixels (8,016 x 6); MS–72,144 pixels (2,004 x 6 x 6)
Orbit Characteristics
- Altitude: 620 km
- Period: 97.2 minutes
- Inclination: 97.9°
- Constellation Configuration: Pléiades Neo operates as a genuine constellation with both satellites on the same orbit, phased from each other
- Direction: sun–synchronous, north to south (across the lit side of Earth)
- Equatorial Crossing Time: 10:30 AM local time (approximate; across lit side of Earth)
- Maximum Constellation Revisit Frequency: (assumes full 4 satellite constellation; with only two satellites in orbit these collection times are theoretically halved)
- Daily, anywhere (30° off nadir)
- Twice daily, anywhere (46° off nadir)
Imaging System
- Spectral Bands:
- Panchromatic
- 6-band multispectral (blue, green, red and near infrared [NIR] plus deep blue and red edge)
- Sensor Resolution:
- At nadir–30-cm panchromatic & 1.2-m multispectral
- 20° off-nadir–33-cm panchromatic & 1.34-m multispectral
- 30° off-nadir–39-cm panchromatic & 1.54-m multispectral
- 45° off-nadir–56-cm panchromatic & 2.26-m multispectral
- Spectral Band Wavelength Range: (in nm)
- Panchromatic–450 to 800
- Deep blue–400 to 450
- Blue–450 to 520
- Green–530 to 590
- Red–620 to 690
- Red-edge–700 to 750
- NIR–770 to 880
- Dynamic Range: 12-bits
Collection Capabilities
- Footprint Width: 14 km (at nadir), 19.68 km (30° off-nadir)
- Viewing Angle: ± 52°
- Pointing Agility (roll/pitch): 10° in 7 seconds, 30° in 12 seconds, 60° in 20 seconds
- Single Satellite Maximum Collection Geometry:
- Target collection–image multiple targets (1 and 2): up to 13 targets within a 100×200 km area, in a corridor of +/-30 degrees
- Strip mapping–large mosaics in a single pass (3): up to 70 x 110 km in the same pass (7,500 km²)
- Retargeting Ability: up to 13 targets in a 100 x 200 km region with +/-30° off–nadir
- Slew Time: 200 km in ~10 seconds
- Daily Collection Capacity: up to 500,000 sq km per satellite, per day
- Georeferenced Horizontal Accuracy: < 5-m CE90 (global average, dependent on terrain); expected 3.5-m CE90 with refined orbit data
Pricing
Below is the least expensive Pléiades Neo data offered. Prices increase for new collections and data processing. Note that academic and volume discounts are available.
Data Source:
archive
Minimum Order Size:
25 sq km (per area & date)
Product Type:
georeferenced + natural color, 4-band or 6-band
Price Per Sq Km:
Looking for updated absolute radiometric characteristics of Pléiades Neo to be used in an atmospheric correction and/or radiance conversion?
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