Pixxel Firefly-3

Pixxel Firefly-3 (FFLY-3) is the third satellite in Pixxel's Firefly Phase 1 hyperspectral constellation. It was launched on 14 January 2025 alongside Firefly-1 and Firefly-2 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 Transporter-12 rideshare from Vandenberg SFB, integrated by Exolaunch.^[1] The satellite operates in a Sun-synchronous orbit at approximately 550 km altitude, 97.65-degree inclination, with a 10:00-11:00 AM local solar time equator crossing.^[2]

The Firefly hyperspectral imager covers a spectral range cited as 450-900 nm by the operator^[2] and 470-850 nm by eoPortal^[3]; the operator-published figure is used here. Band count is reported as 135+ in Pixxel's six-month in-orbit status report^[4] and as 150 by Gunter's Space Page^[5]; the operator figure of 135+ is the operationally confirmed value. Spatial resolution is 5 m, swath width 40 km, and single-satellite revisit is 17 days.^[2] With all six Phase 1 satellites operational, the constellation achieves approximately 24-hour global revisit.^[4]

Firefly-3 has a mass of approximately 60 kg and is built on Pixxel's proprietary Firefly Bus. No per-satellite capability or orbital differences within the batch have been reported. Commissioning was completed and the satellite was operational as of mid-2025.^[4]