EagleEye (satellite)
First POLSA-operated satellite, launched August 2024.
EagleEye, an Earth observation satellite, operates in very low Earth orbit. It holds the distinction of being the first satellite both developed and operated by the Polish Space Agency (POLSA). Earlier Polish satellites, including PW-Sat, BRITE, and Intuition-1, were instead designed and run by private companies.
Quick Facts
- Insignia caption
- Mission patch
- Operator
- Polish Space Agency
- Mission duration
- 1 year
- Manufacturer
- Creotech
- Dry mass
- 50 kg / 110 lb
- Launched
- 15 August 2024, 18:56:00
- Launch rocket
- Falcon 9 Transporter-11
- Launch site
- Vandenberg SCL-4
Facts from the source article.
Development
Development of EagleEye began in April 2020 through a consortium led by Creotech, with contributions from the Space Research Centre and Scanway. The satellite was based on Creotech's HyperSat template, a modular small-satellite platform started in 2017. Designed locally in Poland, some components such as microprocessors were imported. The Space Research Centre, transitioning into POLSA, handled most development and design, while Creotech assembled the parts. In March 2023, POLSA vice-president Michal Wiercinski attended the Australian International Airshow to secure subcontractors. The Polish government prioritized the satellite due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as it could observe troop movements, though it also has civilian agricultural monitoring uses. At 50 kg, EagleEye is Poland's largest and heaviest satellite, with one-meter-per-pixel resolution in visible and infrared light. Qualification tests were completed in April 2024.
Mission
Creotech's EagleEye satellite launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on August 15, 2024. Two days later, the company announced the first mission phase was a success, with communications established and all operational parameters received. But by August 25, Creotech reported it was no longer receiving data correctly. On September 3, the company traced the problem to either an incorrect orbit or voltage regulators in the power supply that were shutting down systems to prevent surges from the solar panels generating too much electricity.
Impact
EagleEye, the first satellite built entirely in Poland and operated by POLSA, marked a major step for the country's space sector. It showed Poland had overcome the difficult engineering challenge required to build a satellite, supporting its goal of taking on a bigger role within the European Space Agency and generating more skilled jobs. A more advanced version, EagleEye 2.0, is set to join the Camilla constellation, an Earth observation network ordered by the Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, with a planned launch in the last quarter of 2027.
More in Polish Inventions
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced