Weekly GEOINT Community News

DigitalGlobe Partners with Saudi Firms to Develop SmallSats  

DigitalGlobe formed a joint venture with Saudi Arabian technology firm TAQNIA and independent scientific organization KACST to develop a constellation of SmallSats. According to the press release, the companies will develop six or more satellites to collect imagery at 80-centimeter resolution. The SmallSats are expected to launch in late 2018 or early 2019.

Europe Launches Sentinel-3A Satellite

Last week, the European Space Agency launched its Sentinel-3A Earth observation satellite into low Earth orbit. According to a Space News article, Sentinel-3A will contribute to weather forecasting by monitoring ocean wave height, sea and land temperature, and sea-ice area and thickness.

ST Electronics to Resell Airbus Satellite Data

Airbus Defence and Space has signed a distribution agreement with Singapore Technologies Electronics to sell Airbus satellite data and products in Singapore. According to the press release, Airbus’ imagery and services will complement Singapore’s TeLEOS-1 earth observation satellite.

TED Prize Winner to Launch Crowdsourcing App

Sarah Parcak, space archeologist and 2016 TED Prize recipient, announced she will use her $1 million prize to launch a digital platform to help map archaeology sites around the world, reports NPR. The platform, called Global Xplorer, will leverage crowdsourcing and satellite imagery to discover and protect archeological sites. Global Xplorer will be in an app format and have gamification features to make the mission more interactive and fun for users.

MIT, NASA, and Boeing Develop Systems Engineering Certificate

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is developing an online systems engineering program. BostInno reports MIT is collaborating with NASA and Boeing to create the four-course certificate program. Teachings will focus on cutting edge practices and applications in model-based systems engineering. The online program is expected to launch this year on MIT’s edX platform.

Peer Intel

Lockheed Martin appointed Ulrich Finkenbusch to lead the company’s growing presence in Germany. Finkenbusch previously worked with Lockheed’s U.S.-based international business development team.

Photo Credit: Airbus Defence and Space