A fourth radiofrequency geolocation satellite for Unseenlabs

Pleiades Neo 4, main passenger

As during its previous mission, on April 29 (VV18), the main payload of the European Vega light bomber during flight VV19, performed on August 17 from the Guyana Space Center, was a new commercial Earth observation satellite. generation. new chandelierBuilt by Airbus Defense and Space.

Next to him were four auxiliary passengers, who were deployed as part of the third multiple launch mission SSMS (Small spacecraft mission service) d ‘Arianespace : accompanied by, 1U educational cubes fromEuropean Space Agency It aims to study the performance of a technology based on LEDs (light-emitting diodes) for independent optical tracking of satellites in low orbit; radcop, 3U technology cubes from the European Space Agency (ESA) to be used to validate instrument miniature technologies aimed at measuring space radiation and the magnetic field environment in low orbit in situ for space weather monitoring purposes; sun storm, 2U cubes still from ESA designed to detect X-ray pulses from coronal mass ejections, during which hundreds of millions of tons of matter are expelled from the Sun’s surface, thanks to an innovative spectrometer; And Bro 4 (Breizh Reconnaissance Orbiter-4), a 6U geolocation cube developed by startup Rennes Unseenlabs, the leading private operator of Cubesats in France, was created in 2015 by Clément and Jonathan Galic.

Geolocation of any ship at sea

Bro 4 is in a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 550 km, and is now the fourth element in the Unseenlabs constellation.

This, thanks to onboard satellite technology, provides a spectrum clock and electromagnetic intelligence service for marine traffic control : From a single nano-satellite, the location of any ship at sea can be determined in almost real time and to the nearest kilometer.

Therefore, the tool targets a wide range of maritime players, and provides accurate and up-to-date data on the locations of ships. It allows for better monitoring of activities at sea, both to meet the needs of marine companies, and to help institutions and organizations combat illegal and anti-environmental behaviour.

In the end, a constellation of 20 to 25 satellites

Bro 1 paved the way in August 2019 Using the original New Zealand launcher Electron.

Bro 2 and 3, still on Electron, followed in November 2020.

Breton now has the most advanced tower in its field. And it announced last April that it had raised an additional 20 million euros to help it grow its group by 2025, reaching between 20 and 25 satellites.