TelePIX, a comprehensive solution corporation for space AI, unveiled the first high-resolution images captured by the world's first blue carbon monitoring AI satellite "BlueBON" on the 29th.
BlueBON is a satellite developed by TelePIX to observe blue carbon, a marine ecosystem-based carbon sink such as Sargassum. It was launched in January from the U.S. Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. It then settled into its target orbit at an altitude of 500 km.
The high-resolution images of BlueBON, which were disclosed for the first time, were taken in a desert area near Tarim in Hadhramaut province, Yemen, on April 29th. Captured for initial performance testing of the satellite, the image depicts the desert area of Yemen in unique shapes reminiscent of leaf veins or blood vessels of living beings. Additionally, green grasses around multiple paths below the hills can be identified in the image.
BlueBON is equipped with a spectral camera that employs focus adjustment international patent technology. This payload, independently developed by TelePIX, allows focus adjustments without additional equipment, enabling high-quality satellite images with a resolution of 4.8m from compact CubeSats with limited internal space.
A space AI processor, TetraPLEX, is also installed. TetraPLEX is a GPU-based edge computing solution capable of independently performing AI-based image analysis within the satellite. It reduces the processing time for 0.5m-class high-resolution satellite data, which previously took over 6 minutes, to about 11 seconds, allowing for real-time satellite image analysis. This aids in swiftly and efficiently verifying blue carbon monitoring data for marine environments worldwide, such as Sargassum and mangroves, collected by BlueBON.
TelePIX plans to expand its business areas, including the export of satellite-based climate monitoring solutions and entry into the carbon credit market. Currently, discussions are ongoing with overseas corporations and institutions, including those in Saudi Arabia, regarding the export of blue carbon monitoring data.
TelePIX CEO Seongick CHO noted, "TelePIX considers it one of its important missions to inform many people about the beauty of Earth, which is the foundation of humanity. For this reason, we have chosen the desert area of Yemen, known for its unique morphological beauty, as the site for the first satellite image from BlueBON," and added, "Moreover, BlueBON is a culmination of satellite technology entirely developed by TelePIX, from satellite design to optical payloads, AI processors, and data analysis solutions. It will serve as a foothold for entering the blue carbon-based carbon credit market by allowing us to verify marine carbon sinks worldwide without direct access to the sea."