The focus of this invention pertains to the methodology behind launching line-scanning satellite constellations that can image an entire planet such as the Earth at high temporal cadence (less than a week), at high spatial resolution (less than 10 m). Utilizing simple control and operation, our invention captures images of an entire planet in an effective and distributed manner. Additional benefits are realized by taking advantage of the distributed onboard storage and computing abilities of such a constellation to optimize the data collected, system latency, and data downlinked.