Staying ahead of the technology curve means strengthening your competitive advantage. That is why we give you data-driven innovation insights into the SpaceTech industry. This time, you get to discover 5 hand-picked earth observation satellite solutions.
Global Startup Heat Map: 5 Top Earth Observation Satellite Solutions
The 5 SpaceTech startups you will explore below are chosen based on our data-driven startup scouting approach, taking into account factors such as location, founding year, and relevance of technology, among others. This analysis is based on the Big Data & Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering over 1.3 million startups & scaleups globally.
The Global Startup Heat Map below highlights the 5 SpaceTech startups & scaleups our Innovation Researchers curated for this report. Moreover, you get insights into regions that observe a high startup activity and the global geographic distribution of the 54 companies we analyzed for this specific topic.
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VanderSat – Passive Microwave Sensing
Microwave radiation is capable of penetrating through cloud cover, rain and dust. The Internet of Things (IoT) sensors aboard satellites utilize microwaves to collect geological data points. Passive microwave sensing enables the identification of sea ice formations during both night and day, irrespective of cloud cover. Startups and scaleups develop IoT sensing technology for earth observation solutions.
Dutch startup VanderSat provides global satellite data to different industries, including agriculture, insurance and banking, and commodities. The startup’s satellites register microwave signals directly emanating from the Earth’s surface. The radiometers onboard the satellites, hovering at around 700 kilometers above the surface, collect data. The startup’s advanced algorithms process this information into actionable insights into the weather, soil moisture, temperature, and vegetation insights. Further, most of the startup’s satellites in use fly sun-synchronous orbits and therefore have a regular overpass time.
Spectator – Real-Time Satellite Monitoring
Earth observation satellites collect data, monitor weather conditions, predict disasters, and enable global communications. Multiple sensor arrays collect data which artificial intelligence algorithms analyze to provide users with actionable insights. To this end, startups develop software solutions that leverage publicly available satellite data to enable real-time monitoring.
Polish startup Spectator offers real-time satellite monitoring solutions. The startup accesses data from satellite programs such as Copernicus Sentinels and USGS/NASA Landsat on a daily basis. Spectator allows users to access present and past satellite image acquisitions to get the right data for the user’s application and track updates. The startup’s application programming interface (API) integrates Spectator’s functionalities to enable easy access to satellite data. Further, the solution allows users to collectively manage multiple locations and domains of interest.
Spiral Blue – Onboard Computers
Single board computers (SBCs) add computing power to the mix along with sensors onboard geostationary equatorial orbit (GEO) satellites. The design specifications and flexibility enable significant reductions in the overall satellite cost. Startups develop onboard computing solutions to improve the effectiveness of data collection and analysis.
Australian startup Spiral Blue develops Space Edge, an onboard computer for earth observation satellites. The startup’s solution processes the satellite images in real-time as they are collected. Spiral Blue leverages remote sensing techniques and modern AI techniques to process raw image data into information. As a result, this enables a significant reduction in the image sizes while retaining all the desired information of the original raw image. Further, the startup’s solution helps overcome bandwidth problems, creates cost benefits, flexibility, and lead time for services derived from satellite images.
Satellite Vu – Carbon Monitoring
Rapid industrialization is escalating climate change due to the steady contribution of greenhouse gasses. However, many industries across the world are implementing efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Carbon accounting, carbon offsetting, and carbon capture are some promising concepts grounded in carbon monitoring. Satellites support these endeavours by collecting and monitoring carbon data.
British startup Satellite Vu develops earth observation solutions to monitor carbon footprints. The startup tracks and monitors the temperature of every building on the planet in real-time to ascertain valuable insights into economic activity, energy efficiency, and carbon footprint of individual buildings and structures. Further, Satellite Vu’s solution provides insights on sustainable finance, as well as natural disaster response and plastic detection and cleanup.
Kawa Space – Geospatial Intelligence
Geospatial intelligence provides insights for counter-terrorism solutions, monitors the melting icebergs, and aids in natural resource exploration. Geospatial technology also enables the monitoring of socioeconomic trends to determine the impact of human activity. SpaceTech startups and companies develop geospatial intelligence platforms for use cases in mining, agriculture, and defense.
Indian SpaceTech startup Kawa Space builds software and critical infrastructure for satellites. The startup’s flagship product, Kawa Platform, is an intelligence platform that provides geospatial insights through an API. The platform offers an easy, fast, and affordable way to use intelligence from space to fuel enterprise growth. The startup also collects data on demographics and population densities. Kawa Space caters to multiple industries, including travel and real-estate.
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