CloudFerro contributes to development of CAMILA - Poland's national satellite constellation
CloudFerro, the provider of the largest public cloud in Poland, will deliver ground segment services for Poland's first national constellation of observation satellites, CAMILA. This initiative aims to facilitate independent monitoring of emergency situations, catering to both civilian and military needs. As part of the project, CloudFerro will deliver comprehensive ground infrastructure services. These include the reception, processing, cataloguing, and dissemination of data collected by the CAMILA satellites, ensuring that end users have reliable access to ready-to-use data..
The CAMILA (Country Awareness Mission in Land Analysis) Project involves the development of a comprehensive space segment which will consist of a constellation of a minimum of three satellites—two optical ones and a radar one. This constellation may be expanded in the future. Additionally, a ground segment will be established to receive, process, and distribute the data collected from these satellites.
The project is scheduled to launch the satellites by the end of 2027, with a subsequent test phase leading into an operational phase lasting approximately four to five years. This initiative represents the first step toward achieving Polish technological sovereignty in the domain of Earth observation. The total value of the project is approximately 60 million euros.
Implementation of the project is being managed by key space sector players in Poland, such as Creotech Instruments, which will serve as the technical leader responsible for satellite integration; CloudFerro, appointed as the ground segment operator; Eycore, contributing on-board radar sensors; Scanway, providing optical sensors; KP Labs, developing on-board computers; and GMV Innovating Solutions, which will oversee mission control systems. Approximately 1,000 specialists from various fields will be engaged in this project, with a significant proportion of equipment and service providers being Polish companies.
Comprehensive ground segment service
CloudFerro will deliver Payload Data Ground Segment (PDGS) services that are essential to the overall project. These services encompass the establishment of receiving stations, the development of a system for ordering satellite data, downloading data from receiving stations, systematic data processing, and ultimately supplying users with satellite data that is ready for analysis. All services will be provided on the Polish CloudFerro cloud, ensuring complete sovereignty over the acquired data and reinforcing Poland's independence from foreign entities.
Plans are underway to integrate the CAMILA system with the National Satellite Information System's cloud platform, known as NSIS-Cloud, which is provided by CloudFerro. This integration will facilitate the processing, visualization, analysis, and sharing of satellite-acquired data with both public sector and business entities.
CloudFerro's active involvement in the CAMILA project underscores our technological prowess and the confidence entrusted in us by prominent public sector institutions and respected business partners. At the core of any satellite constellation operation lies data—often manifested as images and photographs. Consequently, the ground segment—responsible for collecting, processing, and facilitating access to this vital data—emerges as a fundamental component of the entire system.
Choosing Polish technology and service providers is not merely a strategic decision; it is a vital step that bolsters our country’s operational independence and ensures robust control over critical processes. CAMILA represents a significant milestone in advancing Poland’s technological sovereignty in Earth observation. Establishing our own observation satellites coupled with an efficient system to manage ready-to-use data is essential for safeguarding Poland's geostrategic independence, not only in times of crisis but also in the daily operations of our public administration. – says Maciej Krzyżanowski, the CEO of CloudFerro.
CAMILA represents a groundbreaking leap forward in the establishment of Poland's cutting-edge satellite infrastructure. This innovative project paves the way for the development of a constellation comprising dozens of satellites, significantly enhancing national security and empowering Poland with autonomous Earth observation capabilities. With these advancements, Poland will be equipped to independently harness Earth observation data, effectively supporting routine governmental operations as well as responding to emergencies, serving, first, civilian needs, and ultimately also military purposes.
About CloudFerro
CloudFerro is a European leader in providing cloud computing platforms for space sector, science and for demanding fields, such as climate research. Its broad experience and in-depth expertise include storing and processing big data sets, such as multipetabyte repositories of Earth Observation satellite data. CloudFerro has been trusted by leading European institutions, businesses and scientific entities from various big-data-processing market sectors. CloudFerro is a service provider for European Space Agency (ESA), European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Mercator Ocean International, Polish Space Agency, German Aerospace Centre (DLR), to name a few. The company has been recognized with the European Earth Observation Company 2023 Award by the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies EARSC for outstanding achievements and innovations in the Earth Observation services sector in Europe.