Simera Sense Eyes Larger Satellites with Advanced Optical Payloads and Enhanced Autonomy

United States - Ekhbary News Agency

Simera Sense Expands Space Imaging Capabilities with Advanced Payloads for Larger Satellites

Having established a strong foothold in the CubeSat market, Belgium-based Simera Sense is now venturing into the development of next-generation, high-resolution optical payloads specifically designed for larger satellite platforms. This strategic pivot is a direct response to the escalating global demand for Earth imagery with unprecedented detail, coupled with advanced autonomous processing and control capabilities.

To date, Simera Sense has successfully deployed over 50 of its xScape100 and xScape200 cameras into orbit. The majority of these cameras have flown on CubeSats, ranging in size from 6U to 16U, proving their reliability and versatility across various applications and earning the company a reputation for delivering robust, compact imaging solutions.

The company's new trajectory, however, centers on larger satellite systems. Simera Sense is engineering standardized optical payloads that will deliver imagery with a Ground Sample Distance (GSD) of less than one meter. This capability promises to reveal intricate details on the Earth's surface previously unattainable, catering to a new tier of sophisticated remote sensing requirements. The first deliveries of these advanced payloads are anticipated in 2028, signaling a significant investment in research and development to meet future market needs.

"Demand for sub-one-meter imagery is growing," stated Thys Cronje, Simera Sense Chief Commercial Officer, in comments to SpaceNews at the SmallSat Symposium. "People want to see more detail on the ground." This sentiment underscores the market's shift towards applications demanding meticulous observation, including precision agriculture, natural resource management, disaster response, and urban planning.

Further enhancing the capabilities of these new payloads, Simera Sense has announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Florida-based Sidus Space. Under this partnership, Sidus Space will integrate its FeatherEdge hardware and Cielo AI software with Simera Sense's hyperspectral payloads. This collaboration aims to empower satellites with the ability to process and analyze data autonomously while in orbit, significantly reducing the reliance on extensive ground station communication and data transfer.

The sophisticated software allows Simera Sense's hyperspectral instrument customers to configure their payloads to collect data across 32 specific spectral bands out of a possible 400. This flexibility enables the cameras to adapt to dynamic and specific mission requirements. For instance, a satellite tasked with monitoring Africa could have its sensors configured to observe deserts during one pass, then reconfigured for agricultural monitoring on a subsequent orbit. If the satellite traverses over Ukraine on the next orbit, it would need to adjust its spectral bands again to suit the new analytical objectives.

"We are working with edge-computing companies like Sidus Space to autonomously reconfigure the camera for different applications and for different needs or different targets on the ground," Cronje explained. "The camera must be able to decide by itself what kind of spectral bands are needed to analyze the scene on the ground." This 'edge computing' capability means a substantial portion of data processing will occur directly on the satellite, leading to reduced latency and more efficient information gathering.

Established in 2018, Simera Sense has built its reputation on offering standardized, off-the-shelf products. While modifications for multispectral, hyperspectral, and video options are possible, Cronje noted, "it's all software changes. We update the firmware and software." This approach ensures agility and responsiveness to customer needs.

In 2014, Simera Sense secured $15 million in funding to scale up its payload production, driven by growing demand from prominent customers including AAC Clyde Space, Loft Orbital, OHB Systems, Open Cosmos, and Prométhée Earth Intelligence. The company currently manufactures approximately 12 cameras per month at its South African facility, with a substantial backlog already in place.

Simera Sense's advancement into more capable payloads for larger satellites marks a significant step towards greater autonomy in space-based remote sensing missions, promising more precise and timely data to support a wide array of scientific and commercial applications.

Ekhbary News Agency