Announcing ‘Over The Rainbow’: The First Australian Earth Observation Mission

It is with great pleasure that we announce that we have been successful in a bid with the Australian Federal Government’s AMGC to co-fund the development and launch of two hyperspectral payloads we are currently developing in-house. This mission, dubbed “Over The Rainbow”, is a nod to our hyperspectral technology that is able to capture light in hundreds of wavelengths within the visible spectrum and beyond.

These payloads, named OTR-1 and OTR-2, will be launched into orbit on two separately hosted payload satellite missions, one of which is planned with Sydney-based Space Machines Company. Both OTR 1 and 2 are hyperspectral imagers that can capture imagery at a spatial resolution of 30m with a spectral range up to near-infrared wavelengths, comprised of 100 bands.

The OTR imagers will work in tandem with Spiral Blue’s Space Edge Computer-2 on both flights. This partnership with Spiral Blue enhances the value generated by our imagery data by analyzing and processing the images onboard the satellite before they are even downlinked, minimizing cost and making real-time data analysis a reality.

Dandelions join Esper and Spiral Blue in the bid to develop and test new materials onboard the spacecraft, which can further benefit Esper’s longer-term vision of developing sustainable Earth observation satellite constellations while providing simulation support pre-launch.

The mission will be supported by Saber Astronautics who will be providing mission operations and pre-launch engineering support.

The AMGC is providing the cohort with $578,000 in matched funding of a total commitment of $2.97M that funds the crucial parts of the hardware development, launch, and in-space operation.