constellr Launches First Satellite, Ushering in a New Era of Global Thermal Monitoring

• constellr has successfully launched its first thermal infrared monitoring satellite ‘Sky-
  Bee-1’ on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
• Sky-Bee-1 will continuously capture high-resolution thermal images of the planet,
  enabling smarter decisions for climate action, sustainable resource use, and global
  food security.
• The company now focuses on translating this data into customer value and building out
  its existing commercial footprint in Europe and the US.
  Freiburg, Germany, 15 January 2025 – constellr, a European Earth Observation (EO) leader,
  announces the successful launch of its first satellite, Sky-Bee-1, pioneering its thermal infrared
  technology to monitor global land surface temperatures with unmatched precision, offering a
  completely new view of the planet. This milestone in the company’s planned High-precision
  Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE) satellite constellation unlocks transformative insights for sustainable
  resource management, transforming the way industry and governments tackle climate
  challenges.
  Integrated via Exolaunch, Sky-Bee-1 launched successfully during the Transporter-12 rideshare
  mission with SpaceX, entering a sun-synchronous orbit 510 km above the Earth. The satellite is
  expected to deliver its first images within a few weeks. The launch helps constellr service its
  private and public sector contracts across a range of industries including agriculture,
  infrastructure and urban development.
  The satellite sets a new standard for thermal Earth imaging as it enables timely insights at single
  field- and building-level precision by capturing high-resolution thermal data at 30m spatial
  resolution sharpened to 10m and with temperatures accurate to 1-2 Kelvin. It is equipped with
  two multispectral payloads: an eleven-band visible-near infrared (VNIR) instrument and a four-
  band thermal infrared (TIR) camera, delivering continuous land surface temperature data for
  customers.
  constellr’s launch marks a milestone in the development of its real-time global thermal atlas – a
  digital twin of Earth that uses land surface temperature (LST) data to uncover the realities of our
  planet’s health. By measuring the central climate variable, temperature, at human-level
  granularity and at a cadence which allows timely insights with unprecedented accuracy, constellr
  provides the tools to optimise agriculture, manage water use, boost carbon sequestration and
  enhance urban resilience, empowering smarter climate and resource management where it
  matters most.
  constellr’s launch represents the world’s first commercial mission to fully lever the performance
  of a cryocooled multispectral long-wave infrared instrument onboard a microsatellite platform,
  revolutionising agriculture and infrastructure monitoring. The satellite features an innovative 3D
  printed optical bench and its payload boasts a completely new design, developed in partnership
  with OHB System AG. Collaborating with other key partners, Kongsberg NanoAvionics, Fraunhofer
  EMI and Exolaunch, with funding from the German Space Agency at DLR via the European Space
  Agency’s InCubed programme managed by ESA Φ-lab, constellr is defining a new industry
  standard in thermal measurement by capturing refined temperature footprints of the Earth
  through precise pixel-level intelligence. constellr’s satellite captures temperature measurements
  directly, rather than relying upon inference, as with visual EO data, thus eliminating the gap
  between context interpretation and the provision of actual insights.
  constellr aims to disrupt the traditional EO model by providing customers with a continuous
  stream of on-demand thermal data at pixel level, increasing customer convenience and reducing
  costs. This will democratise access to EO data via lower per-pixel costs, enabling temperature
  analytics for targeted locations while opening EO data to a global audience, scaling in a way no
  other EO company has been able to and empowering sectors like small-scale farming,
  environmental conservation, and disaster preparedness.
  The launch is the first step in constellr’s planned High-precision Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE)
  satellite constellation, a network of thermal monitoring satellites. constellr’s satellite
  deployment follows successful testing of its technology on the International Space Station in
  2022, capturing more than 10 million images. constellr’s next satellite is expected to launch later
  this year, with additional launches planned from 2026 onwards.
  Dr Max Gulde, CEO of constellr, commented: “The launch of constellr’s first commercial
  satellite signals a new era in thermal intelligence. Gone are the expensive, inconvenient thermal
  images of the past, requiring expert knowledge to make use of low resolution, high latency data.
  It’s time for an overhaul of the EO industry. Our customers will eventually be able to access on-
  demand, affordable data for their specific needs, absolutely transformative for resource and
  climate management and the future of water and food security. We are thrilled to count ourselves
  as an in-orbit company, driving effective environmental stewardship through thermal intelligence.”
  Giuseppe Borghi, Head of Φ-lab Division at the European Space Agency, commented: “The
  European Space Agency’s InCubed’s mission is to push the boundaries of Earth observation
  exploration and technological development, bringing the likes of constellr’s novel thermal
  intelligence data to market. Advancing our global understanding of the role temperature plays in
  managing our environment and economy, constellr’s thermal intelligence will help drive better
  resource stewardship in a time of climate change. We’re thrilled to support their first commercial
  launch.”
  Dr. Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board member and Director General of the German Space
  Agency at DLR, commented: “The new space sector in Germany is growing. Supporting young
  companies is very important to us. They are the engine that drives the space sector forward with
  new impetus and technologies and secures Germany’s international standing as a space location.
• I am therefore all the more pleased that the commercialization of Earth observation data
  has taken a major step forward with the launch of small satellites from two German start-ups.”
  
  About constellr
  constellr is a European leader in thermal data services, creating a real-time global thermal
  intelligence atlas that enables precise monitoring of our planet’s surface temperatures,
  essential for understanding global climate dynamics and providing insights into water usage, and
  factors influencing the carbon cycle. Our actionable data supports the early detection of trends
  and anomalies across urban zones, infrastructure, the natural environment and agriculture, to
  enhance living standards, tackle climate change, and safeguard global food security. We deliver
  critical temperature insights that drive sustainable development and climate resilience by
  harnessing high-precision Land Surface Temperature (LST) measurements captured from space.
  Founded in Freiburg, Germany, by a team of talented entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers,
  constellr launched its first thermal infrared sensor to the International Space Station in 2022. The
  first satellite of HiVE, the company’s fully commercial satellite network, launched in January
  2025.
  
• About InCubed
  InCubed stands for ‘Investing in Industrial Innovation’ and is a Public Private Partnership co-
  funding programme run by ESA Φ-lab. InCubed focuses on developing innovative and
  commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth observation
  imagery and datasets. The programme has a very wide scope and can be used to co-fund
  anything from building satellites to ground applications and everything between or to develop
  new EO business models. https://incubed.esa.int/