• constellr has successfully launched its first thermal infrared monitoring satellite ‘Sky-Bee-1’ on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
  • Sky-Bee-1 will continuously capture high-resolution thermal images of the planet, enabling smarter decisions for climate action, sustainable resource use, and global food security.
  • The company now focuses on translating this data into customer value and building out its existing commercial footprint in Europe and the US.

constellr, a European Earth Observation (EO) leader, announces the successful launch of its first satellite, Sky-Bee-1, pioneering its thermal infrared technology to monitor global land surface temperatures with unmatched precision, offering a completely new view of the planet. This milestone in the company’s planned High-precision Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE) satellite constellation unlocks transformative insights for sustainable resource management, transforming the way industry and governments tackle climate challenges.

Integrated via Exolaunch, Sky-Bee-1 launched successfully during the Transporter-12 rideshare mission with SpaceX, entering a sun-synchronous orbit 510 km above the Earth. The satellite is expected to deliver its first images within a few weeks. The launch helps constellr service its private and public sector contracts across a range of industries including agriculture, infrastructure and urban development.

The satellite sets a new standard for thermal Earth imaging as it enables timely insights at single field- and building-level precision by capturing high-resolution thermal data at 30m spatial resolution sharpened to 10m and with temperatures accurate to 1-2 Kelvin. It is equipped with two multispectral payloads: an eleven-band visible-near infrared (VNIR) instrument and a four-band thermal infrared (TIR) camera, delivering continuous land surface temperature data for customers.

constellr’s launch marks a milestone in the development of its real-time global thermal atlas – a digital twin of Earth that uses land surface temperature (LST) data to uncover the realities of our planet’s health. By measuring the central climate variable, temperature, at human-level granularity and at a cadence which allows timely insights with unprecedented accuracy, constellr provides the tools to optimise agriculture, manage water use, boost carbon sequestration and enhance urban resilience, empowering smarter climate and resource management where it matters most.

constellr’s launch represents the world’s first commercial mission to fully lever the performance of a cryocooled multispectral long-wave infrared instrument onboard a microsatellite platform, revolutionising agriculture and infrastructure monitoring. The satellite features an innovative 3D printed optical bench and its payload boasts a completely new design, developed in partnership with OHB System AG. Collaborating with other key partners, Kongsberg NanoAvionics, Fraunhofer EMI and Exolaunch, with funding from the German Space Agency at DLR via the European Space Agency's InCubed programme managed by ESA Φ-lab, constellr is defining a new industry standard in thermal measurement by capturing refined temperature footprints of the Earth through precise pixel-level intelligence. constellr’s satellite captures temperature measurements directly, rather than relying upon inference, as with visual EO data, thus eliminating the gap between context interpretation and the provision of actual insights.

constellr aims to disrupt the traditional EO model by providing customers with a continuous stream of on-demand thermal data at pixel level, increasing customer convenience and reducing costs. This will democratise access to EO data via lower per-pixel costs, enabling temperature analytics for targeted locations while opening EO data to a global audience, scaling in a way no other EO company has been able to and empowering sectors like small-scale farming, environmental conservation, and disaster preparedness.

The launch is the first step in constellr’s planned High-precision Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE) satellite constellation, a network of thermal monitoring satellites. constellr’s satellite deployment follows successful testing of its technology on the International Space Station in 2022, capturing more than 10 million images. constellr’s next satellite is expected to launch later this year, with additional launches planned from 2026 onwards.

Dr Max Gulde, CEO of constellr, commented: “The launch of constellr’s first commercial satellite signals a new era in thermal intelligence. Gone are the expensive, inconvenient thermal images of the past, requiring expert knowledge to make use of low resolution, high latency data. It’s time for an overhaul of the EO industry. Our customers will eventually be able to access on-demand, affordable data for their specific needs, absolutely transformative for resource and climate management and the future of water and food security. We are thrilled to count ourselves as an in-orbit company, driving effective environmental stewardship through thermal intelligence.”

Giuseppe Borghi, Head of Φ-lab Division at the European Space Agency, commented: “The European Space Agency’s InCubed’s mission is to push the boundaries of Earth observation exploration and technological development, bringing the likes of constellr’s novel thermal intelligence data to market. Advancing our global understanding of the role temperature plays in managing our environment and economy, constellr’s thermal intelligence will help drive better resource stewardship in a time of climate change. We’re thrilled to support their first commercial launch.”

Dr. Walther Pelzer, DLR Executive Board member and Director General of the German Space Agency at DLR, commented: “The new space sector in Germany is growing. Supporting young companies is very important to us. They are the engine that drives the space sector forward with new impetus and technologies and secures Germany's international standing as a space location. I am therefore all the more pleased that the commercialization of Earth observation data has taken a major step forward with the launch of small satellites from two German start-ups.”

About constellr

constellr is a European leader in thermal data services, creating a real-time global thermal intelligence atlas that enables precise monitoring of our planet’s surface temperatures, essential for understanding global climate dynamics and providing insights into water usage, and factors influencing the carbon cycle. Our actionable data supports the early detection of trends and anomalies across urban zones, infrastructure, the natural environment and agriculture, to enhance living standards, tackle climate change, and safeguard global food security. We deliver critical temperature insights that drive sustainable development and climate resilience by harnessing high-precision Land Surface Temperature (LST) measurements captured from space.

Founded in Freiburg, Germany, by a team of talented entrepreneurs, scientists and engineers, constellr launched its first thermal infrared sensor to the International Space Station in 2022. The first satellite of HiVE, the company’s fully commercial satellite network, launched in January 2025.

To learn more, visit www.constellr.com or follow us on LinkedIn

About InCubed

InCubed stands for ‘Investing in Industrial Innovation’ and is a Public Private Partnership co-funding programme run by ESA Φ-lab. InCubed focuses on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth observation imagery and datasets. The programme has a very wide scope and can be used to co-fund anything from building satellites to ground applications and everything between or to develop new EO business models. https://incubed.esa.int/

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