Paris twofer (9/20/22)

Good morning. We’re big proponents of zigging when others zag. While IAC in Paris may be the talk of the town, we’ve now spoken with three German space companies that are holding customer and partner meetings at Oktoberfest in Munich this week. They may not be the most productive meetings, but A+ for creativity.

In today's newsletter:🔊 Pathfinder #0017 🦜 Meet Tanager🔁 On the move

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Pathfinder #0017, featuring Redwire’s Peter Cannito and Al Tadros

Bonjour, and welcome to another Pathfinder from Paris dispatch. We have a surprise in store for you—a twofer! That’s right, two guests for the price of one and packaged up into one standard-length Payload. Today’s guests:

1. Redwire CEO/Chairman Peter Cannito, who is also an operating partner at AE Industrial (AEI)

2. Redwire CTO Al Tadros, who assumed the post in May and was formerly the company’s chief growth officer.

Redwire 101: The Jacksonville, FL company is a full-stack space infrastructure company that’s publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange ($RDW). Redwire has its hands on tons of space technology, from star trackers to 3D printers to deployable structures to LEO greenhouses.

Pathfinder #0017 sneak peek

With Peter, we discuss:

• Redwire’s M&A strategy

• International expansion and growth markets

• Investing in space, and AEI’s role in the industry

• Why not all space SPACs are created equal

• Geopolitical forces taking shape in space, and the modern-day space race with China

Then, we round out the second half of the show with Al and touch on:

• Redwire’s portfolio of tech capabilities

• The role of robotics and autonomous software on-orbit

• Flying flight-proven hardware across LEO

• Where the European space sector is headed

• How to communicate the value of space to the general public

• Making room for more fresh faces in the industry

Listen now…

…on Spotify 🎧…or on Apple 🔊

Planet Unveils Tanager

There’s a new hyperspectral constellation concept in town.

Yesterday, Planet ($PL) announced it will build and launch a hyperspectral constellation, starting next year, with the Carbon Mapper Coalition. The planned constellation is known as Tanager, named after a colorful family of birds native to South and Central America. Tanager will focus on sources of methane and C02 emissions.

The Carbon Mapper Coalition: Planet’s public-private partnership with California and JPL is focused on creating open access digital tools and resources for combating climate change. Carbon Mapper, a tool tracking methane point sources across the US, is available for free through this partnership.

Tanager 101: The coalition first announced its plans for a hyperspectral constellation back in April. Hyperspectral data on methane and carbon dioxide point sources gathered by Tanager will be used to bolster Carbon Mapper’s data.

The Tanager birds will be equipped with spectrometers that can analyze the chemical composition of target areas to suss out not only whether a given area is a methane or carbon dioxide point source, but also “dozens of other environmental applications and indicators,” per Planet’s press release. Though only the methane and C02 data will be offered for free,

Carbon Mapper’s commercial customers will have access to the other information unearthed by the constellation’s hyperspectral sensors. Pairing hyperspectral data with EO data from Planet’s other constellations fills in gaps that can’t always be identified with optical imagery alone.

Tanager specs:

• 30-m resolution

• Data from across >400 spectral bands

• Shortwave infrared and high-precision 5-nm-wide bands

When? The first two Tanager satellites are currently slated for launch to sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) in 2023. Now, Planet says it is manufacturing three constellations—Tanager, Pelican, and its standard Doves—in its downtown SF lab.

Other players to watch: Planet isn’t the only player planning on offering open-access hyperspectral data.

EnMAP, a German hyperspectral mission, launched in April and currently provides 30 m resolution data. CHIME, an ESA and NASA collaboration currently in development, will also gather hyperspectral data to complement ESA’s Sentinel spacecraft. Finally, Pixxel is moving quickly to field its own hyperspectral smallsat fleet in the coming years.

Share this story with your birdwatching group chat:

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In Other News

• Bob Iger, Disney’s former CEO and chairman, recently said at the Code conference that he is serving on Relativity’s board of directors.

• NASA will attempt a fueling test of SLS tomorrow. The team found damage to a seal on the rocket that it believes caused the hydrogen leak that foiled the most recent Artemis I launch attempt.

• Astrobotic announced that it is building a commercial power service for the lunar poles, named Lunagrid.

• France is planning to allocate €9B (~$9B) to space activities over the next three years.

The View from Space