Great photos of Earth from the world's smallest satellit

OPtimum Gist-How big is a satellite? As big as a washing machine? A car? A bus?

The average size of communication satellites orbiting the Earth is about that of a car. But there are extremes, such as the NROL-32, a spy satellite launched by the United States in 2010, which has an antenna spanning 328 feet across, or nearly 100 meters.

But among the flying giants, a new breed is spreading its wings.

Planet Labs, a Californian startup which had its beginnings in a garage in 2012, is pushing satellite miniaturization to its limits. Last year, they launched Flock 1, an array of 28 satellites that now constitutes the world's largest constellation of Earth imaging satellites.

They are called Doves, their mission is to map every inch of the planet, and each of them is no larger than a shoe box.