Stylite

Stylite

Artist's impression of Stylite 3
Country of origin	Maltropia
Operator	CTAS
Specifications
Design life	8 years
Launch mass	900 kilograms
Dry mass	830 kilograms
Dimensions	1.40 m × 0.65 m × 0.75 m (4.59 ft × 2.13 ft × 2.46 ft) - height × width × length
Production
Status	Active
Built	6
On order	12
Launched	5
Operational	5
← Anchorite

Stylite is a satellite programme operated by Cumann Taighde Atmaisféarach agus Spásaireach, the Maltropian atmospheric monitoring agency and part of the Maltropian Space Research Community. It is a successor to the earlier Skellig (1988-2000) and Anchorite (2001-2012) satellite networks, and aims to provide a continuation of their mission of continuous global coverage. Stylite is the largest single Maltropian satellite programme to date, with a planned sixteen satellites in its constellation.

The first two Stylite satellites, Stylite 1 and Stylite 2, were launched together in 2011. Two more followed in 2013 and Stylite 5 was launched in 2015. Production was delayed in 2016, setting back the estimated project completion date to 2021, at which point it is expected that the first two to four satellites may need to be replaced. Stylite 6 is planned for launch in November 2016. Together with the remaining geostationary Skellig and polar-orbiting Anchorite satellites, currently numbering nine together, the Stylite programme will enable continuous monitoring of global weather systems with its four-band (visible and infrared) imagers. In addition, Stylite carries an eight-band pointable spectrometer that senses in the visible, infrared, ultraviolet and microwave wavelengths.

Stylite is also used by T-O Cartographic's navigational systems as part of a global navigation satellite system.