It's one of the most recognizable images in aerospace: Highly specialized workers clad in gowns, hair nets and shoe coverings crawl over a one-of-a-kind satellite the size of a school bus. The months-long process is so delicate that even workers' metal rings must be covered with a translucent tape to prevent static transfer.
Contrast that with how things are done at Planet Labs Inc. in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. Satellites no bigger than a loaf of bread are propped on work benches, tended by technicians wearing simple rubber gloves and light lab coats. Largely using commercially available tech components, they can crank out and test 25 of these pint-sized satellites in a week.
Befitting its location, the Earth-imaging company's approach is more akin to that of a tech start-up than a traditional aerospace firm. Giant satellites might cost north of $1 billion and last for a decade or more. Planet churns out satellites that cost a tiny fraction of that—how much, it won't say—with a lifespan of just two to three years.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 10 2018, @04:30PM
It is easy to fall for corporate psychological tricks. They can literally change your mind (the way you think) by choosing the words that they use to communicate with you. Normalize the use of words such as "sharing" and "like" to mean whatever they want them to mean. Eg. - What?! You don't "love" Apple? Where "love" means to buy their shit.