Ground-breaking Earth observation satellites successfully launched by SpaceX
Satellites deliver actionable intelligence to Earth in as little as 30 minutes in critical situations
Transforms how governments and enterprises respond to emerging threats from space
Open Cosmos, the company building satellites to understand and connect the world, has today successfully launched the first two satellites of OpenConstellation 1.0–a next generation of Earth observation (EO) satellites that dramatically reduces the time it takes to react to emerging threats from space.
With the launch, the company takes a major step towards delivering real-time Earth monitoring for governments and enterprises to respond to escalating events like climate disasters and security threats as they happen. Where before actional intelligence was typically delivered in 48 hours and in some cases even days, the new satellites slash time of delivery to as little as 30 minutes.
And in a world that is geopolitically fragmented and increasingly at risk of climate disaster, the ability to see, understand and act on events as they happen has never been more important.
The successful launch of the first two satellites by SpaceX, the Posidònia and Hyperion GR-1, represent just one of many steps Open Cosmos is taking to bring the near-real-time delivery of actionable space data to market.
Lift-off took place as scheduled at 8:10 a.m. on 7 July (BST) / 12:10 a.m. on 7 July local time (PDT), achieving in-orbit validation after months of zealous work from Open Cosmos’ European hubs in Greece and Spain. The launch represents a major milestone for both countries, positioning them as global manufacturing hubs for next-generation satellites.
Commenting on the launch, Rafel Jordà Siquier, Founder and CEO of Open Cosmos, said:
“This is a huge moment for Open Cosmos. Getting the first two satellites of OpenConstellation 1.0 into orbit is the result of an enormous amount of work from our teams in Greece and Spain, and it takes us a big step closer to delivering Earth observation data in near real time.
“What matters most is what this enables for our customers. When governments and large organisations are dealing with fast-moving situations, whether that’s monitoring infrastructure, responding to natural disasters or understanding activity on the ground, getting reliable information quickly can make a real difference. That’s exactly what this constellation is being built to do.”
Technical Performance
The enhanced performance of OpenConstellation 1.0 is underpinned by the combination of hyperspectral and high-resolution multispectral imaging, giving users both broad coverage and detailed analysis of activity on Earth. Whilst the multispectral payload supports high-resolution monitoring across large areas, the hyperspectral capability can identify materials at close range and support environmental analysis.
The satellites’ rapid speed is powered by onboard AI processing, IoT payloads and inter-satellite links, through which data is processed, shared, and understood before it even reaches Earth. The new constellation is also significantly increasing the amount of data it can collect, capable of capturing up to three million square kilometres of EO data per day with multiple daily revisit capability, once completed.
With the satellites safely deployed in orbit and the remaining satellites scheduled for launch this year, Open Cosmos has taken yet another significant step towards achieving real-time data delivery from space.