Australian company HEO announced an agreement with Planet that enables it to direct high-resolution SkySat satellites to capture images of spacecraft and other space objects, in a mission known as non-Earth imaging, or NEI. Instead of using these satellites to observe Earth’s surface when they are available for that purpose, HEO will be able to task them to image objects in orbit.
The two companies disclosed the partnership on August 17, without announcing financial terms. In the initial phase, SkySat images produced by non-Earth imaging missions will be available only to HEO’s U.S. government customers because of licensing-related issues.
What does the partnership add in practice?
HEO relies on Earth-observation satellites operated by other companies to image spacecraft, then uses its analytical expertise to interpret those images. With the addition of SkySat satellites, the company will have access to more than 50 sensors in orbit, most of them operated by companies engaged in Earth observation.
HEO’s concept is based on distributing imaging equipment across multiple locations and orbits, rather than relying on large, expensive satellites dedicated exclusively to this task. Will Crowe, the company’s chief executive, said that having a camera in the right place at the right time increases the chances of capturing the required image of an object of interest.
Why does this development matter?
The partnership gives HEO broader orbital imaging capabilities by leveraging infrastructure that already exists, while also supporting the monitoring of activities that may be difficult to assess from the ground. John Powers, general manager of Planet Federal, said that combining the high-resolution SkySat constellation with HEO’s analytical expertise is intended to provide a rapid and scalable capability for imaging objects in orbit.
HEO uses this type of imagery in cases including helping identify satellites launched as part of groups in rideshare missions, as well as studying a SpaceX Starlink satellite that experienced a malfunction. The images showed that the satellite was spinning unstably, but had not broken apart.
From government to commercial use
HEO estimates that 90% of its business comes from government customers, compared with 10% from commercial customers, and therefore does not view the initial restriction of SkySat imagery to the U.S. government as a major obstacle. Crowe expects the images to later become available to commercial customers, saying that commercial interest in non-Earth imaging is growing, although it remains at an early stage.
He added that the partnership could eventually expand to include Planet’s other satellites, Pelican and Dove, alongside SkySat, without specifying a timetable.
HEO’s path toward continuous monitoring
Earlier in the year, HEO acquired its first satellite, Continuum-1, which was built by Satellogic and launched three years ago under the name NewSat-34. The satellite allows the company to move from a model in which it tasks a satellite to capture images on demand to regular monitoring of objects of interest, enabling comparisons between images taken before and after a particular event.
HEO also announced plans to use Continuum-1 to conduct a test of rendezvous and maneuvering operations near a derelict rocket body in low Earth orbit, approaching it to within tens of kilometers. A successful test would demonstrate the feasibility of using such maneuvers to obtain more continuous images of space objects.