BlackSky, a global monitoring and alert service based in Herndon, Va. has selected a Traverse City company to provide software support for its Earth imaging satellite constellation.
Atlas Space Operations will provide telemetry, commanding, and data support for BlackSky’s fifth and sixth satellites through the Atlas ground stations in Guam and Japan, utilizing the Freedom.
“Atlas Space Operations is a key partner in our promise to make our customers the first to know about areas and events important to them,” says Nick Merski, vice presient of space operations at BlackSky. “Our companies share similar DNA, which includes great people creatively solving important problems.”
BlackSky helps organizations observe and understand global events by integrating a diverse set of sensors and data, including satellite images, to provide sensitive monitoring and alert services. On Aug. 7, the company launched two additional satellites (of a planned 60) into low earth orbit.
The newest satellites provide 1-meter resolution color imagery and increases global revisit rates. These advancements will enhance BlackSky’s access to reliable, secure, and fast space-based data, allowing it to provide improved intelligence and analysis capabilities to their customers.
Atlas operates a global network of ground stations, powered by its Freedom software, which allows users to seamlessly integrate with the company’s network. Through Atlas integration, BlackSky will gain access to mission critical data, analytics, and automated scheduling — all through a single, secure VPN.
This process further enables BlackSky to provide their customers with near real-time data, revisiting a single location up to six times in one day, all while retrieving secure data efficiently, safely, and reliably through Freedom™.
“Both Atlas and BlackSky have worked diligently to continue their work amidst the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency,” says Sean McDaniel, CEO of Atlas. “It is a testament to the teamwork and resiliency of both teams that this launch has gone off successfully during a global health crisis.”
