Since our last T-Minus product event, HEO has made some exciting progress in our mission to image anything in the solar system on demand. Our team is spread across 4 geographies, with hundreds of people using our non-Earth imaging and insights. We’re incredibly proud to support space players in government, commercial companies, defence, and intelligence with our growing suite of space insights and tools.
This past week marked the return of our annual product event, T-Minus. Live from Sydney, Australia, joined by hundreds of our community members online and in-person, we came together to explore the future of HEO’s imagery and insights for everyone operating in space.
Let’s take a look at the biggest moments from the event.
Our team has made tremendous progress in improving the quality of our images. We are working with our existing partners to push their satellites to their limits to enhance the data we receive. The results have been significant in that we’ve been able to help our customers and others with on-orbit verification. One recent example is with ESA’s EarthCARE satellite, where our images could provide verification of what is happening on-orbit by spotting the deployed solar array and various subsystems. Satellite operators usually rely on telemetry, but our NEI technology provides a clear visual of their satellite in space, making it a game-changer for verifying what is happening in space.
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Our new partnership with Impulse Space represents another step forward in our journey of imaging anything in the solar system on demand. Impulse Space’s Mira will be hosting HEO Holmes Imager, enabling us to cover high-LEO orbits (above 700 km), a region where most Earth Observation satellites do not venture. Through this partnership, we will be able to monitor an additional 1,100 objects, including many of the 50 most hazardous pieces of space debris.
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In what was a highly anticipated topic, we announced that HEO will be active in GEO by 2026. This will be a significant development for HEO. GEO satellites are incredibly important, sophisticated, and high-value assets. Our entry into GEO will be achieved through strategic partnerships and the use of our cutting-edge hardware. Stay tuned for upcoming partnership announcements as we prepare to deliver NEI for GEO satellites, meeting a critical demand from our customers.
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We have captured over 1,000 NEI images this year alone. We are just beginning to unlock the vast potential of NEI technology. Due to this increase in cadence, we were able to assist customers like the UK Space Agency in monitoring the de-orbiting ERS-2 satellite. Our frequent imaging allowed us to analyse details such as the satellite's orientation and any damage, providing valuable data for re-entry analysis.
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This year, we built the first Adler model, our latest advancement in HEO’s NEI sensors. Adler is twice the size of our initial camera, Holmes, and boasts an improved frame rate, larger aperture, and higher resolution imaging capabilities. The first Adler camera is scheduled for launch in Q1 2025 with Turion Space, and will continue to help HEO unlock new partnerships in new orbits and achieve higher quality images.
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With the growing need to identify satellites, we are proud to lead the charge with NEI. At any given moment, there are more than 500 unidentified objects in orbit, posing a significant risk to assets in space and on Earth. Accurate identification is crucial as governments are held liable for any damage caused by these objects. HEO has been using our technology to identify satellites earlier, helping commercial companies in identifying their satellites post-launch and helping governments track foreign and unknown objects.
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The night capped off as we unveiled HEO Inspect 3.0, the software that integrates all our NEI capabilities. HEO Inspect is the gateway to non-Earth imaging and insights, allowing users to explore past imagery, sensor coverage, and upcoming imaging opportunities. The software enables users to task HEO’s distributed in-orbit camera network to capture high-resolution images of space objects at scale. It also provides analytical reports for identifying, assessing capabilities, and understanding the pattern-of-life of space objects. For instance, we used HEO Inspect to identify anomalies in the Resurs P satellite series' solar panels, providing crucial information after a debris creation event. HEO Inspect is now accessible on any device, mobile or computer, making NEI more accessible and convenient for our customers.
Want to relive T-Minus 3.0? Watch the recording here.
