On August 29, 2008, a Dnepr rocket (RS-20) was launched from Baikonur cosmodrome I Kazakhstan, carrying RapidEye’s constellation of five Earth observation satellites on board.
The RapidEye was developed by the British Surrey Satellite Technology LTD (SSTL) and Canadian MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd (MDA) commissioned by the German Space Agency. Frequency of coverage in the same area of the Earth is 24 hours. The service life of the satellites is 7 years. The constellation is able to collect 4 million square kilometers of data per day with a 6.5 m resolution. The REIS system, a three-mirror anastigmat, provides imaging of the Earth's surface in 5 spectral ranges. The unique Red edge channel is optimal for monitoring and measuring changes in the vegetation cover.
In 2015, Planet acquired BlackBridge and became the owner and operator of RapidEye constellation of small satellites.
Technical Characteristics
| Modes: | Multispectral |
| Spectral Range (µm): | blue: 0,44–0,51 green: 0,52–0,59 red: 0,63–0,69 red edge: 0,69–0,73 near infrared: 0,76–0,85 |
| Spatial Resolution, m: | 6.5 |
| Radiometric Resolution: | 12 bits / pixel |
| Swath Width: | 77 km |
| Revisit time | 24 hours |
| Acquire Stereo-Pair: | No |