Bengaluru-based space start-up Bellatrix Aerospace has inked a deal with SatSure AG, a WEF Global Innovator that provides decision intelligence by leveraging advances in satellites, machine learning and Big Data analytics. SatSure operates from St Gallen (Switzerland), Bengaluru, Liverpool (UK) and Sydney (Australia).
The MoU signed is to help Bellatrix to help place its payloads in the Low Earth Orbit (LEO). “The satellites will host a novel on-board processor for in-orbit high-resolution data processing using SatSure’s proprietary Deep Learning algorithms and ultra low-bandwidth data transmission on a microsatellite platform comprising Bellatrix Aerospace’s unique hybrid propulsion systems,” Bellatrix said.
SatSure and Bellatrix plan to have the first satellite of the proposed constellation launched by December 2022. A request for proposal (RFP) for payload design, integration and testing will be made available to the industry in the coming weeks.
SAtSure AG, co-founder and CEO Prateep Basu said, “This investment from our side is a natural step to providing timely and unique insights from space to our clients globally. Many breakthrough technologies will be demonstrated in the first mission, be it the hardware, software, or hardware-software integration. It is a hazardous mission, but then no innovation has ever been done without trial and errors.”
Bellatrix CEO Rohan M Ganapathy said that with the planned constellation, SatSure's proven capabilities in satellite data processing and pipelines will be further augmented with the help of high-resolution real-time imagery.
“This is also a significant announcement for Bellatrix, as we will be working on more of such missions catering to very niche mission requirements,” he said.
A statement issued here said that SatSure, founded in 2016 with core business in enterprise AI-based software products and platforms, has seen a surge in demand post-Covid-19 for data insights and solutions based on high-resolution satellite imagery at affordable price points that helps in decision making across the aviation, banking, insurance, and transportation, sectors.
Bellatrix, an IP driven company founded in 2015 and working on advanced spacecraft propulsion systems, is currently expanding its business towards being a prime contractor for developing and operating unconventional satellite platforms for highly demanding mission requirements.