Hydrosat’s payload to measure land surface temperatures can help military

Remote sensing startup Hydrosat has launched a payload to monitor Earth’s hot-spots, using satellite data to measure land temperatures for security applications.

By utilizing data from a range of Earth monitoring satellites and a sophisticated software suite for data fusion, the new payload offers valuable insights into land surface temperatures.

This technology has notable implications for military and national security applications, enhancing the ability to track and analyze critical environmental changes.

Measuring water stress for climate change solutions

The Hydrosat VanZyl-1 mission , equipped with a thermal infrared camera, was launched aboard Loft Orbital’s YAM-7 spacecraft by SpaceX’s Falcon 9 from Vandenberg SFB, California, as part of the Transporter-11 rideshare mission. Originally scheduled for July 8, the launch was delayed due to the grounding of Falcon 9 flights following a Starlink launch failure on July 11, Breaking Defense reports .

The startup, which has offices in California, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, focuses on measuring water stress for environmental and climate change applications in the civil and commercial sectors.

According to Hydrosat’s co-founder Royce Dalby, the company measures plant temperatures to assess their health and provide farmers with information to boost their yields. Additionally, Hydrosat’s precise land surface temperature measurements—using data from various Earth monitoring satellites and advanced software for data fusion—also have potential military and national security applications.

In a previous interview, Hydrosat CEO Pieter Fossel explained that drier land is hotter than wetter land, and areas with vegetation are cooler compared to arid regions with sparse plant life—factors crucial for military operations navigating terrain or airspace.

Before launching anything into orbit, the company secured several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grants from the US Air Force to explore using its hot-spot monitoring data for predicting hazardous “brown outs” caused by dusty soil that could threaten helicopter landings.

Additionally, the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which manages the US spy satellite fleet, awarded Hydrosat a study contract last December to assess its analytical capabilities and future imagery potential.

Hydrosat’s 16-satellite network to provide global coverage with daily Earth observations

The company plans to operate a 16-satellite constellation in sun-synchronous low Earth orbit at about 529 kilometers altitude to ensure global coverage, capturing images of the same location on Earth at the same local time each day.

The satellites’ cameras will cover a 185-kilometer swath of ground using a “push broom” sweeping technique, eliminating the need for special tasking to specific targets.

The satellites will be equipped with thermal infrared sensors for night imaging and a seven-channel multispectral payload for daytime visibility across various wavelengths. Optical sensors are ideal for visible light during the day, while infrared cameras can capture images at night.

Sometime next year, the firm plans to launch a second instrument on a microsat owned by Muon Space, from which Hydrosat will deliver imagery services.