Orbital Sidekick Raises $10M Investment to Monitor Oil and Gas Industry from Space 

Orbital Sidekick hyperspectral imagery. Photo: Orbital Sidekick

Orbital Sidekick announced a $10 million investment on Tuesday to support growing its hyperspectral satellite constellation and commercializing its asset monitoring solution for the energy sector. 

Existing investor Energy Innovation Capital led the round, along with strategic investments from energy companies Williams and ONEOK, two Orbital Sidekick customers. The University of Minnesota’s Endowment and 11.2 Capital, Syndicate 708 and In-Q-Tel participated as well. 

Orbital Sidekick plans to collect hyperspectral data from space through its Global Hyperspectral Observation Satellite constellation, known as GHOSt. The company launched its Aurora sensor as a technology demonstrator in 2021 and is preparing for the launch and commissioning of GHOSt 1 and 2.

Its flagship product Sigma uses this data to detect leaks and contaminations in global energy systems. Orbital Sidekick reports that it has monitored more than 12,000 miles of pipelines, flagged nearly 100 suspected methane leaks, 200 suspected liquid hydrocarbon leaks and more than 300 intrusive events related to construction activities.

Listen to Via Satellite’s interview with Orbital Sidekick CEO Dan Katz on the On Orbit podcast