Near Space Labs is an Earth imagery and geospatial data company that uses a fleet of zero-emission robotic balloons called "Swiftys" in the stratosphere to capture high-resolution imagery of the Earth's surface. This imagery is used for various applications, including monitoring urbanization, climate change, and assisting the insurance industry with risk assessment. They provide timely and wide-scale imagery, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional aerial and satellite methods with partners and customers in sectors like insurance, urban planning, and government agencies. The company's services include high-resolution aerial imagery, geospatial data, and remote sensing. Associated keywords: aerial imagery, stratospheric balloons, Earth observation, remote sensing, geospatial data, climate change, disaster response, insurance.
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Near Space Labs provides geospatial imagery and services for monitoring infrastructure including roads, bridges, and critical facilities.
Near Space Labs launched an advanced fleet of Swifty 3 stratospheric imaging robots as part of its public roll-out activities.
Grant applicants must be U.S.-based and require imagery from areas covered by Near Space Labs’ current flight paths in the lower 48 U.S. states.
The latest Near Space Labs balloon model, referred to as Swifty 3 stratospheric imaging robots, operates at altitudes as high as 26,0 m.
Near Space Labs plans to provide free high-resolution Earth imagery to researchers, universities, and nonprofit organizations.
Near Space Labs established the Community Resilience & Innovation Earth Imagery Grant program to provide access to its imagery database for researchers and organizations with limited budgets.
Near Space Labs currently services the U.S. market and has plans to expand globally in 2023.
Near Space Labs closed a $13,000,000 Series A funding round in September 2021 that included Crosslink Capital, Leadout Capital, Toyota Ventures, and Wireframe Ventures.
Near Space Labs was launched in 2017 with a mission to make high-quality Earth imagery universally accessible.
Near Space Labs manufactures the Swifty 3 devices in-house and offers them as low-cost, easily deployable platforms.
Near Space Labs covers regions in the United States and plans to provide and capture data globally.
In more than 250 commercial flights over the past year, Near Space Labs provided imagery supporting resource management and conservation use cases including monitoring remote preservation areas, detecting environmental change, protecting natural resources, and predicting crop yield.
In more than 250 commercial flights over the past year, Near Space Labs provided imagery supporting infrastructure and utilities use cases including identifying vegetation encroachment, monitoring electric transmission infrastructure, tracking urban sprawl, enabling smart city development, and supervising road and building construction.
Near Space Labs imagery costs about 30–45 percent less than manned aircraft or satellite data when operated with no emissions.
In more than 250 commercial flights over the past year, Near Space Labs provided imagery supporting insurance use cases including identifying potential property risk, assessing post-disaster damage, and automating site inspections.
Near Space Labs has offered 30-centimeter-resolution imagery at prices that generally range from $10 to $50 per square kilometer depending on volume.
Near Space Labs is experiencing high demand for its technology, including its 10-centimeter imagery, and plans to expand its team to meet an expected influx of business.
Near Space Labs raised $13,000,000 in a Series A funding round in September.
Near Space Labs is upgrading instruments mounted on its Swifty high-altitude balloons to capture imagery of Arizona, California, and Texas at a resolution of 0.1 m per pixel.
Near Space Labs planned an expansion in 2022 to cover 100 of the most populous U.S. cities, including Austin, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York.