Space Products & Innovation
Satellites Help Find Treasured Trash
Satellite imagery continues to be used in surprising ways. One startup, Terra Recovery, is using satellite remote sensing technology in tandem with flying drones to find mining opportunities in the United Kingdom and North America.
European Radar Satellite Helps with California Quake
The August 2014 earthquake in Napa Valley, California prompted organizations from very different backgrounds to provide space-sourced data to the affected communities. The European Space Agency (ESA), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and Google all provided information showing the aftermath of the 6.0 magnitude earthquake.
Spying Me, Spying You – Satellite Imagery on a Phone
There was a time when obtaining high-resolution imagery from satellite sources required a security clearance and a secure facility. Today, high-resolution imagery is an accessible, inexpensive, and portable reality due to companies such as Orbit Logic, which released smartphone software application SpyMeSat to the public in late 2013.
Courier Coordination and Tracking
Some online retailers are trying their best to deliver goods within two days of an order. One small, same-day courier service, tiramizoo, is attempting to heighten delivery expectations and beat other delivery services by embracing the benefits of satellite navigation technology and online maps.
Don’t Panic! Handheld Electronic Guide helps Tired Tourists
Satellites, cellphones, and software applications converge to provide a personalized tour guide service for those traveling throughout Europe. Software application creators, such as LatitudeN, are combining a smartphone’s satellite navigation technology with mapping software, imagery, and travel content to provide travelers a personalized tour experience.
Exploring the Edge of Space in a Spacesuit, then Falling Quickly to Earth
People have dreamt of falling from great heights for centuries, but one man, Alan Eustace, fulfilled that terrifying dream in October 2014. His dream: to explore, and then fall from, the edge of space in a spacesuit.
2014 – Space Products and Services Overview
People recognize the benefits of space products and services, using creativity to overcome daily existential challenges and improve lives. The space products and services industry crosses the spectrum of demands and necessities, and continued to grow in 2014, sometimes leveraging the same kind of technology to help with different challenges.
Collaboration Between Space Agencies and the Public
The innovation that characterizes space programs and operations presents a complementary set of opportunities for space agencies: new ideas to solve complicated problems in space (spin-ons) and new ways to adapt space technologies for beneficial products and services for Earth (spinoffs).
Space Products and Services – TSR 2014
2013 – Space Products and Services Overview
Space products and services developed over the course of decades have altered the way people relate to both their planet and each other. Constellations of satellites orbiting the Earth provide a steady stream of information. Detailed forecasts provided by weather satellites as well as environmental monitoring and resource tracking by Earth observation satellites serve to improve the way humanity understands its surroundings.