The key facts

  • HEO published a unique image of the ISS from above, taken by a BlackSky satellite
  • The company does not build satellites itself but operates them through its own software
  • Earlier, HEO and its partners also photographed the Tiangong station and the Resurs-P No. 1 spacecraft

The ISS seen from above

The Australian company HEO published on the social network X an image of the International Space Station taken from an unusual angle — from above, where the station is visible in its entirety, with all its modules, solar panels and scientific instruments. The ISS is usually observed either from Earth or through the eyes of astronauts on board looking out of the portholes, so this view of the orbital laboratory is atypical.

Who took the image and how

The shot was captured by a satellite of BlackSky, a company based in the state of Virginia (USA), under an agreement with HEO on photographing objects beyond Earth. HEO itself does not build satellites: it uses its own software that points spacecraft at objects as they enter the observation zone. The company specializes in photographing spacecraft moving in low Earth orbit and, in the future, plans to extend its observations to more distant objects, up to various regions of the Solar System.

Why this is a difficult task

Photographing one satellite with another is no routine event. Although spacecraft in low orbit may appear to hang motionless above Earth, the ISS and other objects travel at a speed of about 28,160 kilometers per hour. Such a shot requires precise coordination: operators calculate in advance the moment when the object will be in the right position, and the satellite's equipment must deliver imagery with the necessary accuracy.

What has been photographed before

To date, HEO and its partners have already obtained images of various spacecraft in orbit. Among them are the ISS itself, the Chinese orbital station Tiangong, as well as images of the Russian Resurs-P No. 1 spacecraft taken before its destruction.