Cape Town (South Africa), 14 October 2019 – Simera Sense is excited to announce that it signed an agreement with Sen Corporation Ltd (“Sen”) to supply them with five xScape200 optical payloads over the next two years. In the frame of this agreement, the xScape200 imager, developed by Simera Sense, will be Sen’s primary high-resolution optical imager for its CubeSats that will stream real-time and timely video of Earth. The satellites are part of Sen’s vision to democratize space using video to inform, educate, inspire and benefit all humanity.

Simera Sense, the manufacturer of high-resolution optical payloads for CubeSats, was selected by Sen to provide high-resolution optical payloads with the capability to deliver real-time videos from space at a ground spatial distance (GSD) of 1.8 m from a 600km orbital height. With its 1,067mm focal length, 190mm aperture and a form factor to fit in a 12U CubeSat, the xScape200 elevate the optical performance to a whole new level.

Sen aims to launch its first CubeSat, carrying the xScape200 imaging payload, by the end of 2020. They will follow-up this mission with an additional four CubeSats as it deploys a constellation that will deliver real-time and timely video of environmental and humanitarian events on Earth. This will enable organisations and consumers to see unique perspectives of life on our ever-changing planet from environmental and socio-economic events to the monitoring of human movement.

Simera Sense’s xScape200 optical payload will be combined with Sen’s video streaming technology which was demonstrated successfully this year with a multi-camera system streaming 4K Ultra High Definition video from orbit. .

“At Simera Sense we are on a mission to increase the resolution that can be sensed with smaller earth observation satellites,” says Johann du Toit, CEO of Simera Sense. “We are excited to work with Sen in making their dream a reality. Their mission aligns with our vision to serial produce optical payloads for nanosatellites in a cost-effective manner to make earth observation data more accessible to every person on earth.”

Charles Black, Founder and CEO of Sen, says: “We are delighted to be partnering with Simera Sense for our primary optical payload. Sen requires best in class technology and the xScape200 is the right balance between size, mass and optical performance. Put simply, the xScape200 punches above its weight. Simera Sense have a proven track record of designing and building imagers for space, and we are looking forward to working with them to make Sen’s space TV a reality.”