Clarity-1 validates Albedo VLEO bus before contact loss
Albedo said Clarity-1 validated sustainable very-low-Earth-orbit operations and most of its imaging stack before contact was lost nine months into the mission.
Evidence notes
- Measured drag performance beat the design target by 12% and supported a five-year average lifespan model at 275 kilometres.
- Atomic-oxygen-resistant solar arrays maintained power generation as the satellite descended deeper into VLEO.
- The mission validated 98% of the technology needed for its imaging objective before an onboard radio-memory issue made recovery unlikely.
Company context
Denver developer of very-low-Earth-orbit spacecraft and turnkey missions.