The Soviet Union launched the first satellite into space in October 1957. The craft, Sputnik, was the size of a beach ball, weighed 83.6kg and orbited the Earth once every 98 minutes. Though it burnt up in the atmosphere four months later, Sputnik was the starting gun for the space race and the thousands of satellites that have launched since. Today, scientists estimate that as many as 5,000 man-made satellites are circling the planet, transmitting messages and collecting vast seams of data about the Earth, its people, and the solar system.
But, until very recently, only a sliver of that information was being used to full effect, argues Antoine Rostand, president of French start-up Kayrros, which says its novel approach to satellite imagery may be just what is needed to tackle the climate emergency.
“Being able to see what’s happening in real time everywhere in the world is something that is going to change our life,” he says, from his headquarters in Paris.