SatVu is thrilled to announce that the European Space Agency (ESA) has invited the international scientific community to access archive data from HotSat-1 for groundbreaking earth observation research and application development.
This milestone represents a significant step towards SatVu’s satellite and dataset approval as part of ESA’s prestigious Third Party Mission programme. The programme endorses satellites and datasets for use by ESA and its partners, following an intensive validation process to ensure quality and reliability.
HotSat-1, which was operational between June and December 2023, was the world’s first commercially available satellite capable of capturing high-resolution thermal infrared imagery. During its mission, the satellite delivered an unprecedented resolution of up to 3.5 metres, providing detailed thermal imaging day and night and revealing heat variations across the Earth’s surface like never before.
This initiative gives researchers a unique opportunity to explore and utilise SatVu’s cutting-edge thermal data ahead of the launch of their next satellite. By engaging with HotSat-1’s archive, the scientific community can prepare to unlock even greater potential when SatVu’s next-generation satellite becomes operational.
Through ESA funding, this call enables researchers and innovators to delve into a wide range of applications, including:
James O’ Connor, Head of Imagery at SatVu said:
“ESA is the gold star when it comes to earth observation in Europe, and arguably, the world. There is no higher endorsement, and I’m incredibly proud of the enormous company-wide effort that got us to this point.”
Peggy Fischer, Third Party Earth Observation Missions Manager, ESA said:
“SatVu’s HotSat-1 dataset is an important addition to the evolving Third Party Missions ESA portfolio. High-resolution thermal data offers new opportunities for innovative EO applications and use cases and complements very well the available TPM data. This Announcement of Opportunity allows researchers and companies to explore the data for pre-operational applications development, and we look forward to the launch of the next two satellites allowing for fresh data to be offered in the future”
SatVu invites scientists, researchers, and industry professionals to seize this opportunity to explore HotSat-1’s data and lay the groundwork for future discoveries with their next satellites, HotSat-2 and HotSat-3, both due to ship for launch in 2025.
The call for proposals to access HotSat-1’s archive data is open to researchers worldwide, with submissions accepted until 30 April 2025. All information is available here.