This new launch, the fifth, will take place on 13 January. It is part of Unseenlabs' plan to have 20 to 25 satellites in orbit by 2025. After launching with Arianespace in August 2021, Unseenlabs will this time entrust the launch of BRO-5 to SpaceX, diversifying the company's means of access to space through its collaboration with a new international launch services player.
Unseenlabs' service, focused on radio frequency geolocation of ships at sea, has been active since the first satellite launch - BRO-1 - in August 2019. Since then, each new launch has increased the service's capabilities, notably by increasing its responsiveness and the amount of data produced. The launch of the 5th pillar in the Unseenlabs constellation, a 10-kilogram satellite moving at 7 kilometers per second around the Earth, will once again improve the revisit time of the French company, which is already one of the best on the market for intercepting radio frequency signals from space.
"The deployment of BRO-5 enables us to strengthen our international activities, and to reaffirm the place of our constellation as the most developed in the field of RF interception from space. By pursuing innovation and increasing the quality of our service, it is part of the French space strategy of the France 2030 plan, mentioned by Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy, Finance and Recovery, in Vernon on December 6," said Clément Galic, CEO and co-founder of Unseenlabs.
"After a successful year in 2021 for Unseenlabs, both in terms of new collaborations and the launch of a fourth satellite - BRO-4 - on August 16 with Arianespace, we intend to continue this trend in 2022. We are proud to carry out the first launch of the year, which comes in a promising context for the development of our business," adds Jonathan Galic, Chief Technology Officer and co-founder of Unseenlabs.
The company will also continue to increase its workforce, which is already around thirty employees, to support this hypergrowth phase and the launches planned for this year.