New Satellite Constellation Aims to Enhance Disaster Forecasting

A new satellite constellation is being developed by a China-based company that aims to dramatically increase the number of observational data points that can be collected during disaster events.  If successful (and if China is willing to share…), the technology could offer tremendous benefits for both government and utility emergency preparedness efforts here in the U.S.

Overview of the New Satellite Constellation Deployment

The company developing the system – Tianjin Satcom Geohe Technologies – plans to build and launch 36 low-orbit satellites designed to gather high-resolution images on demand or continuously.  The resolution is so great that extreme levels of detail can be captured in the images – down to millimeter-sized geological anomalies.

The satellite imagery and data will ultimately be combined with data from ground-level sensors that are already in place across a variety of disaster-prone areas.  This will help to create a holistic view of disaster situations before, during and after an event strikes, substantially boosting the accuracy as well as the speed of forecasting and monitoring capabilities.

The project started this month at China’s spacecraft launch center of Wenchang, with the first satellite slated for a June 2022 launch into space.  Then approximately a year later (May 2023), the entire satellite constellation is expected to be in orbit.  Data collection efforts will begin immediately after launch to facilitate something akin to a before and after view of various geographical areas.

The technology is certainly impressive.  From a utility emergency preparedness perspective, we should all be hoping that all of the following will occur:

• The technology is a massive success and enables China to effectively and efficiently predict natural disasters so that residents, businesses, government entities and utilities can prepare better, including triggering evacuations if needed.
• China will make it available to the world.
• Utilities will figure out ways to integrate the technology and the resulting observational data into existing systems and processes.

Is it a pipe dream to think all 3 of these things could happen?  Probably, but who knows, maybe this will be a “catching lightning in a bottle” situation.  In any case, it will certainly be interesting to monitor the progress and success of the satellite constellation going forward.