Scanway Space & Marble Imaging
New ESA Contract
Marble Imaging signs European Space Agency Contract to deliver sub-meter resolution telescope for their Satellite with Scanway
Marble Imaging, as the prime contractor of a consortium with Scanway S.A., has signed a contract with the European Space Agency, in the frame of the InCubed programme – managed by the ESA Φ-lab Invest Office, for the development of a very-high-resolution (VHR) optical payload. The payload comprises a sub-meter visible, near-infrared imager and a high-resolution, short-wave infrared imager. The optical payload will fly on the first Marble satellite planned to be launched in the first quarter of 2026 and the subsequent Marble constellation. The two-year project funded by the ESA InCubed programme covers the complete development, integration and commissioning of the payload for the first Marble satellite.
“Here at the Φ-lab Invest Office we are committed to support the European industry, and to continuously enable technical and commercial advancement of Earth observation projects. We are excited about the SEMOViS project, and its ambition to develop a VHR payload and data. The successful outcome would align with the agency’s wider objectives, namely the utilisation of space for a green future and rapid and resilient crisis response to name a few,” says Pejman Nejadi, the ESA Technical Officer responsible for the activity.
“We are delighted that ESA supports our endeavour in developing our European VHR satellites and we look forward to developing this payload with Scanway in the frame of the InCubed programme”, says Marble CEO and co-founder Robert Hook.
With the successful deployment of the first demonstrator satellite, Marble Imaging plans to expand the Marble constellation with Scanway, as the key partner providing the VHR optical payloads. Marble Imaging is developing Europe’s first commercial constellation of up to 200 small satellites for very-high-resolution (VHR) Earth observation (EO), offering daily global coverage and enabling applications previously deemed challenging. From precision agriculture to urban planning, infrastructure development to climate monitoring, Marble Imaging’s constellation is set to be a game-changer.
The demonstration satellite will be equipped with two optical instruments providing a ground sample distance (GSD) of 80 cm in the visible (VIS) and near-infrared (NIR) bands, and 10 m in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) bands. The entire satellite mass of approximately 110 kg will ensure compatibility with a wide range of European micro launchers. The associated data-processing chain, up to Level 2 products, will be developed by Marble Imaging. The resulting Marble data and analyses will deliver valuable insights for many customers in the EU and worldwide. This collaboration will further strengthen the European EO industry.
About ESA InCubed Programme:
InCubed – Investing in Industrial Innovation – is an ESA Earth Observation Programme (EOP) co-funding programme managed by the ESA Φ-lab Invest Office. Supported by its signatory Member States, InCubed funds a wide scope of initiatives that exploit or enhance the value of EO imaging and data. These initiatives range from satellites to ground and downstream applications. InCubed focuses on developing innovative and commercially viable products and services that generate or exploit the value of Earth observation imagery and datasets.
About Marble Imaging:
Marble Imaging is a big-data EO company based in Germany, building its constellation of VHR satellites to provide daily EO analytics and insights of our planet. Marble Imaging aims to build and run Europe’s first constellation of satellites that will provide daily monitoring of our planet at very high resolution. The data and derived EO-based analytics will be vital in supporting rapid decision-making with regard to food security, green and sustainable energy transitions, climate change, infrastructure and mobility, global security and much more. Marble already offers advanced data analysis services, including deforestation monitoring, water health assessment, and coastline monitoring.
With their flagship product, Precious Marble, they are developing a product suite dedicated to identifying and analysing the drivers contributing to the vulnerability of the Earth’s ecosystem. By seamlessly integrating data on risk, exposure, and sensitivity, Precious Marble highlights regions at risk, providing timely and actionable insights into the changing vulnerability status.
Marble Imaging is supported by the European Space Agency’s Northern Germany Business Incubator and the winner of the “Small Satellite Initiative” competition by the German Space Agency (DLR).