(CNN Español) – It was always a private company and is now associated with another very peculiar company. First, because of its activity: the construction and launch of satellites to observe the Earth. Then, for its origins: Satellogic is a South American company founded in 2010 by two Argentinian entrepreneurs who started developing satellites with unconventional names.
The first, launched in 2013, bears the official name CubeBug-1, but was nicknamed Captain Beto in honor of the song composed by Argentinian musician Luis Alberto Spinetta in honor of Norberto “Beto” Alonso, River’s legendary midfielder. Plate. Manolito was the second, an allusion to the character in the Mafalda comics. Others have been dubbed Milanesat, Fresco and Batata, a nod to popular dishes of Argentine gastronomy. The company has already put 21 satellites into orbit.
“At Satellogic we build satellites to observe the earth. Our satellites contain cameras that allow us to see in very high resolution what is happening on the planet to monitor infrastructure or forestry development, ”explains Emiliano Kargieman, co-founder of the company.
Essentially, the satellites orbit the Earth, allowing them to create images that are then converted into information about what is happening on the planet’s surface for various purposes.
Satellites designed in Argentina, built in Uruguay
The company designs and operates its satellites in Argentina, but is building them in Uruguay, two countries not characterized by their space activity and less by the private sector.
“You have the idea that everything that has to do with a satellite and with space is more focused on the United States, on Russia, now on China. And when you hear that a company does it from South America, it sounds a bit strange, ”says Kargieman.
“Today we are active in many places. Everything that is satellite research and development, we will continue to do in Argentina, where we have the largest team of engineers and the operation of satellites. We manufacture, assemble and test the satellites before launching them in Uruguay, where we have an integration plant near Montevideo, ”he adds.
Many other activities take place in offices spread across Spain, Israel, the United States and China. “In Barcelona, we analyze the results of what gets into the satellites, it is packaged to deliver it to the customers and we develop the solutions for the customers. We have a software development team in Tel Aviv. Then we have business development teams in the United States and Beijing, although our sales team is generally quite spread around the world. We looked for every part of the business where it made the most sense and at first we thought of ourselves as a small multinational, ”explains Kargieman.
The deal with Space X
But now, after a decade of work, the company has signed an agreement with SpaceX for the launch and launch of its new products. Elon Musk’s aerospace company will be in charge of commissioning its satellites. This alliance allows Satellogic to shorten the time between development and launch of its satellites, thanks to the frequent launch program of Musk’s company.
“We are excited to achieve a Multiple Launch Service (MLA) with SpaceX, our primary partner for space launches. We hope this will be the start of a long series of joint jobs as our constellation unfolds, ”Kargieman wrote on his official Twitter account when making the announcement.
SpaceX, which has made headlines in recent days for its spectacular images of the explosion of a prototype of one of its rockets trying to send it to Mars, is another company that has revolutionized the aerospace world, among another with its reusable missiles.
Both companies have a vertical approach that allows them to save costs and shorten times. SpaceX, for example, makes the components for its rockets and then takes care of their launch. Satellogic does everything that has to do with its satellites.
First mission
“Today we are the first vertically integrated Earth observation company. This is because we design and manufacture each of the sensors and components that go into our satellites. We integrate our satellites, we operate them, then we download the information and turn it into something that serves the users. It is an end to end range. Today we are the only company in the world to do it and somehow we had to do it to cover the costs that allowed us to go against our vision, ”Kargieman is proud.
The first mission with SpaceX is in June, when they launch new corporate satellites into low Earth orbit. Satellogic aims to complete the first phase of its Earth observation constellation by the end of 2022, allowing it to cover the entire surface of the planet on a weekly basis in high resolution.
After completing three launches in 2020, Satellogic’s in-orbit capability today provides access to up to four daily return visits from any point of interest on Earth, collecting more than 4 million square kilometers per day in high-resolution data.
With launches planned with SpaceX for the next two years, the company will have more than 300 microsatellites in orbit and will be able to perform daily remaps. And all served from South America.