Tag: Earth observation
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Samara Aerospace Raises $10 Million Seed Round to Improve Satellite Stability
Samara Aerospace, a San Francisco-based satellite bus developer, has raised $10 million in seed funding to advance a new approach to satellite stability that it says can significantly reduce vibration and improve performance in orbit. The round was led by Balerion Space Ventures, with participation from Illinois Ventures, MFV Partners and Access Venture Partners. The…
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China’s Reusable Long March-12B Rocket Completes Static Firing Test
China’s reusable Long March-12B rocket has successfully completed a static firing test, marking a key milestone ahead of its planned flight missions, its developer said on Friday. The test was conducted at the Dongfeng commercial space innovation pilot zone in northwest China and involved a full-duration engine firing while the rocket remained anchored to the…
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CNES, Île-de-France Launch €1 Million AI Challenge for Satellite Data Analysis
The Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES) and the Île-de-France region have launched a €1 million ($1.1 million) challenge aimed at accelerating the use of artificial intelligence to analyse satellite data, as part of France’s broader push to strengthen its space and AI capabilities. The initiative, known as the AI for Space Challenge, was first announced…
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Hydrosat Raises €51 Million Series B to Expand Thermal Satellite Data Business
Hydrosat, a Luxembourg- and U.S.-based provider of thermal infrared satellite data and AI-powered analytics, said it has raised €51 million ($60 million) in a Series B funding round to accelerate expansion across commercial, civil government and defense markets. The round was led by Hartree Partners, Subutai Capital Partners and Space 4 Earth, with new participation…
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Common Mistakes Business Users Make with Earth Observation Data (and How to Avoid Them)
The view from above is changing how we do business. Satellite imagery and remote sensing, collectively known as Earth observation (EO) data, are no longer just tools for spies or meteorologists. Today, hedge funds use them to count cars in retail parking lots, insurance companies use them to assess flood risk, and farmers use them…
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Taiwan Space Agency Awards Avio Launch Contract for FORMOSAT Earth Observation Satellites
Taiwan’s space agency has selected Italian launch provider Avio to deploy four Earth observation satellites under its FORMOSAT programme, strengthening international cooperation in satellite launch services and marking a key step in Taiwan’s expanding space ambitions. The Taiwan Space Agency (TASA) confirmed that Avio will be responsible for launching the FORMOSAT-8C and 8D satellites, as…
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Ariane 6 launches the Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite
Arianespace, Europe’s long-standing primary launch provider, flew the Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite aboard the third Ariane 6 launch of 2025. The flight, only the fourth ever flown by the Ariane 6, successfully launched on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 21:02 UTC from ELA-4 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana. All Ariane 6 flights…
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Joint NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite launches from India
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has launched the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk. II rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch site in southeast India. The mission came just over two months after its EOS-09 mission failed aboard a different rocket type. This launch…
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Xplore reveals colorful hyperspectral views captured by its planet-watching satellite
An image from the XCUBE-1 satellite shows the Salt River in Arizona. ©2025 Xplore Inc. All rights reserved. Bellevue, Wash.-based Xplore has released the first hyperspectral images from its XCUBE-1 satellite, six months after the shoebox-sized spacecraft was sent into orbit. The pictures, captured with a resolution of 5 meters (16 feet) per pixel, show…
