3 ms·
Is that a fundamental limit, or just how they’re currently built because they don’t need to do anything better? I don’t know a whole lot about spy satellites,
by mikeash 8y ago
Is that a fundamental limit, or just how they’re currently built because they don’t need to do anything better?
I don’t know a whole lot about spy satellites, but the existence of things like spy planes and accurate ICBMs suggests the latter.
- sandworm101 8y agoFor small sats in low orbit it can be a very big deal. Before you can start snapping pictures accurately you need to confirm the actual orbit. You let the thing whip by a couple times to confirm its speed and altitude. Then it will likely be spinning a little. You need to wait for the aerodynamic forces to smooth that out.