San Francisco, California, USA
March 14, 2023
Satellite-mounted Imager to Detect Fluoresces from Crops when Under Stress from Pathogen Attack or a Lack of Water or Nutrients
InnerPlant, the company creating a new category of seed technology that unlocks data and makes global farming more efficient and sustainable, and Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in sub-meter resolution Earth Observation (“EO”) data collection, today announced a collaboration to launch a first-of-its-kind device designed to detect human-engineered crop signals from space. The announcement was made on the opening day of the World AgriTech Innovation Summit.
The specially designed imaging instrument is scheduled to be mounted to a Satellogic satellite and is intended to detect optical signals emitted by crops engineered by InnerPlant to fluoresce in response to stress such as an attack from pathogens or a lack of water or nutrients.
Drone-based aerial testing is expected to start in the next few months with the launch of the instrument aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket anticipated in Q4 2023. The successful deployment of the satellite would mark the first time in history that a signal from a human-engineered organism is detected from orbit.
“Better data directly from plants gives farmers the tools they need to increase yields while reducing chemical inputs. Modern farming taking place on such a vast scale - with many farms in the thousands of acres - makes satellite detection a critical way to collect data affordably,” Shely Aronov, CEO and founder of InnerPlant, said from the Summit. “Satellogic understands how EO data collection fits with farming and is truly giving InnerPlant and the future of agriculture a figurative and literal boost.”
Studies show that farmers lose as much as 20% of yields or $800B worldwide due to pathogens in spite of overapplication that sees as much as 30% or $250B of pesticides wasted - negatively impacting our air, water and soil.
Earlier detection and more responsive, plant-specific interventions offer a way to prevent waste and losses but historically farmers lacked early actionable data. Satellite-based detection can provide a scalable way to give farmers the early warning they need to better care for crops and soils.
“The democratization of high-resolution, high-quality remote-sensing imagery holds tremendous potential for critical human endeavors,” pointed out Satellogic’s CEO Emiliano Kargieman. “There’s no clearer demonstration of this potential than applying Satellogic’s imaging capabilities to help farmers grow the food the planet’s growing population needs while reducing chemical use and increasing sustainability.”
About InnerPlant
InnerPlant is a team of curious scientists and entrepreneurs creating innovative traits that harness plant physiology and unlock data at scale to boost global agricultural yields and sustainability. The company was founded in 2018 by Shely Aronov and Rod Kumimoto. InnerPlant was recently recognized with a Special Mention TIME Best Inventions and was named a finalist in General Excellence by Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards. For more information visit: innerplant.com.
About Satellogic
Founded in 2010 by Emiliano Kargieman and Gerardo Richarte, Satellogic (NASDAQ: SATL) is the first vertically integrated geospatial company, driving real outcomes with planetary-scale insights. Satellogic is creating and continuously enhancing the first scalable, fully automated EO platform with the ability to remap the entire planet at both high-frequency and high-resolution, providing accessible and affordable solutions for customers.
Satellogic’s mission is to democratize access to geospatial data through its information platform of high-resolution images and analytics to help solve the world’s most pressing problems including climate change, energy supply, and food security. Using its patented Earth imaging technology, Satellogic unlocks the power of EO to deliver high-quality, planetary insights at the lowest cost in the industry.
With more than a decade of experience in space, Satellogic has proven technology and a strong track record of delivering satellites to orbit and high-resolution data to customers at the right price point.
To learn more, please visit: http://www.satellogic.com
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