BlackSky recently announced a planned business combination with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: SFTW) and has revealed it expects to launch two satellites on Rocket Lab’s 20th mission, “Running Out of Toes.”
The launch, which is scheduled to take place no earlier than May 15, 2021, will deploy BlackSky’s eighth and ninth EO satellites.
Once on-orbit, the two Gen-2 satellites will continue to grow the BlackSky space network and enable the firm to provide more frequent revisits globally, with heightened revisit capability in the 45-to-50-degree markets. As BlackSky expands its constellation, it will strengthen its ability to offer timely and relevant information on pattern-of-life anomalies, situational awareness, and commercial opportunities to its customers. The company’s geospatial intelligence solutions deliver analytics and insights for a range of government agencies and industries such as transportation, infrastructure, construction and supply chain management, as well as humanitarian sectors.
The “Running Out of Toes” mission is part of BlackSky’s multi-launch agreement with Spaceflight Inc. and Rocket Lab to launch nine high-resolution, multi-spectral satellites by the end of 2021. The first of these nine satellites launched on March 22, 2021 ,and entered commercial operations within two weeks.
“BlackSky is expanding and scaling through a regular cadence of launches so we can consistently increase capacity to deliver first-to-know insights for our customers,” said Brian E. O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “Our established practice of rapid deployments and advanced commissioning process ensures customers can trust and rely on our network for access to real-time global intelligence.”