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On Friday, August 16, at 11:56 a.m. PT, Falcon 9 launched Transporter-11, SpaceX’s 11th dedicated smallsat rideshare program mission, from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. To date, SpaceX has launched more than 1,000 smallsats for 130+ customers across our entire Rideshare program. This was the 12th flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched SDA-0A, SARah-2, and nine Starlink missions. Tanager-1’s payload included a cubesat built by San Francisco-based company Aethero, the first space-hardened Nvidia AI GPU built into the Aethero device, and Planet’s first hyperspectral satellite.
Watch Falcon 9 launch 116 spacecraft to orbit https://t.co/bCvFMhLj6L
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 15, 2024
AI…[took] a major leap to conquer the final frontier. An Nvidia Jetson Orin NX chip, one of the most popular AI and edge computing GPUs, [travelled] to space…on SpaceX’s Transporter 11 mission.
While AI has taken the world by storm in recent years, the technology’s deployment in orbit has been slow. Outside of Earth’s atmosphere, ionized particles and cosmic rays hammer satellites, threatening their electronics. For computers to survive in space, they must be hardened — made of resilient materials and designed to withstand high doses of radiation. But to make a computer fit for space takes years. Satellite manufacturers therefore often have to make do with rather obsolete processors. While AI has taken the world by storm in recent years, the technology’s deployment in orbit has been slow. Outside of Earth’s atmosphere, ionized particles and cosmic rays hammer satellites, threatening their electronics. For computers to survive in space, they must be hardened — made of resilient materials and designed to withstand high doses of radiation. But to make a computer fit for space takes years. Satellite manufacturers therefore often have to make do with rather obsolete processors.
The GPU [flew] aboard a cubesat built by San Francisco-based company Aethero, a maker of high-performance, space-rated computers. The GPU’s only task during its four-month orbital mission will be to make mathematical calculations, the results of which will be beamed to Earth and carefully checked.
We are proud to announce today that our first hyperspectral satellite, Tanager-1—made possible by the Carbon Mapper Coalition and its philanthropic partners—is ready for launch. The spacecraft arrived at Vandenberg Space Force Base on June 3rd in preparation for liftoff as early as July on board the Transporter-11 Rideshare mission with SpaceX. Tanager-1 will be the first of a next-generation hyperspectral fleet which will expand Planet’s imaging capabilities in the spectral domain to complement the existing imaging capabilities in the temporal and spatial domains offered by the PlanetScope, SkySat, and Pelican missions.
Following on-orbit commissioning, Tanager-1 is planned to provide hyperspectral data both in support of the continued partnership with nonprofit organization Carbon Mapper and Planet’s broader commercial mission. Tanager-1 was enabled by the Carbon Mapper satellite program, which allowed Planet to combine our cutting-edge agile aerospace and smallsat bus technology with the state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer design developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. This collaboration plans to provide scientific-grade data to enable action on sustainability use cases such as greenhouse gas point-source emissions.
“This important collaboration with Planet and Carbon Mapper is an innovative way to confront Earth’s most urgent climate challenges head-on,” said Laurie Leshin, Director of NASA JPL. “Our imaging spectrometer technology and expertise, leveraged and deployed on Tanager-1, will enable a broad range of stakeholders to pinpoint methane super-emitters and take action to mitigate them. The work of the Carbon Mapper Coalition will truly have a global impact, and we are proud to take part in ensuring mission success.”
Expert scientists at Carbon Mapper will analyze future Tanager imagery to identify methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) “super-emitters” around the world. We expect to provide commercial hyperspectral data for a variety of use cases, including emissions monitoring, biodiversity assessments, vegetation analysis, minerals mapping, and water contaminant assessments.
Download a summary of OODAcon including useful observations to inform your strategic planning, product roadmap and drive informed customer conversations. This summary, based on the dialog during and after the event, also invites your continued input on these many dynamic trends. See: OODAcon 2023: Event Summary and Imperatives For Action.
After decades of stagnation, space innovation keeps pushing the boundaries of the possible with new firsts emerging on a monthly basis. This topic was explored at length OODAcon 2023, with a deep dive into the emerging opportunities, economies, and risks associated with the rapid development of space-based technologies, resource acquisition, and shift from the public to private sector.
The following captures insights from a discussion between Ryan Westerdahl, CEO Turion Space and Sita Sonty, CEO Space Tango.
All indications are that we are entering a new age of exploration and human expansion into space. Explore the new national security and economic realities of this new space rush in this OODAcon 2023 Closing Keynote conversation between OODA CTO Bob Gourley and the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of the US Space Force, Lisa Costa.
About the Author
Daniel Pereira is research director at OODA. He is a foresight strategist, creative technologist, and an information communication technology (ICT) and digital media researcher with 20+ years of experience directing public/private partnerships and strategic innovation initiatives.
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence
Informing your decisions with actionable intelligence