Airbus has selected Skynopy, a French NewSpace company specialising in satellite ground station services, to support the enhancement of the ground segment for its very high-resolution optical imagery services based on its Pléiades Neo satellites.
Through this collaboration, Airbus strengthens the performance and responsiveness of its Earth observation services by leveraging Skynopy’s next-generation, fully virtualised ground station systems. The service is designed to improve Airbus Pleiades Neo reactivity and reduce data latency over several areas of interest, meeting the growing demand from institutional and commercial customers for faster access to very high-resolution imagery.
Enhancing responsiveness for very high-resolution Earth observation services
Pléiades Neo satellites are part of Airbus’ high-resolution optical constellation, delivering imagery with high reactivity for a wide range of applications, including defence, security, crisis management, environmental monitoring and commercial services.
By integrating Skynopy’s ground station services into its operations, Airbus is able to further optimise data acquisition and downlink performance, reducing the time between image acquisition and data availability. This enhanced responsiveness represents a key differentiator for customers requiring faster access to critical Earth observation data.
A new approach to ground segment operations
Skynopy brings a fully software-defined approach to the ground segment, combining a centralised orchestration platform with virtualised modem technologies. This architecture enables the rapid deployment and operation of new ground stations, as well as flexible allocation of ground resources according to mission needs. During an initial operational test conducted earlier this year, the ground segment integration was completed in record time, demonstrating the ability to deploy and qualify new ground capabilities within weeks, and to transition to operational service within a few months. The solution also enables real-time data downlink with high quality of service, supporting demanding Earth observation missions.
“This collaboration with Airbus illustrates how a fully software-defined and virtualised ground segment can bring tangible performance gains for very high-resolution Earth observation services,” said Antonin Hirsch, CTO and co-founder of Skynopy. “Our objective is to enable satellite operators to deploy and operate ground infrastructure faster, with greater flexibility, while delivering the levels of responsiveness and data availability expected by today’s most demanding users.”
Illustrating agile collaboration between a major industrial player and a NewSpace company
This collaboration highlights Airbus’ ability to work with innovative European startups to continuously enhance its services and remain at the forefront of Earth observation capabilities. It also reflects the growing role of agile, software-driven ground segment solutions in supporting next-generation satellite systems.
Skynopy’s model, based on a hybrid network of shared and proprietary ground infrastructure, contributes to strengthening the European space ecosystem and supporting sovereign capabilities, in line with Airbus’ long-standing commitment to innovation and industrial excellence.
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