EarthNow is a Seattle-based startup company aiming to blanket the Earth with live satellite video coverage, initially aiming to provide services to governments and large-enterprise customers. [1]
The company was founded in 2017 [2] and has backers including Bill Gates, SoftBank, Intellectual Ventures, Airbus, and OneWeb founder Greg Wyler. [1]
The satellite network is to be deployed as a constellation of up to 500 of 230 kilograms (500 lb) satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO). [3] [4]
Manufacturing is expected to be done in Florida and Toulouse, France in partnership with Airbus. [4] [5] [6]
The intent is to provide a "'live and unfiltered' video stream that will be used to monitor illegal fishing, detect natural disasters," monitor migrating whales, observing war zones, on-demand data on crop health, [5] and whatever uses people put on them. [4]