BlackSky Demonstrates Growth and Scalability with Planned Launch of Additional Satellites
HERNDON, Va. (BlackSky PR) — BlackSky, a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring services that recently announced a planned business combination with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: SFTW), today revealed it expects to launch two satellites on Rocket Lab’s twentieth mission, “Running Out of Toes.” The launch, which is scheduled to take place no earlier than May 15, 2021, will deploy BlackSky’s eighth and ninth Earth observation satellites.
“BlackSky is expanding and scaling through a regular cadence of launches so we can consistently increase capacity to deliver first-to-know insights for our customers,” said Brian E. O’Toole, CEO of BlackSky. “Our established practice of rapid deployments and advanced commissioning process ensures customers can trust and rely on our network for access to real-time global intelligence.”
Once on orbit, the two Gen-2 satellites will continue to grow the BlackSky space network and enable BlackSky to provide more frequent revisits globally with heightened revisit capability in the 45-to-50-degree markets. As BlackSky expands its constellation, it will strengthen its ability to offer timely and relevant information on pattern-of-life anomalies, situational awareness, and commercial opportunities to its customers. The company’s geospatial intelligence solutions deliver analytics and insights for a range of government agencies and industries such as transportation, infrastructure, construction and supply chain management, as well as humanitarian sectors.
The “Running Out of Toes” mission is part of BlackSky’s multi-launch agreement with Spaceflight Inc. and Rocket Lab to launch nine high-resolution multi-spectral satellites by the end of 2021. The first of these nine satellites launched on March 22, 2021 and entered commercial operations within two weeks.
About BlackSky Holdings, Inc.
BlackSky is a leading provider of real-time geospatial intelligence. BlackSky monitors activities and facilities worldwide by harnessing the world’s emerging sensor networks and leveraging its own satellite constellation. BlackSky processes millions of data elements daily from its constellation as well as a variety of space, IoT, and terrestrial based sensors and data feeds. BlackSky’s on-demand constellation of satellites can image a location multiple times throughout the day. BlackSky monitors for pattern-of-life anomalies to produce alerts and enhance situational awareness. BlackSky’s monitoring service, Spectra AI, is powered by cutting-edge compute techniques including machine learning, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and natural language processing. BlackSky’s global monitoring solution is available via a simple subscription and requires no IT infrastructure or setup. On February 17, 2021, BlackSky entered into a definitive agreement for a business combination (the “Merger Agreement”) with Osprey Technology Acquisition Corp. (“Osprey”) (NYSE: SFTW) that would result in BlackSky becoming a publicly listed company. For more information visit www.blacksky.com.
About Osprey
Osprey is a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that was established as a collaboration between investment firms HEPCO Capital Management, led by Jonathan and Edward Cohen, and JANA Partners, led by Barry Rosenstein and with its SPAC initiative led by JANA Partner David DiDomenico, who serves as Osprey’s CEO, President, and Director. Osprey was formed to consummate a transaction with one or more transformative companies that have developed innovative software delivery platforms. For more information visit www.osprey-technology.com.
