Spacemetric and AAC Microtec have announced their partnership on innovative technologies for smart downlinking of satellite Earth observation data. The new Bluestone technology will optimise the downlink of imagery from satellites to ground stations addressing the problem of handling the ever increasing volumes of data generated in space.

Mikael Stern, Spacemetric's CEO, commented "Bluestone is a critical enabler as constellations of imaging satellites face the challenge of getting high-value data back to Earth at a sustainable cost". The collaboration between the two companies sees AAC Microtec providing expertise in onboard systems while Spacemetric brings long experience in ground-based image data management and processing.

"This innovation is a solution that bridges the traditional gap between space segment and ground segment systems", noted Mikael Andersson, CEO of AAC Microtec, "and in doing so opens up a wide range of new opportunities that add value for the customer by saving costs on downlinking large amounts of data." The technology underpinning Bluestone is the subject of a recent US patent application.