The reducing value of launch and a slew of different tech improvements have caused a renaissance in geospatial intelligence, with a number of startups aiming to seize higher-quality and extra frequent photographs of Earth than have ever earlier than been obtainable.
Most of those startups, nevertheless, are centered on utilizing satellites to gather knowledge. Not so for Near Space Labs, a four-year-old firm that as a substitute goals to collect geospatial intelligence from the stratosphere, utilizing small autonomous wind-powered robots connected to climate balloons. The firm has named its platform “Swifty,” and each is able to reaching altitudes between 60,000 and 85,000 toes and capturing 400-1,000 sq. kilometers of images per flight.
The firm was based in 2017 by Rema Matevosyan, Ignasi Lluch, and Albert Caubet. Matevosyan, who’s an utilized mathematician by coaching and beforehand labored as a programmer, did her Masters in Moscow. There, she began doing analysis in programs engineering for aerospace programs and in addition flew climate balloons to check aerospace {hardware}. “It clicked that we can fly balloons commercially and deliver a much better experience to customers than from any other alternative,” she instructed TechCrunch in a current interview.
Four years after launch, the corporate has closed a $13 million Series A spherical led by Crosslink Capital, with participation from Toyota Ventures and current buyers Leadout Capital and Wireframe Ventures. Near Space Labs additionally introduced that Crosslink companion Phil Boyer has joined its board.
Near Space, which is headquartered in Brooklyn and Barcelona, Spain, is primarily centered on urbanized areas the place change occurs very quickly. The robotic gadgets that connect to the balloons are manufactured on the firm’s workshop in Brooklyn, that are then shipped to launch websites throughout the nation. The firm’s CTO and chief engineer are each primarily based in Barcelona, so the {hardware} R&D takes place over there, Matevosyan defined.
The firm presently has eight Swifies in operation. It sells the info it collects and has developed an API by means of which prospects can entry the info by way of a subscription mannequin. The firm doesn’t have to have particular launch websites – Matevosyan stated Swifties can launch from “anywhere at any time” – however the firm does work in live performance with the Federal Aviation Administration and air visitors management.
The foremost worth proposition of the Swifty versus the satellite tv for pc, in response to Matevosyan, is the decision: from the stratosphere, the corporate can acquire “resolutions that are 50 times better than what you would get from a satellite,” she stated. “We are able to provide persistent and near real-time coverage of areas of interest that change very quickly, including large metro areas.” Plus, she stated Near Space can iterate it’s expertise shortly utilizing Swifties’ “plug-and-play” mannequin, whereas it’s not really easy so as to add a brand new sensor to a satellite tv for pc fleet that’s already in orbit.
Near Space Labs founders (from left): Ignasi Lluch, Rema Matevosyan and Albert Caubet Image Credits: Near Space Labs (opens in a brand new window)
Near Space has booked greater than 540 flights by means of 2022. While prospects pay for the flights, the info generated from every journey is non-exclusive, so the info could be bought many times. Looking forward, the corporate will probably be utilizing the funds to increase its geographical footprint and produce on a bunch of recent hires. The objective, in response to Matevosyan, is to democratize entry to geospatial intelligence – not only for prospects, however on the developer facet, too. “We believe in diverse, equal, and inclusive opportunities in aerospace and Earth imaging,” she stated.
