Imagery and Sensing

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) successfully activated two instruments built by Northrop Grumman on its newest weather satellite, which is performing post-launch procedures nominally after reaching orbit. The instruments are the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS), a cross-track microwave sounder, and the Clouds and the Earth’s Radiant Energy System (CERES) FM-6. United Launch...

World View announced that it has successfully closed a $26.5 million Series C financing round led by Accel. The Series C also included major investment by Canaan and Norwest Venture Partners, both of which participated in World View’s previous Series B round of financing. Accel, known for its record of early stage investments in companies...

NASA announced another delay for its $8.8 billion James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) project pushing back the potential launch date to May 2020 following continued integration and testing issues. Problems with the massive telescope’s propulsion system and sunshield capabilities have forced NASA program officials to increase oversight of prime contractor Northrop Grumman integration and testing efforts moving...

MDA has recently signed multiple geospatial-related contracts based on data from the Radarsat 2 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite. According to MDA, the contracts have a combined value of approximately CA$16 million ($12.4 million). The first contract extends provision of Radarsat 2 information to EarthStar up to Dec. 31, 2024. EarthStar uses the information for...

Iceye has announced a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to mutually explore opportunities provided by Iceye’s technology. The cooperation encompasses activities that focus on the design of Iceye’s microsatellite and its X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) instrument, as well as identifying the most promising applications for the data collected by such a microsatellite...

Radiant Solutions has signed a follow-on contract with the Army Geospatial Center (AGC) valued at $2.6 million for its Remote Ground Terminal (RGT) program. AGC exercised an option extending Radiant Solutions’ provision of systems engineering and software development to enhance the RGT program, which mission is to provide timely access to high resolution commercial imagery...

The African Regional Data Cube has been launched at the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data’s inaugural Data for Development Festival in the United Kingdom. This new tool harnesses the latest Earth observation and satellite technology to help Kenya, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Tanzania address food security as well as issues relating to agriculture,...

Black Swift Technologies announced the expansion of a pathfinder mission with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to develop enhanced multi-angular remote sensing techniques using small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). According to Black Swift Technologies, these autonomous platforms can more effectively and efficiently monitor crop health and growth monitoring through the use of a narrow spectral...

Fleet Space Technologies has joined forces with researchers at the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in the world of Big Data, sensors and space technology to trial their first local precision farming project. A partnership between the UTAS’ Industrial Transformation Research Hub, Pathways to Market, Sense-T, and Fleet Space Technologies is underway in the remote town...

NASA has given Orbital ATK approval to begin building its Landsat 9 spacecraft after completing a comprehensive design review of the mission. Landsat 9, a land surface mapping satellite, will collect space-based images and data that serve as resources for researchers in areas that include agriculture, land use mapping, and disaster relief. Orbital ATK is...