HotSat-2: Britain’s new space satellite can track activity inside walls from orbit
A British-made satellite capable of looking through walls and detecting detailed heat signatures will fly to space this week.
Made by London-based SatVu, HotSat-2 will provide data on human activity, even when people are hidden behind ceilings and walls.
Reports suggest the satellite could look “inside” Iran’s nuclear sites to help determine whether they are active. However, in other use cases, the capability may pose ethical concerns related to privacy and pervasive surveillance.
SatVu’s HotSat-2 to fly this week
SatVu’s HotSat-2 will fly to space aboard SpaceX’s latest rideshare mission, Transporter-16. The mission will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, currently scheduled to launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on March 29.
London-based SatVu provides high-resolution thermal imagery from space. According to a report by The Telegraph, the company’s satellites use advanced infrared cameras to capture images 30 times more detailed than those of NASA’s Landsat satellite.
That same article noted that satellite imagery played a key role in the recent US-Iran conflict, which is having a devastating impact on civilian life and risks a devastating global recession.
SatVu has previously detected increased activity at North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center. The company, which is backed by £30m ($40.2m) in Nato funding, says HotSat-2 is now integrated for launch this week.
SatVu eventually aims to fly a constellation of eight satellites in total, enabling coverage of any location on Earth with only a two-hour waiting time. The company has deals in place with the US government, Japan, and several European nations. Though it has UK government backing, it does not currently have a contract in place with the UK.
The importance of thermal data intelligence
Satellites like HotSat-2 could provide key data to allies amid the ongoing conflict in Iran. They could also help to reduce fuel price volatility by providing a more comprehensive picture of infrastructure damage in the Middle East.
In an interview with The Telegraph, SatVu CEO and co-founder Anthony Baker said: “If you see a big explosion at Ras Laffan in Qatar, you don’t know how much of it has gone up in flames. Our imagery lets you know with much more certainty what part has been hit and has gone offline.”
According to the CEO, his company’s imagery is so detailed that it can show whether individual pumps in a nuclear reactor are switched on or off. It can also show whether a ship is being loaded with oil based on its heat signature.
Separately, in a SatVu press statement announcing the upcoming HotSat-2 launch, Baker noted that, “by returning to orbit, we are restoring a critical capability for our partners and customers. High-resolution thermal data is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’; it is a fundamental requirement to complete geographical intelligence assessments.”
