Daniel Filmus , Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Nation , signed on behalf of the Argentine company VENG , an agreement with the Indian company, Suhora, specialized in providing solutions with geospatial analysis, to commercialize SAOCOM scenes in new markets. In this way, Suhora will be able to offer its clients both in India and in new markets in Asia, as well as throughout the African continent, the scenes from the SAOCOM 1 A and 1B satellites.
The signing took place this Monday at the residence of the Argentine ambassador to India, Hugo Javier Gobbi , and was attended by the co-founders of Suhora, Amit Kumar, Rupesh Kumar and Krishanu Acharya . Also present was the CEO of the Indian Space Association (ISPA), Anil Kumar Bhatt.
“It is a great satisfaction that, from this agreement, SAOCOM technology reaches more and more markets. Exporting the radar technology of our own satellites means more foreign currency and more work for Argentina,” said Minister Filmus.
“Suhora has always believed in giving the best of its technology to its clients. We believe that the L-band images of SAOCOMs provided by VENG will help Suhora generate important information in various fields, such as infrastructure, natural disaster monitoring, and agriculture. We see it as a win- win situation , both for our customers in India and for the Argentine space sector,” said Amit Kumar, COO and co-founder of Suhora.
Characteristics of SAOCOM satellites
The SAOCOM 1A and 1B satellites, whose initials mean “Argentine Microwave Observation Satellites” , of the National Commission for Space Activities (CONAE), were launched into space from the United States in 2018 and 2020 , respectively, and traveled on board of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Space X company that injected them into orbit. Both satellites have a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) antenna that receives information in Band L.
This radar technology allows information to be detected in any weather and time condition (day and night) and specifically the L Band , unlike other types of bands, manages to penetrate the vegetation and the soil surface, being able to generate moisture maps of vital importance for the agriculture. VENG is the company designated by CONAE that, since 2020, markets products based on satellite information generated by the SAOCOM constellation. In addition, Argentina is currently the only country in the Americas that markets satellite scenes in Band L through its own satellite.
“This agreement empowers both companies. Suhora is going to work as a huge catalyst for SAOCOM to find new clients and needs to satisfy in the regions in which they explore and are specialists. Otherwise it would be very difficult for us to reach those markets,” said Adrián Unger, assistant manager of Solutions based on Satellite Information at VENG.
