Space Commerce

BlackSky’s New Satellites Complete Commissioning, Enter Revenue-Generating Operations Within 18 Hours

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
Black Sky
March 29, 2023
Filed under ,
BlackSky’s New Satellites Complete Commissioning, Enter Revenue-Generating Operations Within 18 Hours
BlackSky

BlackSky Technology Inc. (NYSE: BKSY) successfully commissioned two new satellites that began revenue-generating commercial operations within 18 hours of “The Beat Goes On” launch mission.

“BlackSky has more than doubled our on-orbit capacity in the last 18 months, with enough capacity to support growth over the next two years,” said Nick Merski, BlackSky chief operating officer. “Our flexible architecture gives us the ability to realize incremental benefits quickly as we add ever-advancing, multi-generational capability to our constellation.”

BlackSky’s first-of-a-kind commercial constellation provides reliable and dynamic hourly monitoring, up to 15 times a day from dawn until dusk.

“With next generation capabilities on the horizon, this launch reinforces BlackSky’s relentless commitment to advancing consistent and uninterrupted real-time intelligence and global monitoring services for our customers,” Merski added.

BlackSky achieved a baseline operational constellation of 14 low earth orbit small satellites in 2022. The satellites launched Friday temporarily bring the total number of operational spacecraft to 16. The new satellites will eventually assume the operational role of two satellites deployed in 2018 which have exceeded their three-year design lifespan by more than one year.

About BlackSky Technology Inc.

BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky delivers on-demand, high frequency imagery, monitoring and analytics of the most critical and strategic locations, economic assets, and events in the world.

BlackSky designs, owns and operates one of the industry’s leading low earth orbit small satellite constellations, optimized to capture imagery cost-efficiently where and when our customers need it. BlackSky’s Spectra AI software platform processes data from BlackSky’s constellation and from other third-party sensors to develop the critical insights and analytics that our customers require.

BlackSky is relied upon by U.S. and international government agencies, commercial businesses, and organizations around the world. BlackSky is headquartered in Herndon, VA, and is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange as BKSY. To learn more, visit www.blacksky.com and follow us on Twitter.

SpaceRef co-founder, Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA, Away Teams, Journalist, Space & Astrobiology, Lapsed climber.