During this year's Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021, Japanese photography company Canon has unveiled its latest project involved in the company's space photography initiative: an interactive website where visitors can "take photos" of various places, from space.
The images are taken by CE-SAT-1 satellite launched in 2017.
Thanks to the CE-SAT-1
According to HYPEBEAST, the website works thanks to the company's very own CE-SAT-1, a satellite roughly the size of a wine barrel and weighs around 66 kilograms only.
It was launched into space in 2017.
The satellite is equipped with an EOS 5D Mark III DSLR that is fitted with a 40cm Cassegrain-type 3270mm telescope that is capable of taking snapshots of images that come in at about 36 inches of ground resolution within a 3x2 mile frame when the satellite is at an orbit of 375 miles.
Moreover, it comes with the as well as a PowerShot S110 that can take wide-angle shots of various places on Earth.
Once you enter the new Canon website, you will be greeted with the voice of astronaut Marsha Ivins.
With Ivins' voice guiding you, you can roam around the website and learn how to "take photos" and how the website was designed and built.
Besides lending her voice to the website, Ivins also helped Canon in their pre-recorded panel session together with Colonel Terry Virts, a fellow astronaut, and filmmaker.
In the panel, the pair will be talking about the impact of space imaging in helping humanity and our planet.
The panel can be accessed through the cornerstone.
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Pre-Captured Images
Although it seems like a great thing that you are able to capture images from space, these are actually pre-captured photos taken by the CE-SAT-1, which has roamed the globe and taken images of various locations around the planet, which makes sense, since you're most likely not the only one who is on the website and taking all these images.
Even if you are the sole user of the website, the satellite would have to travel 17,000 miles per hour just to take photos of where you want to take photos, as per Engadget.
With the CE-SAT-1 and Canon's website, the company hopes space photography will become a full-blown, billion-dollar business by the start of the next decade.
Compared to commercial satellites used by Elon Musk's SpaceX, or regular satellites launched by various space agencies like NASA, Canon's microsatellite is much smaller, making it much cheaper as well.
Space Photography Initiative
With the company's vision, Canon planned to launch another microsatellite known as CE-SAT-1B last summer, but unfortunately, it was lost after the Electron rocket from RocketLab failed shortly after it launched.
There's no word as to when the Japan-based company will be launching another satellite as part of their project.
If you want to experience the whole thing yourself, you can visit Canon's website here.
Besides the splendor of space, Canon also created an interactive space showing the beautiful wildlife here on Earth as well as sports settings during their CES spotlight.
"At CES, Canon is excited to share how our technologies, solutions, and products can inspire and offer a chance to collaborate on a better future," Kazuto Ogawa said, the president and CEO of Canon USA, as per Innovation and Tech Today.
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Written by: Nhx Tingson
