Lunar Radiometric Calibration on Planet Dove Satellites

Captures of the moon at different phases of the cycle, every month are an essential part of Planet\u27s radiometric calibration and validation program [1]. This data has several purposes: initially, an entire moon phase is recorded daily and compared with a radiometric model of the moon (an implementation of the ROLO model [2]) for initial calibration of each satellite. Afterwards, monthly shots at three phase angles in both parts of the moon cycle (waxing and waning) are recorded to capture long term trends and monitor the satellites for inconsistencies. Initial results indicate that the accuracy with regards to the ROLO model is * with an uncertainty of *. This paper describes the experiences and problems that had to be overcome when setting up our fully automated lunar monitoring systems, the initial results using our first flock of 12 satellites at the end of 2016 and our future plans during 2017 when we start to include 88 more satellites into the system. [1] Jennifer Reiber Kyle, Radiometric Calibration of the Planet Labs PlanetScope Constellation , Presentation, JACIE 2016 [2] Hugh H. Kieffer and Thomas C. Stone, The Spectral Irradiance of the Moon , Astronom. J. 129, 2887-2901 (2005