Innovation in space-based intelligence: Three key themes from WSBW

World Space Business Week (WSBW) is a premier annual gathering for leaders across the defense industry and its customers, yielding crucial opportunities for customer and executive discussions, networking and reflection on innovation and exciting developments ahead. This year, BlackSky spoke at the event and received the Leading Earth Observation Business award for innovation in space-based intelligence capabilities.  
 
We left WSBW with three key takeaways.  

 

1. A software-first adoption model makes space-based intelligence more accessible  

On the Leading Operators Shaping the Earth Observation Market panel, BlackSky SVP of Global Sales Andy Stephenson discussed how the increased need for Earth Observation (EO) data encourages the industry to move away from its historical focus on satellite hardware. Taking a software-first approach over your entire architecture gives customers immediate access to imagery and analytics services over priority areas of interest. 

“Demand for EO data is growing and scaling,” he said. “Customers are evaluating the transition to a dynamic, software-first adoption model.”  

A software-first approach lowers the barrier to entry for nations seeking sovereign, space-based intelligence capabilities and is reshaping how organizations see and understand the most important security and economic events. Rather than endure years-long procurement cycles and spending millions upfront, a subscription-based software solution means critical intelligence is delivered quickly.  

2. Non-Earth Imaging is a crucial tool for Space Domain Awareness 

At WSBW, BlackSky and HEO announced a partnership to bring automated low-latency capabilities to Non-Earth Imaging (NEI) services for defense, intelligence and commercial use.  

BlackSky Chief Operations Officer, Nick Merski, told SpaceWatch Global in Paris that we “deliver [space domain awareness] in a very automated way, at scale. Bringing that capability together with the market demand is really exciting.”  

Space situational awareness is critically important for customers as the space domain continues to become a highly contested operational environment. Automatically tasking and receiving NEI products gives customers reliable and actionable space-based intelligence about spacecraft or on-orbit objects of interest at mission speed. 

Activating NEI capabilities means we can leverage unused capacity typically associated with satellites passing over the ocean or satellites in eclipse, traveling across the dark side of Earth. 

 

3. Low latency and speed are industry differentiators

To end the week, Novaspace recognized BlackSky for excellence and innovation in Earth Observation based on a track record of delivering commercial real-time, space-based intelligence at mission speed and scale using high-cadence, rapid-revisit satellite imagery and AI-driven analytics.  

“BlackSky is honored to receive the Novaspace 2024 Leading Earth Observation Business Award at the World Space Business Week,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “This recognition is only possible with the collective passion and commitment displayed every day by the entire BlackSky team as we lead the Earth Observation industry into a new era of dynamic, real-time, low latency monitoring.”

 

A sincere thank you to Novaspace and all of this year’s participants for making WSBW such an enlightening event. We are excited to see how the industry develops and grows when we reconvene next year.  

Eager to learn how space-based intelligence can unlock value across your mission? Start a conversation with us today.