Speakers Bio & Abstract

Biography
Mr. Pirondini is co-founder and CEO of Deimos Imaging, a Spanish company part of the Canadian UrtheCast group, operating and marketing the Deimos-1 and Deimos-2 EO satellites. An Aerospace Engineer with an Executive MBA, Mr. Pirondini has more than 15 years of experience in the Earth Observation value chain, encompassing technical aspects, business development, strategy and management. In 2014 he co-founded the PanGeo Alliance of EO satellite operators.Abstract
UrtheCast Constellation: the world's first fully-integrated Optical and SAR commercial constellation of EO satellitesUrtheCast, a Canadian company which acquired Deimos Imaging (Spain) in 2015, is developing the world's first fully-integrated, multispectral optical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) commercial constellation of Earth Observation satellites (the 'UrtheCast Constellation'), scheduled to launch in 2019. The UrtheCast Constellation will comprise a minimum of 16 satellites (8 optical and 8 SAR) flying in two orbital planes, with each plane consisting of four satellite pairs. Each pair of satellites will consist of a dual-mode (video and pushbroom), high-resolution optical satellite and a dual-band (X-band and L-band) high-resolution SAR satellite, flying in tandem. The UrtheCast Constellation will provide unmatched imaging capabilities, including high collection capacity, optical and SAR data fusion, weather-independent high-resolution imaging using the SAR, target revisit, and imaging latency. By flying the satellites in tightly-paired SAR and optical tandem formations, the UrtheCast Constellation is expected to offer a number of innovative capabilities, including onboard real-time processing, cross-cueing between the satellites, and real-time cloud imaging on the leading SAR satellites that enables cloud avoidance in the trailing optical satellites. By employing two orbital planes, the UrtheCast Constellation will allow for maximum revisit rates in the mid-latitudes, while providing global coverage extending to the poles. This presentation describes the UrtheCast Constellation, its development status, and its foreseen product portfolio.