exactView 9 (EV 9) will form part of the exactEarth (COM DEV) AIS constellation to monitor ship movements through busy shipping channels and harbours and to provide information on global shipping movements.
The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a self-organizing TMDA radiocommunication system used for the identification and location of maritime vessels. AIS transponders are required by the International Maritime Organization on all vessels over 300 tons and all passenger vessels. Communication is line-of-sight, allowing countries to monitor ships within about 50 km of their shores. A space-based platform allows monitoring of much larger areas, especially in areas that are difficult to monitor through more traditional base station means.
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.
The 5.5-kilogram nanosatellite, with body dimensions of 20 × 20 × 20 cm, uses deployable antennas and 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.
In March 2020, EV 9 was sold to Myriota to provide initial service for their IoT communication constellation.
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