- constellr
- Overview
constellr Overview
Mission Background
SkyBee-1 and SkyBee-2 are the first operational satellites from constellr, a German New Space company focused on delivering high-precision thermal intelligence from space. The missions build on constellr’s earlier demonstration payload, carried onboard the International Space Station in 2022, which validated the company’s sensor technology and data processing workflows.
With the launches of SkyBee-1 and -2 in January and June 2025, respectively, constellr has begun deploying its satellite constellation, which is designed to provide consistent, high-resolution thermal monitoring for applications ranging from agriculture and climate resilience to infrastructure monitoring and urban planning.
The launch of SkyBee-3 is planned for Q3 2026 to ensure sub-daily revisit for specific AOIs. From 2028-onwards a new generation of satellites is planned, with new and improved sensor specifications to better serve specific areas of application.
Satellite Design
The SkyBee satellites are in the 120 kg class and have a design lifetime of approximately 5 years.
The satellite platform and payload have been developed in cooperation with OHB System AG, Kongsberg NanoAvionics and Fraunhofer EMI, and have been launched with Exolaunch GmbH.
The payload, with a total mass of ~29 kg, is composed of three main elements: a cryo-cooled thermal infrared (TIR) instrument, a visible and near-infrared (VNIR) instrument, and a data processing unit (DPU). The payload is designed as a push-frame imaging system, allowing multiple spectral bands to be consecutively recorded in a push-broom configuration while the field of view of the remote sensing instrument sweeps over Earth's surface.
Mission Operations
SkyBee-1 was launched on 14 January 2025, followed by SkyBee-2 on 23 June 2025. Both satellites were launched onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) and orbit Earth at an altitude of between 510 km and 540 km.
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