RVSN RF Start-1 EarlyBird

Start-1

Status

Success

Date

24 DEC 1997

13:32

Launch Provider

Strategic Rocket Forces

Launch Pad

Svobodny Cosmodrome, Russian Federation

Mission Overview

EarlyBird 1, a remote sensing satellite built by CTA Space Systems (now part of Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC)) for EarthWatch, Inc., was to provide high resolution commercial imagery. EarthWatch planed to offer black-and-white images with a resolution as high as 3 meters per pixel, and color images with a resolution of 15 meters per pixel. The imaging sensor was derived from NASA's cancelled Clark satellite.

Rocket

Start-1

Mission Type

Earth Science

Orbit

Low Earth Orbit

Stages

Livestream

Not available

Rocket Details

Start-1 is a Russian satellite launch vehicle based on the RT-2PM Topol, a Soviet intercontinental ballistic missile developed by Moscow Institute of Thermal Technology.

Height

22.7 m

Diameter

1.61 m

Launch Mass

47 T

Thrust

887 kN