Unseenlabs' nano-satellites will be tasked with tracking down sea thugs from space.

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Unseenlabs

  • The Rennes start-up will launch two new nano-satellites into space overnight from Sunday to Monday.

  • Thanks to electromagnetic wave detection technology, they will be able to geolocate any vessel at sea.

  • Unseenlabs intends to track down rogue ships, guilty of wild degassing or illegal fishing.

Take off is imminent.

On the night of Sunday to Monday, two nanosatellites will take off from the Rocket Lab launch base in New Zealand to reach space.

The size of a shoebox, the two machines belong to the Rennes start-up Unseenlabs, founded in 2015 by the Galic brothers and specializing in maritime surveillance.

Once dropped above our heads, the two satellites will have the task of geolocating all the ships at sea. "The vast majority of boats are equipped with the AIS system but the beacon can be switched off at any time to avoid detection", explains Clément Galic.

A boon for rogue ships who take the opportunity to degas wildly or fish illegally without being detected.

To find their trace, Unseenlabs has embarked on board its nano-satellites a technology allowing to identify the electromagnetic waves emitted by the ships.

"We are able to geolocate from space any boat at sea to the nearest kilometer and in near real time", assures the co-founder of Unseenlabs.

20 to 25 nano-satellites in space by 2025

Their system has already proven its worth with a first nanosatellite sent into space in August 2019. Since then, orders have been flocking in particular from states concerned with enforcing laws at sea. “They already have tools for military surveillance but not for civilian traffic, ”underlines Clément Galic.

NGOs fighting against illegal fishing or for the protection of the oceans could also be interested in Unseenlabs data to complete their paraphernalia.

"Our system does not make it possible to identify the name of a boat, or to take a picture of it, but we can, on the other hand, track it thanks to electromagnetic waves", assures the company manager, estimating that "the spatial data are made to merge together ”.

Once these three nano-satellites are in orbit, Unseenlabs has no plans to descend to earth.

The Rennes start-up will even enrich its constellation with “20 to 25” nano-satellites that will be sent into space by 2025. “This will allow us to be even more precise with data that will be updated more quickly for better monitoring of vessels, ”explains Clément Galic.

The thugs of the seas have better watch out.

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