Naomi Cooper
Finnish hyperspectral imaging company Kuva Space has entered the U.S. government market by establishing a new business arm headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, to provide Earth observation data and services to federal customers.
Jerry Welsh, former CEO of the U.S. arm of satellite technology provider ICEYE, has been appointed to the board of directors of Kuva Space U.S. and will oversee the company’s expansion efforts in the U.S. public sector, Kuva Space said Wednesday.
“Over the next year, we will be expanding in the U.S. to provide cutting-edge, robust, and reliable services and meet security and regulatory requirements to become a trusted partner to the U.S. Government,” Welsh said.
The expansion comes as Kuva Space plans to build a next-generation constellation of microsatellites equipped with patented hyperspectral cameras that can be tuned in space for a specific use case.
Kuva Space expects to launch its first microsatellite, Hyperfield-1, in June and operate a full constellation of 100 satellites by 2030.
“The U.S. is a mature Earth observation market with established government and commercial collaboration models. On the other hand, we are building capabilities for the U.S. market that are not currently offered,” said Jarkko Antila, CEO of Kuva Space.
