Space data, satellite-as-a-service critical to solve world’s pressing problems

Space Data, Satellite-as-a-Service Critical to Solve World’s Pressing Problems

Founded in 2015, OpenCosmos claims to solve ‘earth’s biggest challenges from space’. Undoubtedly space monitoring and analytics is the key to a lot of dire problems from environmental hazards to socio-economic issues. Another key focus area of the company is making space accessible to everyone so that the true spirit of innovation can be unshackled.

Open Cosmos works with leading global space agencies including the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency. Recently, it joined hands with the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), the Institute of Astrophysics in the Canary Islands to develop and launch the Alisio-1 satellite.

The satellite features a shortwave infrared camera that has been developed by IACTEC-Space – a team within the IAC that development of the use of small satellite payloads and processes the acquired data. The data collected from the camera’s sensor will be helpful in monitoring vegetation and crops, urban development, potential oil spills, as well as supporting firefighting and flood evaluation in the Canary Islands.

“Some of the satellites we are launching this year will have the capability to run neural networks in space, as well as perform edge computing and data processing straight from the satellite”, says Rafel Jorda Siquier, Founder and CEO, Open Cosmos, in an exclusive interview with Geospatial World.

What is the Open Cosmos vision for sustainability and democratization of space?

Launching a satellite into space is extremely difficult and expensive, which makes it out of the realm of possibility for many governments and companies. But the data that can be collected from space, whether it’s remote imaging and sensing or providing IoT capabilities or connectivity has amazing potential to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. From climate change to civil protection, emergencies to infrastructure, there is so much information we can learn about earth from space.

That’s why we founded Open Cosmos. We operate space missions from start to finish by manufacturing and building satellites as well as handling the mission, satellite operation and services. By providing this end-to-end service, we’re able to allow more companies and governments access to low-cost satellites and tap into this wealth of information about the world.

What do you think have been the key pandemic learnings, and what role can space tech play in making the world more resilient?

Since the pandemic, we have learned that science and technology is crucial to understanding more about the world. By working together, we can solve these global challenges that are being thrown at us everyday.

We can learn so much about the earth through space tech — by analyzing and monitoring changes in the planet and pinpointing where unusual or unexpected events are taking place, and assessing their potential impact. All this essential data can be used to find solutions to these issues. But it shouldn’t just be in the hands of the very wealthy and powerful nations. Everyone should be able to access space data and use it to improve the world.

What do you think are the main technology trends for the space sector, and what role would 5G and AI play?

AI and 5G are essential technologies for the future of the space sector. Satellites are going to be integral in providing 5G in remote areas, and in enabling stable internet connectivity across the globe. Last year, we launched a satellite for a 5G IoT space telecom operator to do just that. As the demand grows for 5G, satellites can help provide this essential connectivity.

AI is also a key technology. Open Cosmos uses it to analyze in real-time the data collected from our constellation. Some of the satellites we are launching this year will have the capability to run neural networks in space, as well as perform edge computing and data processing straight from the satellite.

Constellations of small satellites are proving to be another significant trend. With improved capabilities, such as better revisit time and a sensor mix which is difficult to achieve with large, traditional satellites, a new wave of companies are betting on significant imagery and value-added products market growth.

Tell us about OpenCosmos mission services?

Open Cosmos provides end-to-end satellite missions to help solve the world’s biggest challenges. We specialize in state-of-the-art Earth Observation missions with a mass typically between 5 kg and 30 kg. This includes the MANTIS mission, a 12U Cubesat flying a binocular optical system with super-resolution capability; or the ESA-funded Phisat-2 6U mission to demonstrate the use of onboard artificial intelligence and won amongst a very strong competition of 16 mission concepts from all over Europe. This capability extends to scientific missions typically addressed by larger satellites produced by established large companies. Specifically, NanoMagSat, a constellation of 3x16U satellites with a magnetometer at the tip of a deployable boom would be able to provide unprecedented temporal resolution of the Earth’s magnetic field.

The company business model encompasses the simple delivery of a satellite in orbit to more modern scenarios such as Satellite-as-a-Service, the one used by our Space-Internet-of-Things customers. We have agreements with various ground station providers and launch operators which provides us with greater flexibility in responding to the customer requirements.

What role can space and IoT together play in providing uninterrupted connectivity even to remotest corners of the earth?

IoT constellation – satellites that can provide IoT capabilities and connectivity – are essential to connect devices without any interruption when they are generating data outside of terrestrial network coverage. This enables a seamless transition from a terrestrial network to a satellite in remote areas.

We saw the importance of this recently when Elon Musk deployed several Starlink satellites over Ukraine to ensure people in the country could remain connected during the war. IoT satellites also enable us to connect data of the earth, so the benefits are endless.

We can learn so much about the earth through space tech — by analyzing and monitoring changes in the planet and pinpointing where unusual or unexpected events are taking place, and assessing their potential impact.

What are some of the challenges faced by small satellite industry, and what is the way ahead?

Funding is often a challenge in this industry. Space is a very cash-intensive sector, and it can be hard for investors to understand this and provide the necessary resources at the early stages.

Also, we need to ensure that governments understand the importance of satellite data. A lot of the time, governments can be focused on topics such as enabling rocket launches when really the true value from space is on unlocking this wealth of data from satellites which can be revolutionary for companies as well as governments.

Finally, there is a strong need to fill the gap between satellite data and useful applications and services. On the one hand, there is plenty of unused space capacity which is proving to be unable to reach despite high levels of demand. On the other hand, the number of unaddressed space applications is growing every day and despite the potential of the new constellations to solve some of these problems, the current setup for customers to work with application providers is outdated and cumbersome.

Our key focus at Open Cosmos is devoted to ending this bottleneck by providing a low-cost way to access satellite technology and bridging this demand gap for customers and organizations.