Hardware Podcasts

153: Space Nerf Gun

Embedded.fm · 25 May 2016 · 1h 02m

What this episode covers

Patrick Yeon, an electrical engineer at Planet Labs, explains the company's strategy of building a constellation of shoebox-sized 'Dove' satellites to image the Earth daily at 3-meter resolution. He details how they use drag from the upper atmosphere, controlled by satellite orientation, to adjust orbital spacing without propellant, and why they rely on industrial-grade off-the-shelf components rather than expensive space-hardened hardware. Yeon also discusses the company's 'agile aerospace' philosophy, the regulatory challenges of ITAR, and their open data initiatives like Open California.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Planet Labs, SpaceX, Orbital, JSPOC, NASA
Products
Dove, Open California
Also
ITAR

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