Germany: Dauria Aerospace, a multinational aerospace company headquartered in Germany providing global data, communication and remote sensing information, and Elecnor Deimos, the technology-focused subsidiary of Elecnor, have announced a joint partnership to develop Deimos Perseus, the first satellite constellation to provide frequent imaging of the entire Earth. These satellites will carry multispectral sensors that provide for automated identification of ground features such as crop types, their vigour, and stage in the growing cycle.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Dauria in an effort to push the boundaries of small satellite imagery and create the first satellite constellation of its kind. By 2016, Deimos Perseus will be able to image the entire earth on a daily basis,” says Fabrizio Pirondini at Elecnor Deimos. “Deimos Perseus will allow for in-depth monitoring of wild fires, floods, crop yields, forest composition, among other agricultural and forestry data processing.”
Elecnor Deimos currently operates Deimos-1, an earth imaging satellite deployed in 2009, which provides wideband imagery with frequent revisits of each territory. Deimos-1 will be combined with Dauria Aerospace’s eight Perseus-O satellites and utilise a ground segment developed by Dauria and Elecnor Deimos for imagery receipt and data processing.
“The collaboration between Elecnor Deimos and Dauria will set a new standard in the small satellite industry and be in a position to better serve the rapidly growing demand for high quality, affordable space-based information services, data and communications,” says Mike Kokorich, founder and president of Dauria Aerospace.
The first four Perseus-O satellites are scheduled for deployment in early 2015, with the remaining four planned for the third quarter of the same year. Furthermore, Dauria and Elecnor Deimos are each planning to launch additional satellites this summer. Dauria is scheduled to launch two Perseus-M — maritime surveillance satellites developed by Canopus Systems US. Elecnor Deimos is planning to launch a very-high resolution Deimos-2 satellite on board of a “Dnepr” launch vehicle. DX1, another satellite by Dauria Aerospace, is scheduled for launch on a “Soyuz” rocket.
Dauria had also received a $20 million investment from I2BF Global Ventures in October 2013 to support the Deimos Perseus constellation.
Source: Elecnor Deimos
