Constellr has announced a successful engagement 37 million euros within the series A investment round. The funds received will be directed to the development of the project to create the first satellite group of its kind, able to see the thermal signatures of objects with an extremely high level of detail. Previously, the technologies of the German startup helped farmers monitor the condition of their fields, but from now on, the company's focus is shifting towards defense analytics and strategic intelligence.
The technological core of Constellr is based on the use of long-wave infrared sensors, which make it possible to look beyond the visible spectrum. Unlike conventional optical cameras, thermal imaging satellites record unreflected light, and thermal energy, emitted by any human activity on the Earth's surface. Potentially, this opens up access to data, which cannot be hidden by ordinary masking: from the operation of factories to the movement of equipment under the cover of night or in conditions of heavy cloud cover.
For the European Union, the implementation of such technologies is of fundamental importance, because in a similar way, Europe is building a new level of its own space infrastructure. Thermal intelligence data from future Constellr satellites can be combined with existing optical and radar images (SAR), providing as complete a picture of the area of interest as possible. The involvement of European companies also minimizes dependence on external information providers.
The new financial tranche will allow Constellr to launch next-generation probes into orbit with an unprecedented resolution of less 5 meters per pixel. Such accuracy gives the satellite the ability to detect even minimal temperature anomalies at strategic nodes or energy facilities.
Source: https://universemagazine.com