Orbital Sidekick Finalizes Constellation Plans 

Orbital Sidekick hyperspectral imagery. Photo: Orbital Sidekick

Orbital Sidekick has finalized plans for its Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation known as GHOSt, which will consist of six 100 kg satellites designed and manufactured by Astro Digital. The satellites will be launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 launches starting in December 2021, and continuing into 2022, with mission management and integration provided by Maverick Space Systems.

According to Orbital Sidekick, the custom payload on the GHOSt mission will produce the highest resolution commercial hyperspectral imagery launched to-date with a GSD of approximately 8 meters. The payload will be integrated into Astro Digital’s Corvus-XL satellite platform. 

Orbital Sidekick, based in San Francisco, California, previously received a $16 million multi-year contract from the U.S. Air Force‘s commercial investment group, AFVentures, to accelerate the deployment of its constellation.

“We’re excited to partner with Astro Digital and Maverick Space for this initial constellation. Both companies bring a high degree of agility with proven execution to our mission, allowing OSK to focus on the payload and extracting information from our unique hyperspectral data,” commented Pete Friedhoff, director of Space Systems for Orbital Sidekick.