The Earth Observation camera iSIM-170 developed by the Spanish company SATLANTIS, in which everis Group invests, has been installed today, June 9, in the Japanese module of the International Space Station (ISS) by NASA astronaut and ISS Commander Chris Cassidy.
To commemorate this milestone, an online event was held, including the special participation of His Majesty the King Felipe VI of Spain and the Vice President of the Government of Spain, Teresa Rivera, who talked for a few minutes with the astronauts that were installing the camera in space.
Together with the Monarch and the Vice President, the event also included the participation of representatives from the European Commission, the Basque Country Government, the Japanese and American space agencies (JAXA and NASA) and from the main partners of SATLANTIS. Among the latter was NTT DATA Senior Executive Vice President, Toshi Fujiwara, who spoke in a round table about the opportunities that space technology brings to environmental policies and protection.
In this context, Fujiwara emphasized NTT DATA’s commitment to helping its clients make decisions based on precise and relevant data. Specifically, he pointed out that “environmental decisions are at the heart of the strategy of many corporations and global institutions. There are larger needs to conveniently track and monitor corporate compliance with environmental policies”.
“Nowadays, the accuracy and availability of the information captured from the sky is increased thanks to all the advancements made on Earth Observation and geo-intelligence technologies. In this regard, we believe the contribution of SATLANTIS has been significant”, explained the Senior Executive Vice President of NTT DATA.
Finally, after presenting two projects of NTT and NTT DATA related to the space sector, Fujiwara explained that both companies are working “to bring our analytical strengths to decode information coming from satellite data. We expect that the need for these capabilities will grow in the future and they will be more relevant in the decision-making process of corporations and institutions, especially in solving environmental questions”.
Cutting-edge technology for Earth Observation
The Earth Observation camera that has been installed in the ISS was launched into space on May 20 from the Tanegashima Space Center as part of a mission organized by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). It is the first SATLANTIS camera that goes into space, which makes this project a key milestone for the development of the technology and the company itself.
The project is pioneering in several ways. First, the camera has the honor of being the first device manufactured outside of Japan to be installed in the Japanese section of the ISS. Specifically, after passing all the required homologation tests, the camera has been placed in the external platform of the Japanese Experimental Module Kibo.
At the technical level, iSIM-170 represents a revolution in the observation capabilities from space. The camera is a miniaturized system that weighs just 15 kilograms and is capable of providing submeter resolution of the planet’s surface. Thanks to this unique combination of dimension and performance the system is expected to have a great impact on the space industry, reducing significantly the costs of the missions.
everis and SATLANTIS, strategic partners
The relationship between SATLANTIS and everis Group, an NTT DATA Company, started in 2016, when the multinational firm decided to invest in the startup’s equity through Fitalent, everis’ investment fund.
Since then, everis has maintained close ties with SATLANTIS, which have come to be more than a mere investment. Nowadays both companies work together in the development of new projects and commercial opportunities, as well as in the promotion of their solutions. The relationship with SATLANTIS exemplifies everis Group’s philosophy of collaboration with high-tech SMEs to develop innovative ecosystems.