environmental-observing satellite

Environmental-observing
(Earth-observation)
satellites


Below are checklists of Environmental-observing (Earth-observation) satellites, including launch dates and images of the satellites. If readers know of additional information or images, please contact the authors using the e-mail addresses at the bottom of this page.


Satellite series covered:


USA Landsat / Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Landsat-1 / ERTS-1 (ERTS-A)1972-07-23 Landsat / ERTS
Landsat / ERTS
Landsat-1
Landsat-1/2/3 type
Landsat-3
ERTS / Landsat (patch)
Landsat-2 (newspaper article)
Landsat-2 (newspaper article)
Landsat / ERTSLandsat / ERTS
Landsat-2 / ERTS-2 (ERTS-B)1975-01-22
Landsat-3 (Landsat-C / ERTS-C)1978-03-05
Landsat-4 (Landsat-D)1982-07-16 Landsat-4
Landsat-4/5 type
Landsat-5
Landsat-5 (Landsat-D1)1984-03-01
Landsat-6 [failed]1993-10-05 Landsat-6
Landsat-6
Landsat-6
Landsat-6
Landsat-6 (patch)
Landsat-71999-04-15 Landsat-7
Landsat-7 (patch)
Landsat-8 / LDCM2013-02-11 Landsat-8
Landsat-8
Landsat-9 / LDCM2021-09-27

French Satellite Probatoire de l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SPOT-1 (SPOT-A)1986-02-22 SPOT-1
SPOT-1
SPOT-1/2/3 type
SPOTSPOT
SPOT-2 (SPOT-B)1990-01-22
SPOT-31993-09-26
SPOT-41998-03-24 SPOT-4
SPOT-4
SPOT-4
SPOT-52002-05-03SPOT-5
SPOT-62012-09-09SPOT-6
SPOT-7 / now Azersky2014-06-30

Indian (ISRO) Remote Sensing (IRS) series satellites (including OceanSat, ResourceSat, and CartoSat):

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
IRS-1A1988-03-17 IRS
IRS-1
IRS-1A
IRSIRS
IRS-1B1991-08-29
IRS-1E / IRS-P1 [failed]1993-09-20IRS-1E
IRS-P21994-10-15IRS-P2
IRS-1C1995-12-28 IRS-1C
IRS-1C/1D type
IRS-1D
IRS-1D1997-09-29
IRS-P31996-03-21IRS-P3
IRS-P4 / OceanSat-11999-05-26IRS-P4
IRS-P6 / ResourceSat-12003-10-17IRS-P6
IRS-P5 / CartoSat-12005-05-05IRS-P5
CartoSat-22007-01-10CartoSat-2
CartoSat-2A2008-04-28
CartoSat-2B2010-07-12
CartoSat-2C2016-06-22
CartoSat-2D2017-02-15
CartoSat-2E2017-06-23
CartoSat-2F2018-01-12
IRS-P7 / OceanSat-22009-09-23OceanSat-2
CartoSat-32019-11-27CartoSat-3
CartoSat-3A202x
CartoSat-3B202x
OceanSat-32022-11-26
OceanSat-3A2025-?
ResourceSat-22011-04-20ResourceSat-2
ResourceSat-2A2016-12-07
ResourceSat-32025-?
ResourceSat-3A2026-?
ResourceSat-3B202x
ResourceSat-3S2026-?
ResourceSat-3SA2027-?

European Remote Sensing (ERS) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ERS-11991-07-16 ERS
ERS
ERS
ERS-1
ERS-1
ERS-1
ERS-1
ERS-1
ERSERS
ERS-21995-04-20

Japanese Marine Observation Satellite (MOS) / Momo series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
MOS-1A / Momo-11987-02-19 MOS
MOS
MOS-1
MOS / MomoMOS / Momo
MOS-1B / Momo-1B1990-02-07MOS-2

Japanese ADvanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) / Midori series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ADEOS-1 / Midori / TOMS-(4?)1996-08-17 ADEOS
ADEOS
ADEOS
ADEOS
ADEOS
ADEOS-1
ADEOS / MidoriADEOS / Midori
ADEOS-2 / Argos-2+2002-12-14ADEOS-2

Japanese Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) / Daichi series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ALOS-1 / Daichi-12006-01-24ALOS-1ALOS / DaichiALOS / Daichi
ALOS-2 / Daichi-22014-05-24ALOS-2
ALOS-3 [failed]2023-03-07ALOS-3
ALOS-42024-07-01ALOS-4

USA Earth Observing (EO) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
EO-1 / NMP2000-11-21 EO-1
EO-1
EO-1
EO-1 (patch)
EO-1EO-1
EO-2 / NMPCanceled
EO-3 / NMPCanceled

USA Earth Observation System (EOS) satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
EOS-AM1 / EOS-Terra1999-12-18 EOS-Terra (early-design)
EOS-Terra
EOS-Terra
EOS (patch)
EOS (patch)
EOS (patch, back)
EOS-Terra (patch)
EOSEOS
EOS-PM1 / EOS-Aqua2002-05-04 EOS-Aqua
EOS-Aqua
EOS-Aqua
EOS-Aura / formerly EOS-Chem2004-07-15 EOS-Aura
EOS-Aura
EOS-Aura
EOS-Aura (patch)

Russian Resurs-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Resurs-OE-1 / Kosmos-14841983-07-24ResursResurs
Resurs-O1-1 / Kosmos-16891985-10-03
Resurs-O1-2 / Kosmos-19391988-04-20
Resurs-F1, Pion-1, Pion-21989-05-25
Resurs-F21989-06-27Resurs-F2
Resurs-F3, Pion-3, Pion-41989-07-18
Resurs-F41989-08-15
Resurs-F51989-09-06
Resurs-F61990-05-29
Resurs-F71990-07-17
Resurs-F81990-08-16
Resurs-F91990-09-07
Resurs-F101991-05-21
Resurs-F111991-06-28
Resurs-F121991-07-23
Resurs-F131991-08-21
Resurs-F141992-04-29
Resurs-F151992-06-23
Resurs-F16, Pion-5, Pion-61992-08-19
Resurs-5001992-11-15
Resurs-F171993-05-21
Resurs-F181993-06-25
Resurs-F191993-08-24
Resurs-O1-31994-11-04 Resurs-O1
Resurs-O1
Resurs-F201995-09-26
Resurs-F1M-11997-11-18
Resurs-O1-41998-07-10 Resurs-O1
Resurs-O1
Resurs-F1M-21999-09-28
Resurs-O219xx-? Resurs-O2
Resurs-O2
Resurs-DK12006-06-15Resurs-DK1
Resurs-P12013-06-25Resurs-P1
Resurs-P2, Koronas-Nuklon2014-12-26
Resurs-P32016-03-13
Resurs-P42024-03-31
Resurs-P52024-12-25

Russian Almaz-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Almaz-T #1 / Resurs-R #1 / Kosmos-(1803) [failed]1986-11-29 Almaz-1
Almaz-2
Almaz-1Almaz-1
Almaz-T #2 / Resurs-R #2 / Kosmos-18701987-07-25
Almaz-T #3 / Almaz-1 / Resurs-R #31991-03-31

Russian Okean-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Okean-E1 / Kosmos-10761979-02-12OkeanOkean
Okean-E2 / Kosmos-11511980-01-23
Okean-OE1 / Kosmos-15001983-09-28 Kosmos-1500
Kosmos-1500
Okean-OE2 / Kosmos-16021984-09-28
Okean-O1 #1 / Kosmos-17661986-06-28 Okean-O1
Okean-O1
Okean-O1
Okean-O1 #2 / Kosmos-18691987-07-16
Okean-1 (Okean-O1 #3)1988-07-05
Okean-(2) (Okean-O1 #4) [failed]1989-06-09
Okean-2 (Okean-O1 #5)1990-02-28
Okean-3 (Okean-O1 #6)1991-06-04
Okean-4 (Okean-O1 #7)1994-10-11
Okean-O 1 (Okean-5)1999-07-17Okean-O

Russian-Ukraine Sich-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Sich-1 (Okean-O1 #8)1995-08-31 Sich-1
Sich
Sich-1
SichSich
Sich-1M (Okean-O1 #9) [partial failure]2004-12-24Sich-1M
Sich-2 (Sich-2-30)2011-08-17Sich-2
Sich-2-1 [Transporter-3 group]2022-01-13
Sich-2M20xxSich-2M

China/PRC Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) / ZY-1 series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ZY-1-01 / CBERS-11999-10-14 ZY-1
ZY-1 (CBERS)
ZY-1 / CBERSZY-1 / CBERS
ZY-1-02 / CBERS-22003-10-21
ZY-1-02B / CBERS-2B2007-09-19
ZY-1-02C (not CBERS)2011-12-22
ZY-1-03 / CBERS-3 [failed]2013-12-09ZY-1-03
ZY-1-04 / CBERS-42014-12-07
ZY-1-04A / CBERS-4A2019-12-20

China/PRC ZY-2 and ZY-3 series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ZY-2-01 / Resource-2A2000-09-01ZY-2ZY-2 / Resource-2 and ZY-3 / Resource-3ZY-2 / Resource-2 and ZY-3 / Resource-3
ZY-2-02 / Resource-2B2002-10-27
ZY-2-03 / Resource-2C2004-11-06
ZY-3-01 / Resource-3A2012-01-09ZY-3
ZY-3-02 / Resource-3B2016-05-30

China/PRC Haiyang (HY) / Ocean series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
HY-1 / Ocean-12002-05-16 HY-1
HY-1
HY-1 (with FY-1D)
HY-1B / Ocean-1B2007-04-11 HY-1B
HY-1B
HY-1B
HY-1C2018-09-07HY-1C
HY-1D2020-06-10
HY-2A2011-08-15HY-2
HY-2B2018-10-24
HY-2C2020-09-21
HY-2D2021-05-19HY-2D
HY-3A2023-11-16
HY-3B2025-?
HY-4A2024-11-13

China/PRC Huan Jing (HJ) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
HJ-1A, HJ-1B2008-09-06HJ-1AHJHJ
HJ-1C2012-11-18HJ-1C
HJ-2A, HJ-2B2020-09-27HJ-2A
HJ-2E2022-10-12HJ-2E
HJ-2F2023-08-08

China/PRC ShiYan (SY) / TanSuo (TS) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SY-1 / TS-12004-04-18SY-1SY-1
SY-2 / TS-22004-11-18 SY-2
SY-2 (back)
SY-3 / TS-32008-11-05SY-3
SY-4 / TS-42011-11-20
SY-5 / TS-52013-11-25SY-5
SY-6-01 / TS-6-012018-11-19SY-6-03
SY-6-02 / TS-6-022020-07-04
SY-6-03 / TS-6-032021-04-08
SY-7A / TS-7A2013-07-19
SY-7B / TS-7B2013-07-19
SY-92021-11-03
SY-10-012021-09-07
SY-10-022022-12-29
SY-112021-11-25
SY-12-01, SY-12-022021-12-23
SY-132021-11-25
SY-142022-09-26
SY-152022-09-24
SY-16A, SY-16B2022-09-26
SY-172022-09-26
SY-192023-03-15 SY-19
SY-19 (back)
SY-20A, SY-20B2022-12-12
SY-20C2022-10-29
SY-212022-12-16
SY-22A, SY-22B2023-01-13
SY-24A, SY-24B2023-06-07
SY-252023-06-20

China/PRC Yaogan (YG) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Yaogan-12006-04-27Yaogan-1/3/10 typeYaoganYaogan
Yaogan-22007-05-25Yaogan-2/4/7 type
Yaogan-32007-11-12Yaogan-1/3/10 type
Yaogan-42008-12-01Yaogan-2/4/7 type
Yaogan-52008-12-15Yaogan-5
Yaogan-62009-04-22Yaogan-6
Yaogan-72009-12-09Yaogan-2/4/7 type
Yaogan-82009-12-15Yaogan-8
Yaogan-9A/9B/9C2010-03-05Yaogan-9
Yaogan-102010-08-10Yaogan-1/3/10 type
Yaogan-112010-09-22Yaogan-11
Yaogan-122011-11-09Yaogan-5
Yaogan-132011-11-29Yaogan-13
Yaogan-142012-05-10Yaogan-14
Yaogan-152012-05-29Yaogan-8
Yaogan-16A/16B/16C2012-11-25Yaogan-9
Yaogan-17A/17B/17C2013-09-01Yaogan-9
Yaogan-182013-10-29Yaogan-13
Yaogan-192013-11-20Yaogan-8
Yaogan-20A/20B/20C2014-08-09Yaogan-9
Yaogan-212014-09-08Yaogan-5
Yaogan-222014-10-20Yaogan-8
Yaogan-232014-11-14Yaogan-13
Yaogan-242014-11-20Yaogan-11
Yaogan-25A/25B/25C2014-12-10Yaogan-9
Yaogan-262014-12-27Yaogan-26
Yaogan-272015-08-27Yaogan-8
Yaogan-282015-11-08Yaogan-14
Yaogan-292015-11-26Yaogan-29
Yaogan-302016-05-15Yaogan-11
Yaogan-342021-04-30

China/PRC Gaofen (GF) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
GF-12013-04-26 GF-1
GF-1
GFGF
GF-1-022018-03-30GF-1-02
GF-1-032018-03-30
GF-1-042018-03-30
GF-22014-08-19GF-2
GF-32016-08-09GF-3
GF-3-022021-11-22
GF-3-032022-04-06
GF-42015-12-29GF-4
GF-52018-05-08GF-5
GF-5-01A2022-12-08
GF-5-022021-09-07
GF-62018-06-02GF-6
GF-72019-11-03GF-7
GF-7-02202x
GF-82015-06-26GF-8
GF-9-012015-09-14GF-9
GF-9-022020-05-31
GF-9-032020-06-17
GF-9-042020-08-06
GF-9-052020-08-23
GF-10 [failed]2016-08-31GF-10
GF-10R2019-10-04
GF-11-012016-11-31GF-11
GF-11-022020-09-07
GF-11-032021-11-20
GF-11-042022-12-27
GF-11-052024-07-19
GF-122019-11-27
GF-12-022021-03-30
GF-12-032022-06-27
GF-12-042023-08-20
GF-12-052024-10-15
GF-132020-10-11GF-13
GF-13-022023-03-17
GF-142020-12-06GF-14
GF-DM2020-07-03GF-DM

Republic Of China (Taiwan) SATellite (Rocsat) / FORMOsa SATellite (Formosat) / Chunghua series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Rocsat-1 / Formosat-1 / Chunghua-11999-01-26 Rocsat-1 Formosat / Rocsat / ChunghuaFormosat / Rocsat / Chunghua
Rocsat-2 / Formosat-22004-05-20 Rocsat-2
Rocsat-2
Rocsat-2
Rocsat-2 (newspaper article)
Formosat-3A/3F / COSMIC-1/62006-04-15 Formosat-3
Formosat-3
Formosat-52017-08-24Formosat-5
Formosat-6202?-?Formosat-6
Formosat-7A/7F / COSMIC-2-1/62019-06-25 Formosat-7
Formosat-7 (patch)
Formosat-7R / TRITON2023-10-09Formosat-7R
Formosat-8A/8F20xxFormosat-8
Formosat-9A/9C20xxFormosat-9

Israeli Earth Resources Observation Satellite (EROS) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
EROS-A12000-12-06 EROS-A1
EROS-1
EROSEROS
EROS-A2Canceled
EROS-B2006-04-25EROS-B
EROS-C (EROS-C1)CanceledEROS-C
EROS-C2Unknown
EROS-C3-12022-12-30EROS-C3
EROS-C3-22026-?

Argentina Satellite de Aplicaciones Cientifico (SAC) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SAC-A [STS-88/Endeavour-deployed]1998-12-04SAC-ASACSAC
SAC-B1996-11-04SAC-B
SAC-C2000-11-21 SAC-C
SAC-C
SAC-D / Aquarius / ESSP-62011-06-10SAC-D
SAC-E / SABIA-Mar-12025-?SAC-E

Brazilian SAtellite CIentífico (SACI) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SACI-11999-10-14SACI-1SACISACI
SACI-2 [failed]1999-12-11SACI-2

Canadian RADAR SATellite (Radarsat) / Radarsat Constellation Mission (RCM) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Radarsat-11995-11-04 Radarsat-1
Radarsat-1
Radarsat-1
Radarsat-1
Radarsat / RCMRadarsat / RCM
Radarsat-22007-12-14Radarsat-2
RCM-1/2/32019-06-12RCM

(Selected) Finland ICEYE (?????) constellation satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ICEYE-X12018-01-12ICEYE-X1
ICEYE-X2 [SmallSat Express group]2018-12-03ICEYE-X2ICEYE-X2 (with SmallSat Express)
ICEYE-X3 / Harbinger2019-05-05ICEYE-X3
ICEYE-X42019-07-05ICEYE-X4
ICEYE-X8/X9 [Transporter-1 group]2021-01-24ICEYE-X8/X9 (with Transporter-1)
ICEYE-X11/X12/X13/X15 [Transporter-2 group]2021-06-30ICEYE-X11/X12/X13/X15 (with Transporter-2)
ICEYE-X14/X16 [Transporter-3 group]2022-01-13ICEYE-X14/X16 (with Transporter-3)
ICEYE-X17-X20/X24 [Transporter-5 group]2022-05-25ICEYE-X17-X20/X24 (with Transporter-5)
ICEYE-X21/X22/X27 [Transporter-6 group]2023-01-03ICEYE-X21/X22/X27 (with Transporter-6)
ICEYE-X23/X25/X26/X30 [Transporter-8 group]2023-06-12ICEYE-X23/X25/X26/X30 (with Transporter-8)
ICEYE-X31/X32/X34/X35 [Transporter-9 group]2023-11-11ICEYE-X31/X32/X34/X35 (with Transporter-9)
ICEYE-X36/X37/X38 [Transporter-10 group]2024-03-04ICEYE-X36/X37/X38 (with Transporter-10)
ICEYE-X33/X39/X40/X43 [Transporter-11 group]2024-08-16ICEYE-X33/X39/X40/X43 (with Transporter-11)
ICEYE-X47/X48/X49 [Bandwagon-2 group]2024-12-21
ICEYE-X TBD1/TBD4 [Transporter-12 group]2025-01-14

(South) KOrean Multi-Purpose SATellite (Kompsat) / Arirang series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Kompsat-1 / Arirang-11999-12-21 Kompsat-1
Kompsat (+ ACRIMSAT) (patch)
Kompsat / ArirangKompsat / Arirang
Kompsat-2 / Arirang-22006-07-28 Kompsat-2
Kompsat-2
Kompsat-3 / Arirang-32012-05-17Kompsat-3
Kompsat-3A / Arirang-3A2015-03-25
Kompsat-5 / Arirang-52013-08-22Kompsat-5
Kompsat-6 / Arirang-6202xKompsat-6
Kompsat-7 / Arirang-72026-?Kompsat-7
Kompsat-7A / Arirang-7A202x

USA-France Jason / Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Jason-12001-12-07 Jason-1
Jason-1
Jason-series (patch)
Jason-series (patch, back)
JasonJason
Jason-2 / OSTM2008-06-20 Jason-2
Jason-2
Jason-2 (patch)
Jason-32016-01-17
Jason-CS1 / Sentinel-6A2020-11-21Jason-CS
Jason-CS2 / Sentinel-6B2026-?

Italian (ASI) COnstellation of small Satellites for Mediterranean basin Observation (COSMO-SkyMed) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
COSMO-SkyMed-12007-06-08COSMO-SkyMedCOSMO-SkyMedCOSMO-SkyMed
COSMO-SkyMed-22007-12-09
COSMO-SkyMed-32008-10-25
COSMO-SkyMed-42010-11-06
(Later) CSG-series

Italian (ASI) COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation (CSG) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
(Earlier) COSMO-SkyMed-series
CSG-12019-12-18CSGCSGCSG
CSG-22022-01-31
CSG-32025-?
CSG-42026-?

European Space Agency (ESA) CRYOsphere SATellite (CryoSat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
CryoSat-1 [failed]2005-10-08 CryoSat
CryoSat-1
CryoSatCryoSat
CryoSat-2 / Earth Explorer-32010-04-08CryoSat-2 (patch)

NIGERIA SATellite (NigeriaSat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
NigeriaSat-12003-09-27NigeriaSat-1
NigeriaSat-22011-08-17NigeriaSat-2

ALgeria SATellite (AlSat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
AlSat-12002-11-28AlSat-1AlSatAlSat
AlSat-1B2016-09-26AlSat-1B
AlSat-2A2010-07-12AlSat-2
AlSat-2B2016-09-26

French Pleiades (Pléiades) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Pleiades-HR1 (Pleiades-1A)2011-12-17Pleiades-HRPleiadesPleiades
Pleiades-HR2 (Pleiades-1B)2012-12-03
Pleiades-Neo32021-04-29Pleiades-Neo
Pleiades-Neo42021-08-17
Pleiades-Neo5 [failed]2022-12-21
Pleiades-Neo6 [failed]2022-12-21

USA Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation SATellite (ICESat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ICESat2003-01-12 ICESat
ICESat
ICESat (with Explorer-82)
ICESat-22018-09-15 ICESat-2
ICESat-2
ICESat-2
ICESat-2 (patch)
ICESat-2
ICESat-2 (but ICESat-1 depicted)
ICESat-2 (pre-launch)

KAZakhstan Earth Observation Satellite (KazEOSat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
KazEOSat-12014-04-30KazEOSat-1 "KazEOSat-1"
"KazEOSat-1"
KazEOSat-1
KazEOSat-22014-06-19KazEOSat-2KazEOSat-2 (with Lemur-1 and OSCAR-79/80 and Flock-1c-1/11 and CanX-3E/3F and AeroCube-6A/6B)

A-train constellation satellites (see also EOS-Aqua and Aura, OCO-1 and OCO-2, and GCOM-W):

SatelliteCountryLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
PARASOLFrance2004-12-18PARASOLPARASOLPARASOL
CloudSat / ESSP-4USA2006-04-28 CloudSat (early-design)
CloudSat
CloudSat
CloudSat (patch)
CloudSat (patch, back)
CloudSat (patch)
CloudSat (patch, back)
CloudSat (+ CALIPSO) (patch)
CloudSatCloudSat
CALIPSO / ESSP-3France-USA2006-04-28 CALIPSO
CALIPSO
CALIPSO
CALIPSO (patch)
CALIPSO (+ CloudSat) (patch)
CALIPSOCALIPSO
Glory [failed]USA2011-03-04 Glory
Glory
Glory
Glory (patch)
GloryGlory

USA Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
OCO-1 / ESSP-5 [failed]2009-02-24 OCO
OCO
OCO (patch)
OCOOCO
OCO-2 / ESSP-5 [replacement]2014-07-02 OCO-2
OCO-2 (patch)
OCO-3 / ESSP-8 [Dragon-CRS-17 launched]2019-05-04 (launched to ISS)
2019-? (attached to ISS)
OCO-3

Japanese Global Change Observation Mission (GCOM) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
GCOM-W / Shizuku2012-05-17GCOM-WGCOM-W / ShizukuGCOM-W / Shizuku
GCOM-C / Shikisai2017-12-23GCOM-C

European Space Agency (ESA) Sentinel-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Sentinel-1A2014-04-03Sentinel-1SentinelSentinel
Sentinel-1B2016-04-25
Sentinel-1C2024-12-05
Sentinel-1D2025-?
Sentinel-2A2015-06-23Sentinel-2
Sentinel-2B2017-03-07
Sentinel-2C2024-09-05
Sentinel-2D2025-?
Sentinel-3A / Copernicus2016-02-16Sentinel-3
Sentinel-3B2018-04-25
Sentinel-3C2026-?
Sentinel-3D2028-?
Sentinel-4A / MTG-S12025-? MTG-S
MTG-S
Sentinel-4B / MTG-S22035-?
Sentinel-5-Precursor2017-10-13Sentinel-5-Precursor
Sentinel-5A / MetOp-SG-A1 / EPS-SG-A12025-?MetOp-SG-A
Sentinel-5B / MetOp-SG-A2 / EPS-SG-A22031-?
Sentinel-5C / MetOp-SG-A3 / EPS-SG-A32038-?
Sentinel-6A / Jason-CS12020-11-21Jason-CS
Sentinel-6B / Jason-CS22026-?
Sentinel-7 / CO2M2025-?CO2M
Sentinel-8 / LSTM2029-?LSTM
Sentinel-9 / CRISTAL2027-?CRISTAL
Sentinel-10 / CHIME2029-?CHIME
Sentinel-11 / CIMR2028-?CIMR
Sentinel-12 / ROSE-L202xROSE-L

Indonesia "National Institute of Aeronautics and Space" (LAPAN) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
LAPAN-TUBsat / LAPAN-A12007-01-10LAPAN-TUBsatLAPANLAPAN
LAPAN-A2 / Indonesia-OSCAR-86 / IO-86 / LAPAN-ORARI2015-09-28OSCAR-86OSCAR-86OSCAR
LAPAN-A32016-06-22LAPAN-A3LAPANLAPAN

BELarus Kosmic Apparatus (BelKa and BKA) series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
BelKa-1 [failed]2006-07-26BelKa-1BelKa / BKABelKa / BKA
BKA-1 / BelKa-22012-07-22BelKa-2
BKA-22025-?

Morocco Mohammed-series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Mohammed-6A (Mohammed-VIA)2017-11-08Mohammed-6MohammedMohammed
Mohammed-6B (Mohammed-VIB)2018-11-21

Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
GOSAT-1 / Ibuki-12009-01-23GOSAT-1GOSAT / IbukiGOSAT / Ibuki
GOSAT-2 / Ibuki-22018-10-29GOSAT-2
GOSAT-GW / formerly GOSAT-32025-?GOSAT-GW

EGYPTian SATellite (EgyptSat) / MisrSat series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
EgyptSat-1 (MisrSat-1)2007-04-17 EgyptSat-1 (early-design?)
EgyptSat-1
EgyptSatEgyptSat
EgyptSat-2 (MisrSat-2)2014-04-16EgyptSat-2
EgyptSat-A (MisrSat-A)2019-02-19EgyptSat-A

United Arab Emirates (UAE) DUBAI SATellite (DubaiSat) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
DubaiSat-12009-07-29DubaiSat-1DubaiSat / KhalifaSatDubaiSat / KhalifaSat
DubaiSat-22013-11-21DubaiSat-2
KhalifaSat / DubaiSat-32018-10-29KhalifaSat

Argentina SAOCOM (Satélite Argentino de Observación COn Microondas) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SAOCOM-1A2018-10-07SAOCOM-1 SAOCOM-1A
SAOCOM-1A
SAOCOM-1B2020-08-30 SAOCOM-1B (+ others)
SAOCOM-1B (+ others)

Indian (ISRO) Radar Imaging SATellite (RISAT) series:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
RISAT-22009-04-20RISAT-2
RISAT-12012-04-26RISAT-1
RISAT-2B2019-05-02
RISAT-2BR12019-12-11RISAT-2BR1RISAT-2BR1 (+ others)
RISAT-2BR2 / EOS-012020-11-07
RISAT-1A / EOS-042022-02-14
RISAT-1B2025-?
RISAT-2A202xRISAT-2A

(Selected) Argentina ÑuSat (NuSat, NewSat, Aleph) constellation satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
ÑuSat-1 / NewSat-1 / Aleph-1-1 / OSCAR-872016-05-30ÑuSat-1ÑuSatÑuSat
ÑuSat-2 / NewSat-2 / Aleph-1-22016-05-30
ÑuSat-6 / NewSat-6 / Aleph-1-62020-09-02
ÑuSat-19/22 / NewSat-19/22 / Aleph-1-19/22 [Transporter-2 group]2021-06-30
ÑuSat-23/27 / NewSat-23/27 / Aleph-1-23/27 [Transporter-4 group]2022-04-01
ÑuSat-28/31 / NewSat-28/31 / Aleph-1-28/31 [Transporter-5 group]2022-05-25
ÑuSat-32/35 / NewSat-32/35 / Aleph-1-32/35 [Transporter-6 group]2023-01-03
ÑuSat-36/39 / NewSat-36/39 / Aleph-1-36/39 [Transporter-7 group]2023-04-15
ÑuSat-40/43 / NewSat-40/43 / Aleph-1-40/43 [Transporter-8 group]2023-06-12
ÑuSat-44 / NewSat-44 / Aleph-1-44 [Transporter-10 group]2024-03-04
ÑuSat-48/50 / NewSat-48/50 / Aleph-1-48/50 [Transporter-11 group]2024-08-16

(Selected) USA (Spire Global) Lemur constellation satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Lemur-12014-06-19Lemur-1LemurLemur
Lemur-2 (series)2015-09-28 → Lemur-2
Lemur-2 (2nd generation)
Lemur-2-5/13 [Cygnus-CRS-6 launched]2016-03-23 (launched to ISS)
2016-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-14/17 [Cygnus-CRS-5 launched]2016-10-17 (launched to ISS)
2017-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-18/21 [HTV-6 launched]2016-12-09 (launched to ISS)
2017-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-22/292017-02-15
Lemur-2-30/33 [Cygnus-CRS-7 launched]2017-04-18 (launched to ISS)
2017-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-34/412017-06-23
Lemur-2-50/57 [Cygnus-CRS-8 launched]2017-11-12 (launched to ISS)
2017-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-68/712019-01-12
Lemur-2-72/732018-01-21
Lemur-2-74/772018-02-01
Lemur-2-78/81 [Cygnus-CRS-9 launched]2018-05-21 (launched to ISS)
2018-07-03 (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-112/1192020-09-02
Lemur-2-124/125 [Cygnus-CRS-14 launched]2020-10-03 (launched to ISS)
2020-? (deployed from ISS)
Lemur-2-130/137 [Transporter-1 group]2021-01-24
Lemur-2-140/145 [Transporter-2 group]2021-06-30
Lemur-2-146/150 [Transporter-3 group]2022-01-13
Lemur-2-152/156 [Transporter-5 group]2022-05-25
Lemur-2-157/162 [Transporter-6 group]2023-01-03
Lemur-2-164/165 [Transporter-7 group]2023-04-15
Lemur-2-166/168 [Transporter-8 group]2023-06-12
Lemur-2-169/1702023-07-18
Lemur-2-179/181 [Transporter-9 group]2023-11-11
Lemur-2-184/185 [Transporter-10 group]2024-03-04
Lemur-2-191/196 [Transporter-11 group]2024-08-16

(Selected) USA BlackSky (Global) constellation satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
BlackSky Pathfinder2016-09-26BlackSky-Pathfinder
BlackSky-2 [SmallSat Express group]2018-12-03BlackSky-2 (with SmallSat Express)
BlackSky-8/9 [failed]2021-05-15 BlackSky-Global BlackSky-8/9 [failed] (Red Eagle)
BlackSky-8/9 [failed] (Red Eagle, different cancel)
BlackSky-8/9 [failed] (Mission 57)
BlackSky-8/9 [failed] (Mission 57, back)

USA Capella / Acadia constellation satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Capella-1 / Denali [SmallSat Express group]2018-12-03CapellaCapella
Capella-2 / Sequoia2020-08-31Capella-2
Capella-3 / Whitney-1, Capella-4 / Whitney-2 [Transporter-1 group]2021-01-24
Capella-5 / Whitney-3 [Transporter-2 group]2021-06-30
Capella-6 / Whitney-42021-05-15
Capella-7 / Whitney-5, Capella-8 / Whitney-6 [Transporter-3 group]2022-01-13
Capella-9 / Whitney-7, Capella-10 / Whitney-82023-03-16
Capella-11 / Acadia-12023-08-23Capella-11
Capella-12 / Acadia-2 [failed]2023-09-19
Capella-13 / Acadia-32024-08-11
Capella-14 / Acadia-4 [Bandwagon-1 group]2024-04-07
Capella-15 / Acadia-5 [Transporter-11 group]2024-08-16

USA TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of SmallSats) satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
TROPICS-01 (TROPICS Pathfinder) [Transporter-2 group]2021-06-30TROPICSTROPCS-01 (with Transporter-2)
TROPICS-02 [failed]2022-06-12
TROPICS-032023-05-26
TROPICS-04 [failed]2022-06-12
TROPICS-052023-05-08
TROPICS-062023-05-08
TROPICS-072023-05-26

(Selected) Russian Kanopus series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Kanopus-V12012-07-22Kanopus-VKanopusKanopus
Kanopus-ST / Kosmos-25112015-12-05Kanopus-ST
Kanopus-V-IK2017-07-14Kanopus-V-IK
Kanopus-V3/V42018-02-01Kanopus-V

(Selected) Japanese StriX series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
StriX-a2020-12-15StriX-aStriXStriX
StriX-b2022-02-28
StriX-12022-09-15StriX-1
StriX-2 [Bandwagon-2 group]2024-12-21
StriX-32024-03-12
StriX-42024-08-02

Djibouti series satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Djibouti-1A [Transporter-9 group]2023-11-11Djibouti-1ADjibouti-1A (with Transporter-9) Djibouti-1A and 1B (two satellites are depicted, but the French text refers to only one satellite)
Djibouti-1A and 1B (ms10)
Djibouti-1A and 1B (ms8+2lab)
Djibouti-1A and 1B (ss1)
Djibouti-1B [Bandwagon-2 group]2024-12-21

Other (selected) USA environmental-observing satellites:

SatelliteLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
SeaSat-1 (SeaSat-A)1978-06-27 SeaSat
SeaSat
SeaSatSeaSat
ERBS / SAGE-2 [STS-41G/Challenger-deployed]1984-10-05 ERBS
ERBS
ERBS
ERBS (patch, with STS-41G/Challenger)
ERBS (patch)
ERBSERBS
Geosat-11985-03-13GeosatGeosat-1 and GFOGeosat-1 and GFO
UARS [STS-48/Discovery-deployed]1991-09-12 UARS
UARS (early-design?)
UARS (early-design?)
UARS
UARS (deployment from STS-48/Discovery)
UARS (deployed by STS-48/Discovery)
UARS (patch, with STS-48/Discovery)
UARSUARS
TOPEX-Poseidon1992-08-10 TOPEX-Poseidon
TOPEX-Poseidon
TOPEX-Poseidon
TOPEX-Poseidon
TOPEX-Poseidon (animation)
TOPEX-Poseidon (early-design)
TOPEX-Poseidon (patch)
TOPEX-PoseidonTOPEX-Poseidon
TOMS-EP / TOMS-31996-07-02 TOMS-EP
TOMS-EP
TOMS-EPTOMS-EP
TRMM1997-11-28 TRMM
TRMM
TRMM
TRMM
TRMM
TRMM (patch)
TRMM (patch, back)
TRMMTRMM
GFO1998-02-10 GFO
GFO
Geosat-1 and GFOGeosat-1 and GFO
QuikScat1999-06-20 QuikScat
QuikScat
QuikScat (patch)
QuikScatQuikScat
MTI2000-03-12MTI
QuikTOMS / TOMS-5 [failed]2001-09-21QuikTOMSQuikTOMS (with OrbView-4)
Coriolis / WindSat2003-01-06 Coriolis
Coriolis (patch)
Coriolis / WindSatCoriolis / WindSat
Hydros / ESSP-7CanceledHydros
VCL / ESSP-1CanceledVCL
GPM2014-02-27 GPM
GPM
GPM (with OSCAR-77)
SMAP2015-01-31 SMAP
SMAP (patch)
SMAP (+ others)
SMAP (+ others)
CYGNSS-1/8 / ESSP-EVM12016-12-15 CYGNSS
CYGNSS
TEMPEST-D [Cygnus-CRS-9 launched]2018-05-21 (launched to ISS)
2018-07-13 (deployed from ISS)
TEMPEST-D
TEMPEST-D (patch)
TEMPEST-D (patch, back)
TEMPEST-D (with Cygnus-CRS-9 and Lemur-2-78-81)
Landmapper-BC52020-11-20 Landmapper-BC Landmapper-BC5 (+ others)
Landmapper-BC5 (+ others)
TEMPEST-D_copy [Dragon-CRS-24 launched] / STP-H82021-12-21 (launched to ISS)
2021-? (attached to ISS)
STP-H8TEMPEST-D_copy / STP-H8
TEMPO / Intelsat-40e / ESSP-EVI12023-04-07TEMPO / Intelsat-40eTEMPO (also known as Intelsat-40e)
PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, and ocean Ecosystem)2024-02-08 PACE
PACE
PACE
PACE (back)
MethaneSat [Transporter-10 group]2024-03-04MethaneSatMethansSat (with Transporter-10)
NEONSat-12024-04-23NEONSat-1NEONSat-1 (with ACS3)
GeoCarb / ESSP-EVM2canceled
PREFIRE-12024-05-25PREFIRE PREFIRE-1
PREFIRE-1 (back, also "PREFIRE-2")
PREFIRE-22024-06-05PREFIRE PREFIRE-2
PREFIRE-2 (back, also "PREFIRE-1")
INCUS-A/B/C / ESSP-EVM32027-?INCUS
GLIMT / ESSP20xx

Other (selected) non-USA environmental-observing satellites:

SatelliteCountryLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
JERS-1 / Fuyo-1Japan (NASDA)1992-02-11 JERS-1
JERS
JERS / Fuyo-1JERS / Fuyo-1
TemisatItaly1993-08-31Temisat Temisat
Temisat
PPF (Envisat forerunner)Europe (ESA)CanceledPPFPPF
POEM (Envisat forerunner)Europe (ESA)CanceledPOEMPOEM
Tsinghua-1China/PRC2000-06-28Tsinghua-1Tsinghua-1 (with Nadezhda-6)
EnvisatEurope (ESA)2002-03-01 Envisat
Envisat
Envisat
Envisat-1
Envisat
EnvisatEnvisat
CESARSpain-ArgentinaCanceledCESAR
SciSat-1Canada2003-08-12 SciSat-1
SciSat-1
SciSatSciSat
BilsatTurkey2003-09-27Bilsat-1
Monitor-ERussia2005-08-26Monitor-E
TerraSAR-XGermany (DLR)2007-06-15TerraSAR-X TerraSAR-XTerraSAR-X
RapidEye-1 (Tachys), RapidEye-2 (Mati), RapidEye-3 (Choma), RapidEye-4 (Choros), RapidEye-5 (Trochia)Germany2008-08-29RapidEyeRapidEye
THEOSThailand2008-10-01THEOSTHEOSTHEOS
SMOS / Earth Explorer-2Europe (ESA)2009-11-02SMOSSMOSSMOS
TanDEM-XGermany (DLR)2010-06-21TanDEM-XTanDEM-XTanDEM-X
RasatTurkey2011-08-17Rasat Rasat
Rasat (fdc)
Megha-TropiquesIndia (ISRO)-France (CNES)2011-10-12Megha-TropiquesMegha-TropiquesMegha-Tropiques
VRSS-1Venezuela2012-09-29 VRSS-1
VRSS-1
SARAL / Argos-3India (ISRO)-France (CNES)2013-02-25 SARAL
SARAL
SARAL
SARALSARAL
Kondor #1 / Kosmos-2487Russia (Ministry of Defense)2013-06-27Kondor-E1"Kondor-1"
Kondor (optical)Russia (Ministry of Defense)UnknownKondor (optical)
Kuaizhou-1China/PRC2013-09-25
VNREDSat-1aVietnam2014-05-07VNREDSat-1"VNREDSat-1a"
Deimos-2Spain2014-06-19Deimos-2
DMC-3UK2015-07-10DMC-3
PeruSat-1Peru2016-09-16PeruSat-1PeruSat-1 (with SkySat-4/7)"PeruSat" [known illegal issue]
SCATSAT-1India (ISRO)2016-09-26SCATSATSCATSAT (with CanX-7)
TanSat (CarbonSat)China/PRC2016-12-21TanSatTanSat
Spark-1, Spark-2China/PRC2016-12-21Spark-1Spark-1/2
Yijian?China/PRC2016-12-21Yijian
GaoJing-1-01, GaoJing-1-02China/PRC2016-12-28GaoJing-1GaoJing-1/2
Toloo [failed]Iran2017-07-22Toloo"Tolou" (Toloo)
VENuSIsrael (IAI)-France (CNES)2017-08-02VENuSVENuSVENuS
VRSS-2Venezuela2017-10-09VRSS-2
Paz / SEOSARSpain2018-02-22Paz
Luojia-1-01China/PRC2018-06-02Luojia-1
PRSSPakistan2018-07-09 PRSS
PRSS-1
PRSSPRSS
PakTES-1APakistan2018-07-09PakTES-1A PakTESPakTES
ADM-Aeolus / Earth Explorer-4Europe (ESA)2018-08-22ADM-AeolusADM-AeolusADM-Aeolus
FACSAT-1Colombia2018-11-29FACSAT-1 FACSAT-1
FACSAT-1
FACSAT-1 (fdc)
PRISMAItaly (ASI)2019-03-22 PRISMA (early-design)
PRISMA
PRISMA
PRISMA
PRISMA
PRISMAPRISMA
CE-Sat-2BJapan2020-10-28CE-Sat-2BCE-Sat-2B (with Flock-4e-1/9)
Ingenio / SEOSat [failed]Spain2020-11-17Ingenio
Arktika-M1Russia2021-02-28Arktika-M Arktika-M1
Arktika-M1
Stork-4, Stork-5 (MARTA)Poland2021-06-03STORKSTORK-4/5 (+ 5-others) (Ranski)
SWOTFrance (CNES)-USA (NASA)2022-12-16SWOT SWOT (Ranski)
SWOT (Ranski, back)
HotSat-1 [Transporter-8 group]UK2023-06-12HotSat-1HotSat-1 (with Transporter-8)
Yunyao-18/19/20China/PRC2024-01-11Yunyao-1-18 Yunyao-1-18/19/20
Yunyao-1-18/19/20
EarthCARE / Hakuryu / Earth Explorer-6Europe (ESA)-Japan(JAXA)2024-05-28EarthCAREEarthCAREEarthCARE
Biomass / Earth Explorer-7Europe (ESA)2025-?Biomass
NISARIndia (ISRO)-USA (NASA)2025-?NISAR
FLEX / Earth Explorer-8Europe (ESA)2025-?FLEX
FORUM / Earth Explorer-9Europe (ESA)2027-?FORUM
Harmony-A/B / Earth Explorer-10A/10BEurope (ESA)2029-?Harmony-A/B

USA commercial environmental-observing satellites:

SatelliteCompanyLaunch DateImages
referencelaunch coversother postal items
Earlybird-1 [failed]Earth Watch Inc.1997-12-24EarlybirdEarlybird-1Earlybird-1
Ikonos-1 [failed]Space Imaging Co.1999-04-27IkonosIkonosIkonos
Ikonos-2Space Imaging Co.1999-09-24
QuickBird-1 [failed]DigitalGlobe Inc.2000-11-20QuickBirdQuickBirdQuickBird
QuickBird-2DigitalGlobe Inc.2001-10-18QuickBird-2
OrbView-1Orbital Imaging Corp.1995-04-03OrbView-1OrbViewOrbView
OrbView-2 / SeaStar/SeaWiFSOrbital Imaging Corp.1997-08-01 OrbView-2
OrbView-2
SeaWiFSSeaWiFS
OrbView-3Orbital Imaging Corp.2003-06-26OrbView-3OrbViewOrbView
OrbView-4 [failed]Orbital Imaging Corp.2001-09-21OrbView-4
GeoEye-1 / formerly OrbView-5GeoEye Inc.2008-09-06GeoEye-1GeoEyeGeoEye
WorldView-1Satellite Imaging Corp.2007-09-18 WorldView-1
WorldView-1
WorldViewWorldView
WorldView-2Satellite Imaging Corp.2009-10-08 WorldView-2
WorldView-2
WorldView-3Satellite Imaging Corp.2014-08-13
WorldView-4 / formerly GeoEye-2GeoEye Inc.2016-11-11WorldView-4
WorldView-Legion-1/2Digital Globe/Maxar2024-05-02WorldView-Legion-1/2WorldView-LegionWorldView-Legion
WorldView-Legion-3/4Digital Globe/Maxar2024-08-15WorldView-Legion-3/4
SkySat-1Skybox Imaging Inc., then Terra Bella, now Planet Labs2013-11-21SkySat-1SkySatSkySat
SkySat-2Skybox Imaging Inc., then Terra Bella, now Planet Labs2014-07-08
SkySat-3 (C1) — 21 (C19)Skybox Imaging Inc., then Terra Bella, now Planet Labs2016-09-16 — 2020-08-18SkySat-3


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