Capella harnesses AWS cloud to deliver satellite data
In a recent announcement made by Amazon Web Services (AWS), the organisation is now providing its services infrastructure and cloud services to Capella. The provider of on demand observation data of the Earth via satellite based radar, will run its entire IT infrastructure on AWS to automate and scale its operations, including satellite command and control using AWS Ground Station.
“Capella Space leverages the breadth and depth of AWS services to provide its customers with on-demand access to data from space, as well as analytics to help them address some of the biggest challenges on Earth,” said Teresa Carlson, Vice President of Worldwide Public Sector at AWS.
AWS Ground Station makes it easy and cost effective for the company to control satellites and download satellite data directly onto AWS. The technology uses a fully managed network of ground station antennas located around the world. As a result Capella can provide its customers with access to the satellite data with minutes of it being captured, and at a lower cost.
In addition, Capella is also leveraging a vast array of AWS services in order to process satellite data as it is received in real time. As a result this will help its customers in agriculture, infrastructure, defense, and disaster to respond immediately to analyse and extract value from their data.
“Using AWS Ground Station, customers like Capella can connect the power of satellites with AWS’s reliable, global infrastructure and unmatched portfolio of services to automate and scale their operations on demand. By removing the need for organizations to build and maintain their own ground stations, AWS is putting the power of satellite data into the hands of more customers in order to derive insights that potentially can improve our understanding of space and life on Earth,” added Carlson.
By leveraging this technology and communicating directly with AWS Ground Station antennas, Capella’s Earth observation solution can provide its customers with timely access to images of the Earth while removing the challenges of cost and the complexity of managing their own ground station infrastructure.
Capella is using AWS to manage its enormous amounts of data that persistent monitoring generates – an average of two to five terabytes per satellite per day – which has to be prepared for analysis before it can be used by customers. Capella leverages AWS compute, storage, database, machine learning, and analytics services to process this data immediately to quickly gain insights for detecting illegal maritime activities and assessing the impact of natural disasters.
Capella is also developing a searchable archive of the Earth observation data which will be cloud based. The solution will serve as a benchmark to track subtle changes in the environment, to help inform business and policy decisions.
“Our customers rely on us to deliver precision satellite imagery quickly. Working with AWS and leveraging the global coverage provided by AWS Ground Station, we are redefining what is possible in the satellite industry and reducing the cost and time required for organizations to benefit from satellite data,” said Payam Banazadeh, CEO of Capella Space.
“Combining Capella’s automated and real-time approach to collecting Earth observation data with AWS’s proven infrastructure and unparalleled portfolio of services helps our customers achieve timely insights that can save lives and protect the health of the planet. We look forward to continuing to grow and innovate on AWS to create new opportunities for our customers who depend upon space technologies, concluded Banazadeh.
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