Orbits below ~450 km where atmospheric drag is significant; emerging for high-resolution imaging and low-latency comms.
Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) sits below the standard LEO altitude band, roughly 250–450 km. Drag is non-trivial here — satellites need active propulsion or air-breathing engines to maintain orbit, but they get closer to the surface for higher resolution and lower comms latency.
VLEO is an active R&D frontier. Companies building VLEO platforms are betting that the resolution and latency wins outweigh the propellant and lifetime costs. Defense customers in particular care about cm-class imagery and low-look-angle persistence.
Bellatrix Aerospace is teaming up with Korean optical payload manufacturer TelePIX on a new VLEO demo satellite, launching NET 2028. The post Bellatrix Aerospace Tapped to Build Korean VLEO Demo Sat appeared first on Payload.
South Korean optical payload developer TelePIX and Indian propulsion specialist Bellatrix Aerospace have teamed up on a very low Earth orbit geospatial demonstration mission slated for 2028. The post Bellatrix and TelePIX plan 2028 air-breathing VLEO imaging demonstration appeared first on SpaceNews.