BIP
NASA will use the Wroclaw company's telescopes for Earth observation
Scanway, a Wroclaw-based space observation technology company, has secured €3.2 million in funding to build two Earth observation telescopes for NASA. The total funding for the project from the European Space Agency is €3.94 million.
Scanway, a space observation technology company, will develop and deliver two telescopes for the future VHR Earth observation constellation for the demonstration microsatellite. This will be done jointly with Marble Imaging as part of the SEMOViS project funded by the European Space Agency.
Satellites to be launched in 1.5 years
The launch of a demonstration satellite into low Earth orbit is planned for late 2025/early 2026. Exolaunch will be responsible for the project, which will have a free slot thanks to Marble Imaging and Scanway winning a prestigious competition organized by the German Space Agency.
Scanway, based in Wroclaw, has secured €3.2 million for the venture under the InCubed program, one of the European Space Agency's optional programs.
According to Jedrzej Kowalewski, President of Scanway S.A., the signed agreement is a record in the company's history.
The funds will be used to implement our most ambitious project to date. Together with Marble Imaging, we intend to develop Europe's first constellation of satellites providing very high-resolution multispectral Earth data.
Jedrzej Kowalewski, CEO Scanway S.A.
According to the Scanway CEO, so far only one European company has offered such a solution in the New Space segment. This will enable the Wroclaw-based company to significantly expand its pool of potential customers.
A step towards European space independence
Scanway's satellites will make it possible to record a great deal of information and details that are a useful source of knowledge for issues such as national security, climate change adaptation or rapid response and disaster mitigation. This type of data is often sourced from companies outside Europe, creating supply chain and availability risks.
Our solution ensures Europe's independence and autonomy through easy and uninterrupted access to VHR data. The demonstration satellite will be a very important first step towards this goal.
Jedrzej Kowalewski, CEO Scanway S.A.
The success of the demonstration satellite mission will be a prelude to the planned construction of a constellation in which Scanway could potentially supply imaging telescopes at an estimated unit price of around €1.1 million per imaging instrument.
Will Wroclaw conquer space?
Scanway develops and commercializes products for the space sector, including optical instruments for Earth observation and satellite self-diagnostics, as well as for industry (vision systems). With the launch at the beginning of 2023 of a satellite equipped with a vision system and an optical telescope designed and manufactured in its laboratories, Scanway will have achieved the so-called flight heritage, i.e. the confirmation of the reliability and functionality of its solutions in space conditions.