Capturing Constant Change from Space

Why our partnership with Loft Orbital to build the EarthDaily Constellation matters.

On our planet, change is constant. From the shifting tides of the oceans to the growth of cities and the devastating effects of natural disasters, Earth is a dynamic and ever-evolving entity. While the facts on the ground are fluid and changing every day, decision-makers are too often forced to act on the basis of yesterday’s – or last year’s – assumptions and data. But what if we could observe these changes from a unique vantage point, every day, and use that data to make predictions and solve some of the world’s most pressing problems? That’s where EarthDaily Analytics (EDA) comes in. 

The world is changing faster than ever, and the need to monitor and respond to these changes has never been more critical. When wildfires are growing by the minute and encroaching upon inhabited areas, as they have across both Canada and Europe this year, daily satellite imagery can help both first responders and residents to better understand the risk, gauging the relative dryness and combustibility of wide swathes of surrounding forestland.  By providing these kinds of actionable, up-to-date insights on a fast-changing situation, EDA is able to help with both the response to crises already underway and also the prevention and mitigation of potential future crises not yet triggered.

Space provides a unique vantage point with a range of profound benefits, allowing EDA to observe the entire planet with unparalleled consistency. Moreover, EDA’s particular strategy weaves together two fundamental shifts currently changing the face of the space industry: First, distributed, disaggregated constellations in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) are making possible applications, accessibility, and affordability that were impossible in the earlier era of very large geostationary satellites. EDA’s 10-satellite constellation is an ideal blend of the global coverage and daily frequency of simplistic nano-sats and the high sophistication and data quality of larger, more capable satellites. This creates a dynamic, real-time view of our planet’s changes, from urban expansion and agricultural shifts to maritime tracking, methane monitoring, and countless other applications.

The second fundamental shift inherent in EDA’s strategy is its decision to focus its efforts wholly on what it does best – the collection, analysis, and provision of high-quality earth observation data and insights; the Company’s partnership with Loft Orbital (Loft) makes that focus and specialization possible and allows another best-in-class player to do what they do best. Loft’s turnkey satellite platform simplifies the process of accessing and utilizing this vast wealth of information. Designed to be the standard solution for anyone seeking answers about Earth, Loft integrates, tests, launches and operates the satellites, enabling EarthDaily to focus on finding the answers to what it is trying to track. Loft builds the necessary abstraction layers by using off-the-shelf satellite hardware like standardized buses with flight heritage from partnering with Airbus OneWeb, pairing it with the Hub, a modular paylod interface, and enabling rapid deployment of customer missions to space using a mission operations software called Cockpit.  This builds on last year’s announcement of an industry first with a global space leader delivering spacecraft to (Loft) and now we are proud to announce another similar batch of platforms. #NextSpace. The Longbow is a dedicated platform, based on the flight-proven OneWeb bus (700+ in orbit) This approach enables any company to be a space company.

By providing timely, accurate, multifaceted information about the current state and ongoing changes of the Earth, they empower decision-makers to take informed actions based on the facts as they are and will be, rather than what used to be.

While EarthDaily and Loft aren’t promising the answers to the ultimate questions of climate change, agriculture, and water security, they firmly believe that their data, analytics and infrastructure contribute significantly to developing these solutions and more deeply understanding the questions themselves. By providing timely, accurate, multifaceted information about the current state and ongoing changes of the Earth, they empower decision-makers to take informed actions based on the facts as they are and will be, rather than what used to be. Whether it’s optimizing agricultural practices, managing water resources, disaster response and mitigation, ESG monitoring, natural resource management, and compliance assessment, EarthDaily and Loft play a crucial role in shaping a better future for our planet.

There’s no question that the Earth is changing, and the time is long past for understanding that world through a static lens. With the continually updating stream of high-quality, satellite-derived data and insights made possible by EarthDaily and Loft’s strategic partnership, we have an unprecedented opportunity to understand, predict, and respond to these changes in real time. By harnessing the power of proven space technology and cutting-edge data analytics, we’re taking an important step toward creating a more resilient, responsive, and sustainable world.