On 21 April Virgin Orbit was selected to launch a series of six hyperspectral imaging satellites using its LauncherOne vehicle. The satellites are being developed by a team lead by Hypersat LLC – a geospatial analytics company – and QinetiQ US – the American arm of the QinetiQ Group. The first satellite is planned for launch in 2023, with the rest to follow. From LEO the satellites are intended to provide 6 metre resolution in 500 spectral bands.
