There’s an increasing demand for fast turnaround time in the satellite imaging industry, especially among clients across government and defense, who want responsive, near-real time performance because of how quickly situations on the ground can develop and change. BlackSky, a sensor and satellite-based monitoring technology company, has broken new ground in terms of responsiveness by delivering photos from its newly launched satellites within 58 hours.
BlackSky was able to photograph images of Port Elizabeth in South Africa just over two days after launch, offering analysis in detail of the photographs returned including information like the speed of vehicles operating in the port, as well as ship identification and cargo information.
This is just one measure of responsiveness – the overall BlackSky constellation of six imaging satellites can be tasked globally for quick turnaround. But it’s a noteworthy development because it shows just how quickly modern small satellites can be brought on line, delivering useful information much, much faster than was previously possible.
This illustrates how the major stopgap for responsive on-demand imaging and monitoring from new spacecraft is actually now launch availability. New private launch companies are often asked about whether there’s even a need for more launch services out there, now that SpaceX and Rocket Lab have been providing reliable service for smaller space companies for a number of years. But this shows how flexible, go-anywhere launch vehicles with even smaller payload capacity could be extremely valuable to a range of customers across commercial industry and government.