153: Space Nerf Gun
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.