Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Maxar’s WorldView-3 satellite captured the image on June 7.
An Earth-observing satellite has given us a unique view of Boeing’s new Starliner astronaut taxi in space.
On June 6, the Starliner arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), delivering NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the orbiting lab on a shakeout cruise known as Crew Flight Test (CFT).
A day later, Maxar Technologies‘ WorldView-3 satellite captured a striking photo of the ISS and its new arrival, which is prominently featured near the center of the frame.
WorldView-3, which launched in August 2014, usually observes Earth from its vantage point 385 miles (620 kilometers) above our planet. However, the new photo shows that the spacecraft has the capability to study objects in orbit as well.
“This type of imagery collection, known as non-Earth imaging (NEI), is a significant advancement that enables Maxar to support critical space domain awareness missions for government and commercial customers,” Maxar wrote in an X post on Wednesday (June 12) that featured the ISS-Starliner photo.
Non-Earth imaging could become a higher and higher priority for the U.S. government and other entities with a large stake in the final frontier over the coming years.
The number of satellites going to orbit has increased significantly in recent years, and it is likely that this trend will continue. This growth is largely due to the rise of megaconstellations such as SpaceX’s Starlink broadband network, which currently consists of more than 6,000 active spacecraft. As this population of satellites continues to expand, it will become increasingly important for satellite operators to keep track of this ever-growing orbital population. However, this will also present challenges for operators.
CFT is the inaugural crewed mission for Starliner, with a scheduled return to Earth no earlier than June 18. Should all proceed as planned, the capsule will be certified to fly long-duration astronaut missions to and from the ISS for NASA.
SpaceX has already demonstrated its ability to accomplish this with its Crew Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. Elon Musk’s company is currently engaged in its eighth operational astronaut flight to the ISS, known as Crew-8.
Written by Mike Wall. Original article on www.space.com
