SkyBee is constellr's thermal infrared microsatellite platform delivering calibrated global land-surface-temperature data for agriculture, climate, security, and industrial monitoring.
SkyBee
SkyBee is constellr's thermal infrared microsatellite platform delivering calibrated global land-surface-temperature data for agriculture, climate, security, and industrial monitoring.
Description
SkyBee is the flagship satellite bus and payload of the German-founded, ESA-backed New Space company constellr. Each ~120 kg-class microsatellite carries a cryo-cooled Thermal Infrared instrument plus a Visible and Near-Infrared instrument to deliver calibrated Land Surface Temperature data with absolute accuracy of about 1.0-2.0 K, day and night. Operating in sun-synchronous orbit at roughly 510-522 km altitude, the thermal imager provides ~28.9-30 m ground sampling distance across 4 thermal bands, while the VNIR imager provides 5-10 m resolution across 10 spectral bands aligned with Sentinel-2. Designed by constellr with NanoAvionics providing the commercial satellite bus, SkyBee targets agtech/agribusiness, Earth Observation analytics firms, national security and defence agencies, maritime domain awareness, industrial monitoring, and urban climate-risk applications. As of mid-2026, the constellation is operational with two satellites on orbit — SkyBee-1 (launched January 14, 2025) and SkyBee-2 (launched June 23, 2025) — delivering roughly 1.5-day average revisit; constellr has stated plans for a third satellite (targeted Q3 2026) and an eventual four-satellite HiVE constellation. constellr is a recognized ESA and European Commission Copernicus Contributing Mission partner.
Specifications
| Constellation size (mid-2026) | 2 satellites operational (SkyBee-1, SkyBee-2); SkyBee-3 planned Q3 2026; 4 planned total |
|---|---|
| Satellite mass | ~120 kg class |
| Orbit | Sun-synchronous, ~510-522 km altitude |
| TIR spatial resolution | ~28.9-30 m GSD, 17.5 km swath |
| VNIR spatial resolution | 5-10 m GSD, 21 km swath |
| Thermal spectral bands | 4 bands, 8.45-12.00 micrometers |
| Thermal absolute accuracy | 1.0-2.0 K |
| Revisit time (current) | ~1.5-day average, day and night imaging |
| First launch | SkyBee-1: January 14, 2025 |
| Satellite bus manufacturer | NanoAvionics |
| Mission recognition | ESA / European Commission Copernicus Contributing Mission partner |