NorthStar Earth & Space partners with SpecTIR to deliver complete hyperspectral image services

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Jan 31, 2019, 08:00 ET

Imagery with substance will enable advanced environmental management

MONTREAL, Jan. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - NorthStar Earth & Space Inc. is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with SpecTIR Hyperspectral & Remote Sensing Solutions of Reno, Nevada to deliver complete hyperspectral imaging services. SpecTIR's airborne hyperspectral image services will complement space-based hyperspectral image services delivered by NorthStar, the world's first global information platform to monitor Earth, its environment and near-space.

The NorthStar platform is based on a constellation of 40 satellites with a suite of sophisticated sensors that will support a complete and precise information service for Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Earth Information and Intelligence (EI²). NorthStar will fuse data from multiple sources and be the first space-based commercial system to offer hyperspectral imaging, which deduces the chemical and mineral composition of matter on Earth at an unprecedented level of richness and detail.

Under the partnership, SpecTIR will provide state of the art Earth-based airborne hyperspectral imagery to complement NorthStar's own hyperspectral capabilities. The NorthStar platform will enable new advancements in environmental management including pollution detection, charting the health of the world's oceans, rivers and fresh water sources, enhancing the productivity of agriculture, wildfire alerts, and pipeline oil and gas monitoring to prevent spills and contamination. Since 1993, SpecTIR has been delivering airborne hyperspectral solutions for government and commercial clients across the world, with a focus on geology and minerals, oil and gas, vegetation and environmental, and emergency response.

According to Stewart Bain, CEO of NorthStar Earth & Space, "This partnership cements an essential cornerstone of NorthStar's services by establishing complete and persistent coverage of the Earth's surface using a combination of space-based and airborne hyperspectral sensors. We are proud to continue this important work to deliver critical information on the world's environment with our colleagues at SpecTIR."

"Taking the commercial hyperspectral high ground in space is what SpecTIR has been working toward for over 25 years," said Mark Landers CEO SpecTIR. "It takes a unity of effort and a focus of effort by smart professionals with pedigrees in the spectral sciences and space technologies. NorthStar has put together such a team, and we are honored to contribute our corpus of knowledge to this unique constellation with a new and unique dimension in capability. NorthStar's hyperspectral information and derivative products – 'Imagery with Substance' - will add a significant capability for man to better characterize, monitor, and assess the Earth's environmental systems and our global patterns of life."

ABOUT NORTHSTAR

Based on a satellite constellation equipped with Hyperspectral, Infrared and Optical sensors, NorthStar will operate continuously from space, imaging, digitizing and analysing the details of Earth's ecosystems and surrounding environments on a daily basis. NorthStar will use sophisticated data analysis, modeling and predictive analytics to deliver solutions directly to end users in the private and public sectors, providing more knowledge about Earth and its orbital environment than any system in human history, transforming traditional Earth Observation into Earth Information and Intelligence – EI2.

Around and above Earth, NorthStar's Optical sensors will deliver constellation-based Space Situational Awareness Services with performance beyond any system ever developed. NorthStar will identify, track and precisely predict the trajectories of more than 300,000 objects in Earth's orbit, now classified as space debris, reducing the probability of collisions with satellites and protecting high-value assets in space. This information is critical for an expanding satellite industry owned and operated by both the private and public sectors.

NorthStar Earth and Space Inc., of Montreal Quebec, is a global enterprise with C$83 million in financing to date. Private partners include KinetX Aerospace of Tempe, Arizona, Telesystem Space of Montreal, the majority shareholder, and European aerospace leaders The Space Alliance, a partnership between Telespazio of Italy and Thales Alenia Space of France. Strategic partners include The Government of Canada and the Government of the Province of Quebec.

ABOUT SPECTIR

SpecTIR delivers hyperspectral and geospatial solutions that enable critical mission operations for our government and commercial clients. We span the globe focusing on specific client requirements. As a privately held business, our reputation is built on technical excellence and dedication to customer needs. We apply a mixture of recognized scientists, engineers, program managers, remote sensing specialists, and analysts with a foundation based in hyperspectral technology.

SpecTIR LLC is a global remote sensing, hyperspectral analysis, and geospatial solutions company, serving US and foreign mining, oil/gas, defense, agricultural, and environmental industries. The company is headquartered in Reno, NV with a government solutions division in Virginia.

Website: http://northstar-data.com/

SOURCE NorthStar Earth & Space Inc.