On January 3, EOS SAT-1, the initial satellite of EOS SAT, the first agri-focused satellite constellation launched by a remote sensing company, was successfully delivered into a low Earth orbit by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
EOS SAT is a constellation consisting of seven small optical satellites created by EOS Data Analytics (EOSDA), a global provider of AI-powered satellite imagery analytics founded by Dr. Max Polyakov, to support the implementation of sustainable agriculture methods and environmental monitoring of forestlands by providing high-quality data for analysis.
All seven satellites are being built by Dragonfly Aerospace, a space imaging systems technology provider. A full-cycle operational process is established via vertical integration of the Polyakov’s Noosphere group of companies – EOS Data Analytics, Dragonfly Aerospace, SETS, and Flight Control Propulsion. After reaching full operation by 2025, EOS SAT will cover up to 100 percent of countries with the largest areas of farmlands and forestlands, amounting to 98.5 percent of such lands across the globe.
EOS SAT will assist agribusinesses in monitoring crop growth and detecting heat, cold, water stress, weed spread, pest attacks and other issues threatening crops. The companies will also be able to optimize their input use based on productivity and vegetation maps provided by the satellite constellation, test the effectiveness of new crop protection products or fertilizers, avoid unnecessary field inspections and thus reduce fuel use, manage irrigation, estimate yields, and more.
EOS SAT-1 monitors up to one million square kilometres daily using 11 agri-related bands.
“This launch brings new game-changing possibilities of satellite technologies to the agricultural industry,” notes Artiom Anisimov, CEO of EOS Data Analytics. “EOSDA will now work with proprietary datasets to provide even deeper and more accurate insights for its customers and partners.”
By 2025, the constellation will monitor up to 12 million square kilometres on a daily basis. Its satellite cameras will generate panchromatic and multispectral imagery using 13 agri-related bands to provide specific information about the required aspects of the land in question.
EOS SAT-2 and the following satellites are expected to get into orbit within 2023-2024. The full operational capability of the EOS SAT constellation is scheduled to be achieved in 2025.
Read the NOV/DEC 2022 issue of New AG International, free to view here