Near Space Labs Launches Swifty 3 Stratospheric Imaging Robots

Innovative Startup Develops Next Generation Technology to Deliver High-Quality, Accessible Geospatial Imagery for Multiple Industries

BROOKLYN, N.Y., June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Near Space Labs, the cutting-edge geospatial data and Earth observation company, today announced the launch of its Swifty 3 fleet of advanced stratospheric imaging robots. The Swifty 3 uses weather balloons and proprietary sensors and software to reach elevations nearly twice that of commercial flights, enabling the capture of incredibly high-resolution, high-frequency images of landscapes, man-made structures, and changes occurring on the planet to help customers make critically strategic decisions.

"Swifty 3 represents a leap forward in Earth-imaging technology," said Rema Matevosyan, co-founder and CEO of Near Space Labs. "The new Swiftys are lighter-weight, more nimble, and compact enough to fit in the trunk of a small car, which enables timely deployment for customers in need of high-quality geospatial imagery. Our technology helps our customers better understand their surroundings, identify key issues, and quickly find solutions to the challenges they face within cities, suburbs, and rural areas."

The Swifty 3 fleet of stratospheric imaging robots are low cost, manufactured in-house, and easily deployed in almost any location at a moments notice. The devices serve as platforms for carrying imaging sensors including Near Space Labs' 10 cm per pixel high-resolution optical sensor, capable of capturing 400-1,000 square km of imagery per flight (the equivalent of the entirety of New York City's five boroughs). The Swifty 3 is powered by high-tech software and uses atmospheric and stratospheric wind for zero emission propulsion to follow predetermined flight paths while capturing images of urban regions, natural disaster zones, and other strategic areas.

"We designed and developed the Swifty 3 with our customers' imagery needs in mind," said Ignasi Lluch, co-founder and CTO of Near Space Labs. "The new generation of our Earth imaging robot enables us to build out our fleet quickly and efficiently to meet market demand. In turn, that allows us to offer the most nimble, cost-effective, and customizable image capturing solution on the market."

Launched in 2017, Near Space Labs' mission is to make high-quality Earth imagery universally accessible to empower better decisions. The company's data is applied across many industries and use cases, including:

• Natural disaster response and recovery;
• Insurance claims assessments and risk evaluations;
• Monitoring of infrastructure including roads, bridges and critical facilities; and
• Environment, conservation, and pollution monitoring.

The company closed a $13M Series A funding round in September 2021 that included investors Crosslink Capital, Leadout Capital, Toyota Ventures, and Wireframe Ventures. Near Space Labs' geospatial imaging capabilities cover the top 100 most populous U.S. cities with additional custom coverage capabilities. Currently, the company services the U.S. market and has plans to expand globally in 2023.

The Swifty 3 industry-leading innovation was recently recognized with an honorable mention by Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards in the AI & Data and Best World Changing Idea in North America categories. 

Near Space Labs is a cutting-edge geospatial data company on a mission to democratize access to highly-updated, high-resolution Earth imagery. Co-Founded by CEO Rema Matevosyan, CTO Dr. Ignasi Lluch, and Chief Engineer Dr. Albert Caubet, Near Space Labs provides timely, wide-scale, commercially available imagery with the largest zero-emission balloon fleet in the stratosphere. Near Space Labs is revolutionizing the way that businesses, communities, municipalities, and researchers gather data to help solve some of the world's biggest challenges such as urbanization and climate change. For more information, visit nearspacelabs.com

SOURCE Near Space Labs