EV9

The maritime monitoring nanosatellite called exactView 9 (EV9), developed by SFL for exactEarth Inc. through matched funding from FedDev Ontario, was launched successfully 28 September 2015. The satellite was quickly commissioned and has been operational ever since.

EV9 incorporates high-performance three-axis attitude control, a next-generation Automatic Identification System (AIS) receiver for high ship-detection rates, and a high-speed downlink transmitter for high data volume transfers. The satellite is designed to operate in a low-inclination orbit to service some of the more remote and not-as-well covered areas of Earth.

Communitech, Waterloo Region’s commercialization hub for digital media, signed a contract with SFL in 2013 that had the lab develop next-generation Automatic Identification System (AIS) satellites for industrial partner exactEarth Inc. The “DATA.BASE” program at Communitech is funded by a $6.4M award from FedDev Ontario that covers not only innovative AIS satellite development but also other emerging research and development opportunities in the areas of quantum key distribution and water resource monitoring, among others.

The 5.5-kilogram nanosatellite, with body dimensions of 20 x 20 x 20 cm, and deployable antennas is based on SFL’s Generic Nanosatellite Bus. The satellite incorporates technological improvements and advances that enable it to perform more data-intensive missions than previously possible in such a small package. EV9 helps expand commercial markets in AIS data for exactEarth.