SatVu, the British thermal intelligence company, has released first light imagery from the HotSat-2 satellite, marking a major milestone in the deployment of its commercial high-resolution thermal imaging constellation. The newly captured imagery showcases operational activity at three strategically significant energy facilities across Cuba, India and Australia, demonstrating how thermal intelligence can provide independent, real-time insights into critical infrastructure operating in politically sensitive or logistically challenging environments.
The thermal images highlight the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Cuba, the Reliance Industries Jamnagar Refinery in India, and the Gorgon LNG project in Western Australia. These sites represent three distinct geopolitical and energy-security contexts, including Cuba’s sanctioned domestic crude refining efforts, reduced operational capacity at the world’s largest refinery during an ongoing energy crisis, and production activity at one of the world’s largest LNG projects. Significantly, HotSat-2 captured thermal evidence of activity at the Cuban refinery on 25 April 2026—two days before the Cuban government officially announced the restart of refined product output from domestic crude.
This first-light release demonstrates SatVu’s transition from technology development into full operational thermal intelligence services. While HotSat-1 validated the concept of high-resolution thermal imaging from space, HotSat-2 delivers commercially actionable intelligence with improved resolution, reliability, and revisit frequency. The satellite’s thermal infrared capability enables continuous monitoring of operational activity both day and night, offering insights that electro-optical and synthetic aperture radar systems cannot provide, particularly when evaluating capacity utilisation, heat output, operational status, and 24-hour production cycles.
One of the key images released shows the Gorgon LNG project operating at approximately 50% capacity during nighttime conditions, highlighting the unique ability of thermal imagery to monitor industrial activity regardless of lighting conditions. Another image of the Hermanos Díaz refinery in Santiago de Cuba provided independent verification of refining activity before any public disclosure, reinforcing the value of thermal intelligence as an early-warning and verification tool in restricted or opaque jurisdictions. Similarly, imagery of the Reliance Industries Jamnagar Refinery in India indicated that the facility was not operating at full capacity, offering additional insight into global energy market dynamics.
Anthony Baker, CEO and Co-Founder of SatVu comments on the newly released intelligence: "SatVu was founded to give governments and customers access to intelligence they cannot get elsewhere. With HotSat-2 in orbit, that capability is operational. These images show what independent thermal data delivers in the markets that need it most - sanctions monitoring, energy security, and the operational state of the assets moving global commodities. The appetite across national security, economic and environmental monitoring is a powerful validation of what we are building."
Scott Herman, Chief Technology Officer, SatVu added, "Thermal infrared shows what other sensors miss. SatVu changes the game for Global Monitoring missions – daytime and nighttime high-resolution thermal imagery from space delivers unprecedented insight into operational activities at facilities anywhere in the world. The Cuba image - captured before public acknowledgement of the refinery's restart - illustrates exactly what thermal intelligence makes possible: independent verification of activity in places that are otherwise difficult to monitor. This new data layer enables a higher level of operational understanding and validation: confirming what is running, when, and at what intensity. On or off, Hot or not. For commodity traders, energy operators, intelligence agencies, and environmental regulators, this highly valuable operational understanding directly informs commercial positioning, risk assessment, and strategic decision-making.”
Against the current backdrop of sustained disruption and expanding sanctions, access to timely, independent intelligence is no longer optional - governments, markets, and operators must understand real-world activity and make decisions in an uncertain global environment.
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