Completion of AxelGlobe with 5-satellite monitoring system to achieve high revisit observation for all regions
Tokyo, November 11, 2020 – Axelspace Corporation announces that according to the launch operator – GK Launch Services, the target launch date of the 4 microsatellites, in their final stage of preparation for the shipment, is tentatively set for March 20, 2021, and the exact date will be confirmed by them later this year. Please see below for details:
Figure 1: Soyuz-2 launch vehicle launching Axelspace’s four satellites
Since 2015, the company started building up AxelGlobe, the next-generation Earth observation platform, consisting of multiple microsatellites to cover various parts of the world with high frequency. The 4 satellites (GRUS-1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) to be launched this time will be part of the AxelGlobe and this will be the second launch, after the launch of GRUS-1A in December 2018.
Launching multiple identical satellites on a single launch will be the first for a Japanese satellite. It was a huge challenge for Axelspace to build multiple satellites at the same time as the company has mainly been developing dedicated satellites. The simultaneous development of 4 satellites was the first step towards full-scale mass production and proven to be a valuable experience for the Company.
High-frequency monitoring will be a reality with the launch of 4 GRUS this time, as AxelGlobe will be operated with 5 satellites, providing an average of 1.4-day revisit rate for mid-latitude region, including Japan, and 3-day revisit rate for low-latitude region. This will allow for the full-scale introduction of the imagery data service and the company plans to actively provide solution proposal activities based on the client needs for various industries, including agricultural usage, which requires high revisit rate, and business continuity plan support service, which we have already announced.
Figure 2: Four satellites (GRUS-1B, 1C, 1D, 1E) in final preparation stage for the shipment