BRO-5: Unseenlabs begins 2022 with the launch of its fifth ocean monitoring satellite
Rennes, 12th January 2022 – This new launch, the fifth, will take place on 13 January. It
is part of Unseenlabs’ plan to have 20 to 25 satellites in orbit by 2025. After launching
with Arianespace in August 2021, Unseenlabs will this time entrust the launch of BRO-
5 to SpaceX, diversifying the company’s means of access to space through its
collaboration with a new international launch services player.
Unseenlabs’ service, focused on radio frequency geolocation of ships at sea, has been active
since the first satellite launch – BRO-1 – in August 2019. Since then, each new launch has
increased the service’s capabilities, notably by increasing its responsiveness and the amount
of data produced. The launch of the 5th pillar in the Unseenlabs constellation, a 10-kilogram
satellite moving at 7 kilometers per second around the Earth, will once again improve the revisit
time of the French company, which is already one of the best on the market for intercepting
radio frequency signals from space.
“The deployment of BRO-5 enables us to strengthen our international activities, and to reaffirm
the place of our constellation as the most developed in the field of RF interception from space.
By pursuing innovation and increasing the quality of our service, it is part of the French space
strategy of the France 2030 plan, mentioned by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, Finance
and Recovery, in Vernon on December 6,” said Clément Galic, CEO and co-founder of
Unseenlabs.
“After a successful year in 2021 for Unseenlabs, both in terms of new collaborations and the
launch of a fourth satellite – BRO-4 – on August 16 with Arianespace, we intend to continue this
trend in 2022. We are proud to carry out the first launch of the year, which comes in a promising
context for the development of our business,” adds Jonathan Galic, Chief Technology Officer
and co-founder of Unseenlabs.
The company will also continue to increase its workforce, which is already around thirty
employees, to support this hypergrowth phase and the launches planned for this year.
Watch the BRO-5 launch trailer
About Unseenlabs
Created in 2015, Unseenlabs is an innovative company of French origin and a European leader in satellite RF
geolocation of ships at sea. Its proprietary onboard satellite technology is capable of geolocating any vessel at sea,
in near-real time, to within a kilometre, from a single nanosatellite. Unseenlabs supplies a wide range of maritime
stakeholders with accurate, up-to-date data on vessel positions, providing better tracking of activities at sea.
Whether meeting the data needs of maritime companies or assisting institutions and organisations in the fight
against unlawful and anti-environmental behaviour, such as illegal fishing or dumping of hydrocarbons, the
Unseenlabs service is intended as a solution that serves the oceans.
