{"id":11321,"date":"2025-01-24T09:28:32","date_gmt":"2025-01-24T08:28:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commercialisation.esa.int\/?p=11321"},"modified":"2025-12-05T10:19:22","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T09:19:22","slug":"three-incubed-enabled-satellites-take-new-heights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commercialisation.esa.int\/?p=11321","title":{"rendered":"Three InCubed-enabled Satellites Take New Heights"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>On 14 January 2025, at 20:09 CET,<strong> three InCubed-enabled satellites<\/strong> \u2013 <strong>FOREST-3<\/strong>, <strong>Sky-Bee-1<\/strong> and <strong>AIX<\/strong> \u2013 <strong>have been launched aboard SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-12 mission from the Vandenberg Space Force Base<\/strong>, California, showing ESA\u2019s commitment to <strong>fostering industry partnerships<\/strong> and <strong>driving innovation in Earth Observation technologies<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The development of these satellites was enabled by the European Space Agency\u2019s Earth Observation <strong>InCubed programme<\/strong>, managed by <strong>ESA \u03a6-lab<\/strong>, that focuses on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth Observation imagery and datasets.<\/p>\n<h2>AIX: AI in Orbit<\/h2>\n<p>Developed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetek.it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Planetek Italia<\/a>, in collaboration with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dorbit.space\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">D-Orbit<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/aikospace.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AIKO<\/a>, <strong>AIX <\/strong>redefines satellite capabilities with its innovative \u201c<strong>satellite-as-a-service<\/strong>\u201d model, providing customers with the flexibility to design and test AI applications directly in orbit. AIX offers <strong>on-demand access to in-orbit resources<\/strong>, delivering data and actionable insights while allowing users to customise their own acquisition and processing workflows. This <strong>adaptable platform<\/strong> empowers businesses and researchers to harness the potential of space-based AI solutions efficiently and effectively.<\/p>\n<h2>FOREST-3 and its Wildfire Detection<\/h2>\n<p><strong>FOREST-3<\/strong>, a nanosatellite developed by Germany-based <a href=\"https:\/\/ororatech.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OroraTech<\/a>, is the precursor of a constellation that addresses a crucial problem in thermal-infrared satellite data coverage \u2013 it is often limited in the afternoon local time. Timely wildfire detection and real-time monitoring are critical to reducing carbon dioxide emissions and minimising environmental and urban damage. Equipped with an <strong>advanced multispectral thermal-infrared camera<\/strong> and <strong>upgraded hardware<\/strong>, FOREST-3 <strong>enhances wildfire detection during afternoon hours<\/strong>, ensuring long-term orbital thermal imaging for more effective monitoring.<\/p>\n<h2>Sky-Bee-1: Monitoring Crops and Climate<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.constellr.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">constellr<\/a> developed <strong>Sky-Bee-1<\/strong>, the first satellite in the High-precision Versatile Ecosphere (HiVE) constellation. It helps in <strong>monitoring crop health to optimise yields<\/strong>, <strong>detects weaknesses in transport networks<\/strong> during extreme weather events, and <strong>identifies heat islands<\/strong>, contributing to the design of more sustainable, climate-adaptive cities.<\/p>\n<h2>InCubed and Industry Collaboration<\/h2>\n<p>The three satellites demonstrate the<strong> successful collaboration between InCubed and the industry<\/strong>, introducing innovative services and products to the Earth Observation market and focusing on thermal-infrared technology and in-orbit processing. These advancements <strong>enable new services for both institutional and private customers<\/strong>, supporting critical applications such as wildfire detection, agriculture, asset monitoring, and more.<\/p>\n<p>To know more about these satellites, click on the button below.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Applications\/Observing_the_Earth\/InCubed_launches_highlight_ESA_s_support_for_innovation\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"btn btn btn-outline-secondary ms-0\">Read more<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On 14 January 2025, at 20:09 CET, three InCubed-enabled satellites \u2013 FOREST-3, Sky-Bee-1 and AIX \u2013 have been launched aboard SpaceX\u2019s Transporter-12 mission from the Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":11322,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[249],"tags":[574,607,606,441],"directorate":[432],"sts-api_categories":[],"esa-fields":[4,258],"class_list":["post-11321","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-spacex","tag-value-of-earth","tag-vandenberg-space-force-base","tag-wildfire","directorate-earth-observation","esa-fields-environment-wildlife-and-natural-resources","esa-fields-satellites"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - 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