Hyperspectral imagery startup Wyvern has booked area on a Loft Orbital satellite tv for pc bus that can launch subsequent yr, a transfer that the corporate says will increase the capability of its Dragonette satellite tv for pc constellation.
Wyvern, which graduated from Y Combinator’s Winter 2022 cohort, has launched two hyperspectral imagery satellites because it was based in 2018. However launching and working a devoted constellation — which is the trail many different Earth statement startups have taken — is clearly not the one choice on the desk.
“We determined early on in Wyvern’s historical past that if we may keep away from constructing our personal satellites, we’d,” Wyvern CEO Christopher Robson advised TechCrunch. “It’s capital environment friendly, and we leverage the potential and studying of business companions. This additionally permits Wyvern to deal with delivering high-quality, high-resolution hyperspectral knowledge whereas growing game-changing optical payloads.”
Per the phrases of the deal, Wyvern will fly with Loft’s satellite tv for pc platform, which incorporates the Longbow bus constructed by Airbus OneWeb Satellites, and a turnkey payload interface known as the Hub. On its web site, Loft refers back to the Hub because the spacecraft’s “mind – controlling payloads and managing dataflow and sources between onboard payloads and the satellite tv for pc bus.”
Wyvern will even benefit from Loft’s satellite tv for pc operations software program, Cockpit, during the mission.
Loft, which payments itself as a “area infrastructure as a service” firm, bulk buys satellite tv for pc buses and flies them as a standardized platform. Earlier this yr, the corporate ordered an extra 15 satellite tv for pc buses from Airbus OneWeb in response to rising demand, after shopping for greater than 15 of the identical buses in January 2022.