Open Cosmos, the company developing satellites, had launched the first two satellites of OpenConstellation 1.0 – new Earth observation (EO) satellites that had reduced the time it takes to react to emerging threats from space. With the launch, the company had taken a step toward providing real-time Earth monitoring for governments and enterprises to respond to escalating events like climate disasters and security threats as they happen. Where before actionable intelligence had typically been delivered in 48 hours and in some cases even days, the new satellites had reduced the time of delivery to as little as 30 minutes.
And in a world that had been geopolitically fragmented and increasingly at risk of climate disaster, the ability to see, understand, and act on events as they happen had never been more important. The launch of the first two satellites by SpaceX, the Posidònia and Hyperion GR-1, had represented part of Open Cosmos’ efforts to provide near-real-time space data. Lift-off had taken place as scheduled at 08:10 on 7 July (BST) / 00:10 on 7 July local time (PDT), achieving in-orbit validation after months of work from Open Cosmos’ European hubs in Greece and Spain. The launch represented a milestone for both countries, positioning them as manufacturing hubs for next-generation satellites.
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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 organizations 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.”
The performance of OpenConstellation 1.0 had been 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 had supported high-resolution monitoring across large areas, the hyperspectral capability had identified materials at close range and supported environmental analysis.
The satellites’ speed had been powered by onboard AI processing, IoT payloads and inter-satellite links, through which data had been processed, shared, and understood before it even reached Earth. The new constellation had also increased the amount of data it could collect, capable of capturing up to 3 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 had taken a step toward achieving real-time data delivery from space.
