19.06.2019 change 19.06.2019

Polish start-up wants to launch the observation nanosatellite ScopeSat into orbit

Photo: Fotolia Photo: Fotolia

The Polish start-up SatRevolution wants to launch the observation nanosatellite ScopeSat into orbit. According to the company`s announcement, the satellite will be part of the Real-time Earth observation Constellation (REC). Richard Branson`s company has noticed the potential of REC.

REC, or Real-time Earth observation Constellation, is SatRevolution`s project of constellation of observational nanosatellites based on the proprietary platform NanoBus.

"The Earth observation segment is dominated by expensive, large and very large satellites. We want to create a unique constellation of lower-cost, smaller devices. We estimate that its use will result in more than 100-fold costs reduction compared to large satellites" - points out SatRevolution CEO Grzegorz Zwoliński, quoted in the release.

The Wrocław company plans to launch the observation nanosatellite ScopeSat, the basic unit of the REC constellation, into orbit in 2021. In the following year, the first version of the constellation consisting of 16 satellites will be completed. "In 2023, 66 ScopeSat satellites will have been launched into orbit, equipped with deployable optical module DeploScope" - the start-up announces.

Ultimately, SatRevolution wants to place up to 1024 nanosatellites in orbit and obtain the imaging quality that will rival large satellites. "We want to achieve an image refresh rate up to 30 minutes and a resolution reaching 50 cm" - Zwoliński says. He draws attention to the ecological material, which SatRevolution uses to produce satellites. "Our nanosatellites deorbit and vaporise after 3 years. We are among the few that do not litter in space" - he says.

According to SatRevolution, information about the REC constellation reached the authorities of Virgin Orbit, a Virgin Group company created by Richard Branson and Nik Powell.

According to Vice President of Business Development at Virgin Orbit, Stephen Eisele, Virgin Orbit recognizes the unique value of SatRevolution`s REC and is interested in establishing cooperation concerning the launch of the constellation using the Virgin Orbit LauncherOne system. Eisele adds that Virgin Orbit believes that the proposed REC constellation will be a unique offer that will attract a lot of interest from customers. Virgin Orbit recognizes the large impact of the REC constellation on the Earth observation market.

Zwoliński estimates that investments in the development of the REC constellation will cost up to PLN 70 million. "We want to obtain PLN 4 million by the end of 2019. The funds will be allocated to the development of the ScopeSat satellite and the DeploScope optical module" - Zwoliński explains.

According to the SatRevolution release, the market of satellite and space technologies is developing very dynamically. "In the years 2000-2005, the average number of investors did not exceed 10, and by 2018 it increased to 137" - reads the release. Global revenues from this sector are estimated at USD 277 billion, and the nanosatellites market, in which SatRevolution operates, will grow from approx. 1.5 to almost USD 3.5 billion over the next 3 years. The number of nanosatellites in orbit is also growing - in 2012 there were 25 of them, and currently - over 400. The data they send are used by the commercial (71%), scientific (21%) and government (8%) sectors.

SatRevolution is a Polish company that designs and supplies small observation satellites for commercial and public sectors. Two satellites designed by SatRevolution engineers were launched in April: Światowid (the first Polish Earth observation satellite designed to form the foundations of REC) and KRAKsat - an innovative experiment of a ferrofluid flywheel in low Earth orbit (the project of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Kraków). Currently, the satellites are being prepared for launch into space at the international station. The third satellite, purchased by the French-Russian consortium Roskomos, will be used to study the aurora in low light conditions (AMICal Sat mission carried out in collaboration with the Grenoble University Space Centre. (PAP)

author: Magdalena Jarco

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