Constellr launches first satellite pioneering global thermal monitoring
by Robert Schreiber
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 16, 2025
constellr, a European leader in Earth Observation (EO), has successfully launched its first satellite, Sky-Bee-1, equipped with thermal infrared technology to monitor global land surface temperatures with unparalleled precision. This achievement marks the initial phase of its High-precision Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE) satellite constellation, aiming to deliver critical insights for sustainable resource management and addressing climate challenges.
Sky-Bee-1 was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-12 rideshare mission, facilitated by Exolaunch. Entering a sun-synchronous orbit at 510 km above Earth, the satellite is expected to transmit its first images within weeks. This mission supports constellr’s service to public and private sector clients across industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, and urban planning.
The satellite’s advanced capabilities include capturing high-resolution thermal data at 30m spatial resolution, enhanced to 10m, with temperature accuracy within 1-2 Kelvin. It carries two cutting-edge payloads: an eleven-band visible-near infrared (VNIR) instrument and a four-band thermal infrared (TIR) camera. This enables the delivery of continuous land surface temperature (LST) data with unprecedented precision at the field and building level.
This launch represents a significant step in constellr’s vision to create a real-time global thermal atlas – a digital twin of Earth. By providing granular temperature data, the atlas is designed to support optimized agriculture, water management, carbon sequestration, and enhanced urban resilience. “By measuring the central climate variable, temperature, at human-level granularity,” constellr explains, “this technology empowers smarter climate and resource management where it matters most.”
Sky-Bee-1 introduces the first commercial application of a cryocooled multispectral long-wave infrared instrument on a microsatellite platform, redefining agriculture and infrastructure monitoring. It features an innovative 3D-printed optical bench and a novel payload design developed in collaboration with OHB System AG. Key partners in the mission include Kongsberg NanoAvionics, Fraunhofer EMI, and Exolaunch, with funding from the German Space Agency at DLR through the European Space Agency’s (ESA) InCubed programme managed by ESA F-lab.
Unlike traditional Earth observation methods that infer temperature data, constellr’s satellite captures precise thermal measurements directly, bridging the gap between data interpretation and actionable insights. This innovation offers on-demand thermal data at pixel-level precision, reducing costs and improving accessibility for diverse sectors such as small-scale farming, environmental conservation, and disaster preparedness.
Sky-Bee-1’s deployment follows successful testing aboard the International Space Station in 2022, where over 10 million images were captured. This mission is the first step in constellr’s HiVE constellation, with a second satellite launch anticipated later this year and additional missions planned from 2026 onward.
Dr. Max Gulde, CEO of constellr, highlighted the mission’s transformative potential: “The launch of constellr’s first commercial satellite signals a new era in thermal intelligence. Gone are the expensive, inconvenient thermal images of the past, requiring expert knowledge to make use of low resolution, high latency data. It’s time for an overhaul of the EO industry. Our customers will eventually be able to access on-demand, affordable data for their specific needs, absolutely transformative for resource and climate management and the future of water and food security. We are thrilled to count ourselves as an in-orbit company, driving effective environmental stewardship through thermal intelligence.”
Giuseppe Borghi, Head of F-lab Division at the European Space Agency, commented: “The European Space Agency’s InCubed’s mission is to push the boundaries of Earth observation exploration and technological development, bringing the likes of constellr’s novel thermal intelligence data to market. Advancing our global understanding of the role temperature plays in managing our environment and economy, constellr’s thermal intelligence will help drive better resource stewardship in a time of climate change. We’re thrilled to support their first commercial launch.”
Dr. Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board member and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR, remarked: “The new space sector in Germany is growing. Supporting young companies is very important to us. They are the engine that drives the space sector forward with new impetus and technologies and secures Germany’s international standing as a space location. I am therefore all the more pleased that the commercialization of Earth observation data has taken a major step forward with the launch of small satellites from two German start-ups.”
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