Satellogic estimates to launch 300 of its own satellites over the next three years.
The Argentine nanosatellite company Satelliteology – founded by Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte – Elon Musk announced on Wednesday a new agreement with Space X, to reserve the capacity of launch another 68 satellites to do a weekly “remapping” of the entire Earth’s surface by 2023.
It is a Multiple Launch Agreement (MLA), which includes those to be undertaken in 2022 and confirms that SpaceX will continue to be Satellogic’s provider for rideshare missions, meeting roadmap capacity demands and reaching deadlines. shorter between development and deployment.
After the announcement, Satellogic shares rose 20% in premarket (operations taking place before the market opens). Then, when the trade opened, the paper rose nearly 4% to $ 9.35. Of these values, the company reached US $ 975 million.
“The agreement ensures that we can continue launching our satellites as they do and that we stay on track to collect every square meter of the Earth’s surface, giving our customers the most up-to-date. up -to -date information, with reliable data sources from high resolution on a global scale, ”Kargieman said.
What does Satellogic do?
Emiliano Kargieman, during the Idea colloquium. Photo Fabian Gastiarena
Kargieman, 46, gained some fame as an entrepreneur by co-founding Core Securities, a startup in the 1990s. focuses on computer security, sold a few years later. Some of that money brought him to a NASA program, which brought him into the aerospace business.
Currently, Satellogic, considered another of the Argentine unicorns, aims to democratize access to space services. He made his Wall Street debut this year, after completing a program at NASA, in conjunction with Singularity University.
It is dedicated to making small satellites – they weigh 38.5 kilograms and measure 82 centimeters – that are designed to be 1,000 times cheaper than traditional ones, according to Kargieman himself.
In 2013, it launched its first microsatellite, named “Capitán Beto” and began orbiting on April 26. Then came “Manolito”, “Tita”, “Fresco”, “Batata” and “Milanesat”, all are very well -known Creole names for Argentines.
Emiliano Kargieman, founder of Satellogic.
In a small fleet of 21 nanosatellites in orbit, the bet is to launch 300 satellites, all of their own making, over the next three years. “With many more launches on the horizon, we will continue to grow our fleet at an aggressive rate to match the growing global demand for geospatial information,” Kargieman said.
The company now has a staff of 200 highly qualified employees, with offices in Argentina (Buenos Aires and Córdoba), the United States (Charlotte and Miami), Spain (Barcelona), Israel (Tel Aviv), China (Beijing) and Uruguay. (Montevideo).
Initially, Kargieman (a mathematician) and Richarte (a computer expert) began designing nanosatellites with the help of INVAP. Today they are positioned as one of the largest private providers of live geographic information. The company has the capacity to collect and compact relief of more than 4 million square kilometers per day.
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Source: Clarin