SatVu’s innovative British climate observation satellite HOTSAT-1 has stopped operating two months after its first images. Apparently, the malfunction occurred in the thermal imaging camera, which is the most valuable and complex device of the device. reports BBC.
HOTSAT-1 was launched six months ago and sent its first images back to Earth in early October. The satellite’s thermal imaging device was so sensitive that it could track the heat signatures of moving trains in real time.
Capable of resolving features as small as 3.5 m, the HOTSAT-1 camera allowed scientists to visualize the thermal effects of urban parking lots on surrounding buildings, the cooling effects of ports and harbours, and to study the behavior of wildfires.
Thanks to the combination of slow shutter and precision targeting technology, HOTSAT-1 was able to outperform all existing temperature monitoring satellites, including those of NASA or the European Space Agency.
SatVu described the incident as “an anomaly that is expected to impact ongoing operations.” As journalists learned, the company’s engineers continue to communicate with the device, but they no longer hope for the device to work again.
The company added that the satellite is insured and the new one will be sent into orbit in 2025.
Formerly Amazon announced about plans to create a network of Internet satellites in orbit to transmit data using lasers.