SAN FRANCISCO – EOS Data Analytics is acquiring imagery from the primary satellite within the Silicon Valley company’s agriculture-focused constellation. The satellite, built by Dragonfly Aerospace of South Africa, also served as the primary on-orbit propulsion demonstration by Ukrainian startup Space Electric Thruster Systems.
EOSDA, Dragonfly and Space Electric Thruster Systems (SETS) are a part of the Noosphere space group, established in 2015 by international entrepreneur Max Polyakov to create an integrated space business. One other Noosphere Ventures company, Flight Control Propulsion, oversaw 3D printing of components and the satellite structure for EOS Sat-1.
“This is really a global effort by private corporations which have one single leadership,” Artiom Anisimov, EOSDA CEO and Noosphere Ventures Partners president, told .
By the tip of June, EOSDA expects to start selling EOS Sat-1 imagery commercially and offering priority tasking for purchasers in the US, Canada, Southeast Asia and Australia. Imagery and analytics combined in products aimed toward the agriculture market shall be available in July, said Rim Elijah, EOSDA vice chairman of sales.
EOSDA, which began as a software company, designed its constellation and sensors to offer reliable crop-classification and yield-prediction tools for agriculture and forestry.
Dragonfly “built the satellite with the bands which are lacking out there,” Anisimov said. “After we mix them with what’s already on the market, we now have this unique product offering. With AI modeling, everybody who has access to the identical data can have very similar models. Once you’ve your proprietary dataset that makes all of the difference on this planet.”
EOSDA’s goal is to offer predictive modeling and suggestions to farmers.
“Customers need to know why things are happening and what needs to be done,” Elijah said. “Are problems because of this of pests, disease, fungus, climate change or bad practices from the farmers themselves?”
EOSDA is also preparing to feed data from EOS Sat-1 into EOSDA LandViewer, a web based source for current and historical imagery that extends beyond the agriculture sector to serve markets like real estate and defense.
SETS Electric Propulsion
SETS, founded in Dnipro in 2016, is establishing a European site for final assembly of its Hall-effect thrusters, which fired for the primary time on EOS Sat-1.
“We waited until we got this flight heritage to make the subsequent move,” SETS CEO Viktor Serbin told . “Now we are going to work for the expansion of the corporate.”
SETS has developed two propulsion systems. Each feature Hall-effect thrusters, but SETS’ proprietary cathodes and power processing units have made the technology “just a little bit more efficient,” Serbin said. “Within the space industry, each percent of efficiency is vital.”
EOS Sat-1 is counting on SETS Hall-effect thrusters for orbit maintenance and eventual deorbit. Obtaining consistent Earth imaging for high-precision agricultural applications requires reliable and efficient propulsion, Serbin said.
In the long run SETS plans to sell off-the-shelf and bespoke propulsion systems “to change into an element of the worldwide marketplace for propulsion systems,” Serbin said.
EOS Sat-1 was launched Jan. 3 on the SpaceX Transporter-6 rideshare flight. The corporate intends to launch two more satellites per 12 months until the seven-satellite constellation is accomplished.
“We’re exploring ways to draw third-party capital to speed up the deployment,” Anisimov said.
