Weekly GEOINT Community News

Ball Aerospace Completes Critical Design Review of Methane Monitoring Satellite’s Flight System and Instrument, CACI Receives Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award,
Flock 4v’s First Light Imagery, and More

MethaneSAT-Ball-Aero

Ball Aerospace Completes Critical Design Review of Methane Monitoring Satellite’s Flight System and Instrument

Ball Aerospace successfully completed critical design review (CDR) of the MethaneSAT flight system and advanced spectrometer instrument that will be integrated onto a 350-kilogram satellite for MethaneSAT, LLC, a subsidiary of the non-profit Environmental Defense Fund (EDF). The completion of CDR enables Ball to proceed into part fabrication and assembly. The Ball-designed MethaneSAT instrument will measure a narrow part of the shortwave infrared spectrum where methane absorbs light, allowing it to detect concentrations as low as two parts per billion. From low-Earth orbit, the satellite will locate and measure emissions of methane sources almost anywhere on Earth with precision and at fine enough detail to identify these sources. The mission is expected to launch in 2022 to support EDF’s stated goal of achieving a 45% reduction in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 2025.

CACI Receives Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award

CACI International announced it has received the 2020 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the highest U.S. government honor bestowed to employers for support of National Guard and Reserve employees. The Department of Defense’s Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) program publicly recognizes employers who provide exceptional support to their Guard and Reserve employees with the Freedom Award. ESGR selected CACI as one of this year’s 15 recipients from 2,623 nominations submitted by Guards and Reserve members, highlighting how their civilian employers went far beyond what the federal law requires to support them. Since 1996, only 295 employers have received the Freedom Award.

Flock 4v’s First Light Imagery

26 SuperDoves (Flock 4v) were launched on Arianespace’s VV16 SSMS-POC flight, joining Planet’s existing fleet of Doves and SuperDoves. Planet recently shared the first light images from the new flock and report the satellites are all healthy and on their way to full commercial service soon. This also maintains Planet’s 100% record of contacting every single satellite successfully deployed in space (357 to be exact). With the launch of the new SuperDoves, Planet will continue to provide medium resolution multispectral imagery (3-5m) at a global scale, providing critical intelligence at an unparalleled cadence to customers and organizations worldwide.

RoadCloud to Offer Premium Road Data on the HERE Marketplace

RoadCloud, the connected vehicle data platform that provides real-time information for transportation services and systems, and HERE Technologies announced they have teamed up to make RoadCloud road friction estimates, road condition data, and weather data available via the HERE Marketplace. As a global location data exchange hub, the HERE Marketplace enables RoadCloud to benefit from its global reach across industries and ecosystems and help the company to broaden its total addressable market and revenue opportunities. 

Peer Intel

Leidos appointed Lieutenant General Darrell K. Williams (U.S. Army, Ret.) as Vice President, Defense Group Logistics, effective immediately. In his role, Williams will support the planning, oversight, and execution of logistics activities across the group, and drive innovation into corporate-wide logistics offerings.

Riverside Research welcomes Dr. Lisa Porter to its Board of Trustees. Dr. Porter first served on Riverside Research’s Board in March 2017 but stepped down in September 2018 when she assumed the role of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (DUSD (R&E)).

 

Featured Image: MethaneSAT | Image Credit: Ball Aerospace 

Weekly GEOINT Community News

Orbital Sidekick Announces Upcoming Launch of Its Most Powerful Satellite, HERE announces mobile LiDAR data, Kitware Provides State-of-the-Art, Field-Deployable AI, and more.

Weekly GEOINT Community News

Accenture Federal Services to Acquire Novetta, Woolpert Collecting Imagery and Lidar, Providing Technical Support in Alaska for USAF GeoBase Program, and more.

Weekly GEOINT Community News

NGA accepts new geospatial tech companies applicants for cohort, BAE Systems awarded contract for GPS modules, Woolpert and Planet expand partnership, and more.