satvu
High-resolution thermal data from space
The satellite is the work of SatVu and will be launched into orbit using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Its cameras generate images 30 times sharper than those of NASA’s Landsat
The United Kingdom is about to put into orbit a new satellite capable of detecting activity across structures and surfaces using high-precision infrared images.
According to , the mission, driven by the British company, seeks to open a new stage in geospatial intelligence. The company, based in London, plans to launch its device this Sunday, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from California.
Although the idea of see through walls Although it may seem like science fiction, what this technology really offers is the ability to interpret thermal patterns invisible to the naked eye from space.
This is the differential value of HotSat-2, designed to measure which installations are active, which ones remain inactive and how these behaviors change over time. Furthermore, its infrared cameras generate images up to 30 times clearer than those of NASA’s Landsat satellite, according to information released about the project.
SatVu’s proposal aroused great interest in the field of security and defense. Not by chance, the company has already received 35 million euros support from NATO, which considers that high-resolution thermal data is no longer a complement but rather a essential tool in geographic intelligence analyses.
“The high-resolution thermal data are no longer an ‘extra’; are a fundamental requirement for completing geographic intelligence assessments,” says the company’s CEO, Anthony Baker.
The executive also highlighted that, unlike information captured by planes or drones, SatVu can obtain data from any point on the earth’s surfaceincluding inaccessible or restricted areas.
The technology has already been put to the test with images that recently showed a increased activity at the Nuclear Scientific Research Center of Yongbyon, North Korea.
The captures, obtained over 3 months, allowed us to observe thermal emissions from reactors and hotter water outlet of a pumping station, a detail that helps to deduce whether certain infrastructures are working.
In addition to military use, technology also presents itself as a useful tool for industrial monitoring, climate resilience and market intelligence.
“HotSat-2 was designed to measure what is operating, what is inactive and How do these patterns change? over time, both day and night”, details Baker. “We need this capacity in the UK”, he concluded.
