ATLAS Space Operations of Traverse City, MI announced August 14 that Seattle, WA-based BlackSky has selected ATLAS to provide telemetry, commanding, and data support for its fifth and sixth satellites in its high-revisit Earth imaging satellite constellation. ATLAS is providing support through their ground station sites in Guam and Japan, utilizing their innovative Freedom software.
BlackSky helps organizations observe and understand global events by integrating a diverse set of sensors and data, including satellite images, to provide sensitive monitoring and alert services. On August 7th, the company launched two additional satellites (of a planned 60) into low earth orbit. The newest satellites provide 1-meter resolution color imagery and increases global revisit rates — already amongst the best in the world. These advancements will further enhance BlackSky’s access to reliable, secure, and fast space-based data, allowing them to provide improved intelligence and analysis capabilities to their customers.
“ATLAS Space Operations is a key partner in our promise to make our customers the first to know about areas and events important to them,” said Nick Merski, VP Space Operations. “Our companies share similar DNA which includes great people creatively solving important problems.”
ATLAS operates a global network of ground stations, powered by their Freedom software. Freedom allows users to seamlessly integrate with ATLAS’ robust network. Through ATLAS integration, BlackSky will gain access to mission critical data, analytics, and automated scheduling — all through a single, secure VPN. This process further enables BlackSky to provide their customers with near real-time data, revisiting a single location up to six times in one day, all while retrieving secure data efficiently, safely, and reliably through Freedom™.
Both ATLAS and BlackSky have worked diligently to continue their work amidst the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency,” says ATLAS CEO Sean McDaniel. “ATLAS is proud to support BlackSky and the value that they deliver to the world through their mission. It is a testament to the teamwork and resiliency of both teams that this launch has gone off successfully during a global health crisis. The seamless transition by everyone involved to continue to get critical assets into space, and to retrieve consequential data for use on Earth, says a lot about the dedication and adaptability of the people working behind the scenes on these crucial projects. ATLAS stands ready to continue to provide support in whatever way is necessary.”
Source: Atlas Space Operations
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