Press Release 

Freiburg, Germany 

Heilbronn, Germany 

30th June 2025 

constellr, a European leader in microsatellite Earth Observation (EO), has launched its second HiVE’s SkyBee satellite. The SkyBee satellites mark a milestone in high-precision thermal monitoring. 

SkyBee-1 and SkyBee-2 carry a custom-developed thermal long-wave infrared instrument, featuring cryocooling technology; a first-of-its-kind deployment on a microsatellite platform. The integration of this advanced system added levels of technical sophistication, enhancing the satellite’s thermal capabilities and highlighting constellr’s market-leading expertise and rapid deployment – SkyBee-1 delivered first light in under three weeks.

Today, constellrs‘ satellites provide precise temperature measurements down to individual building-level, making it possible to track how specific assets contribute to urban heat or benefit from cooling initiatives. Previously, thermal data was too coarse to separate distinct heat sources, rendering it ineffective for targeted interventions. Now, constellr’s advanced resolution transforms urban planning by offering actionable insights at sub-weekly intervals, enabling optimisation of real estate development, green space design, and thermal comfort strategies.

AIM is pleased to contribute the complete high performance thermal long-wave infrared detector module from one source. It consists of a high performance mercury-cadmium-telluride (MCT)-detector and a Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) for signal integration and multiplexing in a thermally isolated dewar. The device is operated at cryogenic temperatures which are necessary to attain the required high detector sensitivity. The low operating temperature is realised by an AIM cooling system that employs a pulse tube cooler driven by a flexure-bearing compressor, which are both specially designed to ensure an extremely long lifetime in orbit. Both frontend electronics for detector operation and the cooler drive electronics for operation and control of the cooling system are part of the detector module. 

Infrared detector modules built by AIM have successfully been launched into space, for example on board the KOMPSAT-3A satellite in 2015, the two satellites Sentinel 3A and 3B in 2016 and 2018 and EnMAP in 2022. AIM has delivered more than 61 Flight Models for different space programs, including several classified programs for security applications. Currently 8 satellites with 18 AIM-IR detectors are operating in orbit.

The infrared detector module for SkyBee-1 and SkyBee-2 is based on an off-the-shelf product, with the target to find the best balance between AIM’s space experience and an efficient, pragmatic approach an existing design was modified to constellr’s requirements.

AIM combines all core competencies in house, such as design and production of focal plane assemblies, detector housing or long-life cryocooler technologies and cooler drive electronics, which provide flexibility to match challenging requirements and achieve economical solutions.

Image: © constellr