BlueBon

BlueBon

A rendering of BlueBon
Mission type	Earth Observation
Operator	SatRev
Website	satrev.space
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type	6U Cubesat
Manufacturer	SatRev TelePIX Ministry of Science and ICT POLSA
Start of mission
Launch date	14 January 2025, 19:09:00 (2025-01-14UTC19:09Z) UTC
Rocket	Falcon 9
Launch site	Vandenberg SCL-4
Contractor	SpaceX Transporter-12
Orbital parameters
Regime	LEO
Apogee altitude	525 kilometres (326 mi)
Inclination	SSO
Patch of the Deep Blue mission, the BlueBon's launch

BlueBON is a 6U Cubesat designed and built by the South Korean satellite company TelePIX in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and ICT alongside Polish firm SatRev overseen by POLSA, which launched on board the SpaceX Falcon9 Transporter-12.

Development

Owned by TelePIX, BlueBON is the world’s first satellite dedicated to monitoring blue carbon in the ocean. ^{[1] [2] [3]} This 6U Earth observation satellite is equipped with an AI-powered on-board processor that captures and analyzes electro-optical data directly in space. By processing imagery onboard, BlueBON dramatically reduces both the latency and carbon footprint associated with traditional Earth-based processing It was described as the world's first satellite with the mission to detect monitor and quantify blue carbon using an AI processing unit and proprietary algorithms to enable the satellite's imagery to be processed and analyzed in space before being sent down to earth, therefore lowing the carbon emissions from data processing. ^[4]

BlueBON's payload won the 2024 Consumer Technology Association innovation award. ^[4] BlueBON was also shown off at the International Astronautical Congress in Milan in 2024. ^[5]

TelePIX signed the deal with SatRev to supply satellite imagery data. The contract was made during the ceremony held at the International Astronautical Congress(IAC) held in Baku, Azerbaijan. The event saw participation from both companies and representatives from the South Korean Ministry of Science and ICT, the Korea Aerospace Research Institute, the Polish Ministry of Economic Development and Technology, and the Polish Space Agency. ^[6]

Payload

The BlueBON has the 4.8m multispectral optical payload that can detect and estimate the amount of blue carbon in the ocean from floating algaes such as sargassums. TelePIX's proprietary algorithm can detect the locations of the algaes in the ocean. ^{[7] [3]}

BlueBON also has the AI on-board processor called "TetraPLEX" based on using NVIDIA's Jetson Orin GPU. 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. ^[7] The processor was designed to eliminate carbon emissions and reduce data latency while still performing a high quality analysis. ^[8]

Mission

BlueBON was launched into space on January 14 (local time) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, carried aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of the 'Transporter-12' mission. The launched BlueBON was successfully deployed on January 22, with its basic functions such as power and communication operating normally, and it has successfully established contact with the ground station. Data received as of January 27 confirmed that Bluebon has successfully entered its mission orbit. ^{[7] [9] [3]}

References

1. "Telepix launches world's first blue carbon monitoring satellite BlueBON". ChosunBiz. Retrieved 24 December 2025.
2. "The Dedicated Satellite Mission: SatRev and TelePIX Strengthen Ties for Satellite Advancement". satrev.space. Retrieved 11 March 2025.
3. "RIDE! Reveals Official Mission Patch for Deep Blue RIDE! Launch Mission: A SatRev 6U-XL satellite aboard Falcon 9, Transporter-12". Ridespace.io. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
4. "BLUEBON". ces.tech. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
5. "TelePIX Exhibits at IAC 2024, the World's Largest Space Event, Demonstrating its Expansion into the Global Space Market". Korea Herald . Retrieved 20 February 2025.
6. "TelePIX, South Korean Startup, Signs Deal to Provide Earth Observation Imagery Data from its BlueBON Satellite". PR Newswire . Retrieved 20 February 2025.
7. Jong-Hyun, Lee. "Telepix launches the world's first blue carbon monitoring satellite BlueBON". biz.chosun.com. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
8. "BlueBon Spacecraft". nanosats.eu. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
9. Lentz, Danny. "SpaceX Transporter-12 launches more than 100 satellites". NASA Space Flight . Retrieved 20 February 2025.