A Brief VLEO History Lesson
2026-03-13
The history of VLEO is brief but crucial to understand.
GOCE (ESA) is a key reference for long-duration VLEO operations: it flew at ~260 km, used ion propulsion for drag compensation, and operated for 4 years 8 months, well beyond its 20-month design life.
TSUBAME / SLATS (JAXA) pushed lower (down to ~167 km) and demonstrated high-quality optical imaging from very low altitude, supported by ion-engine operations in a high-drag environment.
China has also tested VLEO remote-sensing technology (e.g., Chutian-001), highlighting the broader strategic interest in VLEO capabilities.
History shows the concept works. NewOrbit will unlock it at scale.
Variations in Earth’s gravity field measured by ESA’s GOCE satellite.