A new satellite mission: Sentinel-1 data to 3D
We are excited to share that KappaZeta is planning a new satellite mission with a goal to make Sentinel-1 data 3-dimensional and to provide an excellent data source to measure forest biomass at global level with unprecedented accuracy and frequency.
The quiet homework in cooperation with Estonian and Finnish Universities and with the local space community has been ongoing for about a year now. The first public presentation about our mission concept was given at the Finnish Satellite Workshop (https://spaceworkshop.fi/) in January 2023. Currently we are preparing the user requirements mapping campaign and partner search for the necessary space hardware and system integration. We are also in the process of acquiring the first major investment. More news will be announced in the coming months.
Why is it important? Why does it matter?
The mission applies a technology called bi-static across-track synthetic aperture radar interferometry which (especially when implemented with additional passive receivers) is one of the best trade-offs for global forest biomass and carbon stock mapping in terms of accuracy versus frequent global coverage and cost. It is vital for global carbon trading to add transparency and avoid greenwashing. We could significantly increase the accuracy of global forest carbon stock estimation while keeping the costs reasonable. Today’s 30-40% error could be reduced to about 10% error.
Making Sentinel-1 data 3-dimensional would also improve almost any existing agricultural and forestry application that currently relies on Sentinel-1 data. Having more linearly independent input parameters for AI-models results in higher accuracy and ultimately happier customers.
The image below illustrates the planned data for accurate forest biomass estimation at parcel level.
Kaupo Voormansik, CEO
