Satellogic is launching a new Space Systems product, the publicly traded satellite operator ($SATL) announced last week.
With Space Systems, Satellogic says countries or companies can buy and fly their own EO satellite “with submeter resolution, proven performance, and custom mission options.” In other words, the product represents a space-as-a-service offering for those who have a strategic interest in reaching orbit but none of the engineering know-how or flight experience to do so quickly.
The EO bird-in-a-box play
- Customers can buy a high-resolution EO satellite that comes with the whole gamut of needs. Satellogic will book the SpaceX launch, obtain the necessary ITU licensing, and provide support services.
- Pricing starts at less than $10M and a satellite can be delivered in as little as three months.
- Users can pick their own inclined and eccentric orbits, task over their own points of interest, and spec out satellites for their own mission requirements.
Satellogic 101
Founded back in 2010 in Buenos Aires, the vertically integrated operator designs, builds, and flies EO satellites fitted with optical and multispectral sensors. Satellogic has launched ~30 satellites to date. With its growing constellation, the company is also leaning into geospatial analytics.
So far, the highest demand for Satellogic’s services has come from space agencies, research institutions, and defense & intelligence entities. Satellogic CCO Matt Tirman told Payload that Space Systems is a continuation extension of the company’s core goals:
- developing a high-res, live catalog of Earth, and…
- …unlocking EO data for the masses.
The opportunity
Around the world, governments and militaries place a high premium on sovereign space assets. That’s especially true outside the West, where space programs may just be starting up and budgets may be comparably small.
Tirman said that Satellogic Space Systems strikes an attractive price-to-quality balance for countries that want their own assets.
“Everything that goes into our satellites, the whole final product, is completely ITAR-free, so that is a huge benefit to friendly foreign governments of the US, and NATO allies,” Tirman said. “We are keenly interested in emerging space programs and high-growth economies.”
Want to go deeper?
Check out our May 2022 interview with Satellogic CEO Emiliano Kargieman or his August appearance on Pathfinder #0012:
