Former NASA employees at home in Europe
A true news scoop. That’s what Robbie Schingler, chief strategy officer of Dutch-based Planet Labs, revealed during his key note at the NL Space 2017 New Years event at Space Expo in Noordwijk. This February, a new space mission will launch in India, carrying 88 ‘Dove’ mini-satellites produced and operated by Planet Labs. Never before were so many satellites brought into orbit during one single space mission. Space Labs, founded by former NASA employees, has even bigger plans and feels perfectly at home in Europe.
Like no other, commercial enterprises such as Space Labs are capable of delivering space products and services, suited to today’s fast paced needs. Whether it concerns building or launching satellites or opening up collected data to a large audience, private companies are able to do it quicker and more efficiently than governments, says Schingler, who himself has worked at NASA's Ames Research Center for ten years.
Core product
The goal of Planet Labs is to capture earth, day in, day out by means of high resolution imaging. This stream of images will make global changes instantly recognizable and enable quick, effective and responsible decision making at any level, ranging from a farmer in Africa to world leaders debating global warming. A graphical user interface – the actual core product of Planet Labs - should open up all data to everyone. “That’s the level of transparency we aim for. We are working to create a European community of similarly minded people.”
Government
Governments will keep fulfilling an important and crucial role in creating space policies, says Schingler. “Luckily, I’m not only a space-geek, but also a real policy-geek. However, in the future governments will no longer will be process owner when it comes to space. That responsibility will taken up by commercial enterprises. Governments will move towards being a buyer of products and services provided by those companies.”
Amsterdam
Planet Labs moved its headquarters to Amsterdam in 2016 and now provides work to over 400 people worldwide. The merge in 2015 with German company RapidEye was one reason for the move to Europe, the close cooperation with ISIS in the Dutch city of Delft was another. Also, in Europe Planet Labs will be able to find plenty of skilled experts, says Schingler.
With its expertise, Planet Labs is capable of producing twenty new satellites in a week’s time, all according the latest standards in technology and production techniques. The only prohibiting factor in sending them to space at the same fast pace, is the limited amount of space launches worldwide. In 2016, there were only 85 launches. According to Schingler, private enterprise will be able to expand the number of launches in the near future.
For now, another 48 Dove satellites will take to space on board a Soyuz later in 2017. In orbit at 400 kilometers, they will do their work for a transparent planet. Governments will be buying a service that’s is better, cheaper and available faster, while also offering a way to quickly respond to the global changes around us.
A Planet Labs image of the Hague, Netherlands, captured on February 18, 2015
