Satellogic to launch in the United Kingdom

Contxto – Not only is the Argentine geospatial startup Satellogic launching satellites into outer space but they’re also launching abroad. More specifically to the United Kingdom.

In Summary 

Last Wednesday, the Argentine startup that designs, produces and operates low-cost nanosatellites presented at the Argentine Embassy in London. At that time, Satellogic CEO Emiliano Kagierman pitched to an audience comprised of investors, corporate executives and government officials. Marco Bressan, the company’s CPO and lead for Europe, also joined the presentation.

“We had an excellent and spectacular reception from the people who attended this presentation,” said Emiliano Kargieman to El Economista. “The encounter was very positive and there was a lot of interest, so we made many contacts in hopes of working together.” 

He adds, “We seek to offer governments a unique model with geospatial image programs and an unprecedented resolution that allows decision-making in a wide range of sectors, be it in industry, the environment or in government applications.”

Working to democratize access to spatial and geographical data, the company began in 2010 and hasn’t stopped pursuing its goal since then.

In-Depth 

Launching a satellite is expensive, believe it or not. Among some of the high costs are manufacturing expenses, and with good reason. Average satellites are the size of small school buses and can weight over six tons – approximately 5,000 kilos.

In contrast, Satellogic’s satellites weigh around 45 kilos and can take high-definition pictures of the Earth’s surface. This information is very useful, especially for companies and institutions operating in the energy, environmental and agro-industries.

Based on this, Satellogic creates satellite constellations, otherwise known as swarms. These are a group of satellites working in synchrony for a common, specific goal. They allow governments to create national programs for geospatial images at uncomparable costs.

Satellogic’s innovative geospatial technology and business model allows the team to create affordable and efficient satellites. That’s to say, they are a lot cheaper and easier to build compared to traditional ones, according to the founder. Due to this, the company’s satellites are “a hundred times better than any other company worldwide,” according to the founder.

Their top-bottom supply chain allows the startup to design, build and launch its own devices. All of the components are manufactured internally, which reduces costs significantly. However, it may be more complicated to coordinate in terms of logistics, I presume.

Why is this important, you may ask?

Simply put, this data is extremely helpful to understand climate change, specifically its impact on soil, harvests, and droughts. These mini-satellites also monitor carbon as well as the health of crops and fields, including plagues. Moreover, they can even detect theft and illegal collection.

“It has a strong impact on economic development and plays a crucial role in building capacity and solving new challenges not only for major industries and governments but also for the planet,” he said.

This innovative structure is revolutionary. Allegedly, there’s no other company that can measurable all of these variables in real-time at the same time. 

Satellogic’s team includes more than 170 satellite engineers, AI experts, and specialists, all working towards finding solutions of Earth’s mightiest problems. For instance, feeding more than nine billion people and meeting the energy demands of the world while maintaining a healthy balance of natural resources for future generations. 

The company’s headquarters remain in Buenos Aires while manufacturing and assembling take place at the Montevideo factory. The company is also present in San Francisco and Barcelona with specialized AI and data science labs.

Satellogic also has a product development team in Tel Aviv, a business development office in Miami. With eight satellites already orbiting Earth, the company plans to reach 200 by 2021.

-VC