--- title: Space for Everyone description: In this conversation with Mark Carmichael, Satellogic’s Senior Director of Business Development, we discuss Satellogic's mission to lower the cost of access to Earth Observation data. image: https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/NS_Episode05_hero-1.png --- - [All episodes](https://explorenewspace.com#allepisodes) - [About us](https://explorenewspace.com/about-us) - [Contact](https://explorenewspace.com/contact-us) - [Subscribe](https://explorenewspace.com#subscribe-section) # Space for Everyone [Listen now](https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone#popupform) LISTEN ON [![itunes-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Podcasts/itunes-icon.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/new-space/id1646518184) [![SoundCloud-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Podcasts/SoundCloud-icon.svg)](https://soundcloud.com/new-space-697923760) [![Spotify-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Podcasts/Spotify-icon.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/2N7ebnGbevSWjoVMo3wuWy) If there’s one thing the New Space podcast has made clear, it’s this: Space is the next big marketplace and will be a significant driver of the near-future global (and interstellar) economy. But the barriers to entry for most companies are enormous: high costs, satellite launch backlogs, long technology lead times, and more. Enter Satellogic. The company is working to break down those barriers and open up space-based observation, innovation, and opportunity to the masses.   #### The Goal: Democratize, Expand, and Commercialize the Space Sector “Satellogic is on a mission to democratize access to high-resolution, high-quality remote-sensing imagery,” says Mark Carmichael, the company’s Senior Director of Business Development. By deploying a large number of Earth Observation (EO) satellites, and by providing satellite services and capabilities to clients as needed, Satellogic’s goal is “to reduce cost and to amplify capacity so that virtually every market and individual users could come to us to get low-cost access to high-resolution imagery,” Mark says. The effect of this business model goes beyond democratization and into a greater opportunity for commercialization in space. This takes many forms, but Satellogic’s focus is well defined: “We have broken down our product offerings into three categories,” Mark says. These are: critical site monitoring, constellation-as-a-service, and responsive space systems. #### A New Twist on Site Monitoring “Somebody says, ‘I want a bunch of images’ … we provide them,” Mark says. “That’s easy enough to understand.” Well … yes, Satellogic’s critical site monitoring capability is easy to understand. But its complexity and range make it stand out. And that makes the service valuable to both state-level and commercial organizations. Also, Satellogic’s EO monitoring goes beyond static images and into recorded video, which is especially useful for defense. The video—which is actually more like a short snippet of motion, similar to the “live picture” function on modern smartphones and tablets—affords clients a clearer picture of what’s happening on the ground. “You can understand in the context of cars moving, traffic jams, aircraft taxiing or taking off at an airbase,” Mark says. “With a single frame of an image … you don’t know if the cars are moving, quickly or slowly or stopped, and the aircraft, as well—it may be on the taxiway, but maybe it’s broken there.” In commercial usage, Satellogic’s site monitoring service has numerous uses, including “illicit crop monitoring, forestry, agricultural support, land mapping,” Mark says.   #### Ad Hoc Satellite Services Satellogic’s constellation-as-a-service program provides countries “dedicated capacity on satellites, while the satellites \[are\] over their country,” Mark says. In essence, these clients are paying to use satellites only when those satellites’ data are applicable to them. This saves these countries money and time, since they would have to dedicate significant resources to designing, building, and launching their own constellations. And it cuts down on waste, since “certain countries don’t seek the capacity beyond their borders.” ### Earth Observation Insights from Satellogic ![Screen Shot 2023-01-18 at 8.30.39 PM-2](https://explorenewspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-18%20at%208.30.39%20PM-2.png?width=1694&height=952&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-01-18%20at%208.30.39%20PM-2.png) Hurricane Ian hit Florida’s southwest coast on Wednesday, September 28, leaving behind millions in damages.EO Data enables first responders, local governments, and insurance agencies to expedite search and rescue missions, damage assessments & recovery initiatives. ![Screen Shot 2023-01-18 at 8.36.20 PM-1](https://explorenewspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screen%20Shot%202023-01-18%20at%208.36.20%20PM-1.png?width=1376&height=772&name=Screen%20Shot%202023-01-18%20at%208.36.20%20PM-1.png) Creating a searchable Earth means capturing dynamic perspectives of our cities, mountains, and deserts for change detection, remote asset monitoring, 3D modeling, and more advanced EO applications as seen through this stunning off-nadir image of downtown Dubai and the Burj Khalifa. 01 / 10 #### A Fast Track to Space   For those countries or commercial entities that want to outright own constellations, but either can’t or don’t want to invest the resources and time needed, Satellogic has a space systems offering. “We’re launching satellites all the time,” Mark says. “They’re industry proven … and the iterations are based on the pedigree … We’re just basically selling  those satellites right out of our portfolio of coming satellite launches.” So, instead of the investing, the building, and the waiting, companies or countries “can immediately and cost-effectively get their industry engaged in this program,” Mark says. It’s “the ability to get access to satellites that we’re going to launch anyway … and essentially buying that forward and having very fast timelines on satellite ownership.” This offering also provides clients the opportunity to dip their proverbial toe into the space sector. By hosting its payload or experimental technology aboard Satellogic spacecraft, a client can essentially perform a low-cost test. “We’ll try it out together,” Mark says, “and if the data is operationally useful, maybe there’s a commercialization path for us together.”   #### A Unique—And Growing—Constellation   All this democratization and commercialization requires … well, satellites. Lots of them. Satellogic has 30 satellites in orbit. “Our plan is to get to over 200 satellites.” This ambitious goal raises two questions: Why so many satellites? And: Whoa—isn’t that expensive? To start with the *why*, Mark says: “Once you’ve got this large constellation, it gives you higher revisit, and revisit is how many times can you see a point of interest on the ground … in a number of days or weeks.” In other words: more satellites = more opportunities to pass by an observable area. And as for the expense? “Satellogic is, I think, unique in the market in that we actually built everything on the spacecraft,” Mark says. “If you’re able to … build your own designs, then you don’t need to pay the IP and recovery costs to somebody else.” That’s where the *why* and the *whoa* come together: “That kind of cost reduction is what is enabling and powering Satellogic’s business case to go and build the larger constellation.”   #### Customer-Led Innovation, Satellogic-Led Pioneering   Satellogic’s business model is unique, Mark says, because “it's not just Satellogic delivering satellites. It's Satellogic working with the industry community to build a joint capability for launch.” When a client or potential client identifies a need or potential opportunity in space, Satellogic is there to partner with them. Thus far, what these professionals want is clear, Mark says: “fast reliable access to data, high revisit, low cost, high quality.” That’s exactly what Satellogic offers. “It’s about the customer and their industry community getting airtime, essentially, in space.” ### Guests ###### Mark Carmichael Senior Director of Business Development, Satellogic Mark is passionate about helping customers achieve their mission objectives and protecting their national interests by creating innovative, best in class solutions ![NS_PodcastCoverArt](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Imported%20sitepage%20images/NS_PodcastCoverArt.png) NEW SPACE PODCAST ## Subscribe for frequent updates on New Space ###### Share this podcast - [SHARE](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) - [SHARE](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) - [SHARE](http://twitter.com/share?&url=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) - [SHARE](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) - [SHARE](https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) - [SHARE](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?&url=https://explorenewspace.com/blog/space-for-everyone) [![Logo](https://explorenewspace.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo.png?width=237&height=80&name=Logo.png "Logo")](https://explorenewspace.com/) - [All episodes](https://explorenewspace.com) - [About us](https://explorenewspace.com/about-us) - [Contact us](https://explorenewspace.com/contact-us) - Follow us: Follow us: - [![instagram-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Homepage/Instagram-icon.svg)](https://www.instagram.com/explorenewspace/) - [![linkedin-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Homepage/LinkedIn-Icon-SM.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/explore-new-space/) - [![facebook-icon](https://explorenewspace.com/hubfs/Homepage/Facebook-icon.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/explorenewspace) The New Space podcast is an Everhouse production. 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