ISS Based Cameras Give Civilians Global Pay-Per-View

On January 27, two cosmonauts left the airlock aboard the ISS and ventured into the vacuum of space to install two powerful cameras on the exterior of the craft. The first, a 4K camera, sits atop a steerable mount and will provide viewers with a 1-meter per pixel resolution image. It’s companion, a fixed five-meter per pixel resolution imager, will provide additional coverage for those looking for a wider-angle view.

Designed by the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, England, the cameras were created for private space imaging firm UrtheCast (pronounced “Earth Cast”). Aimed between 51 and -51 degrees latitude, the two cameras will be able to capture real-time imagery anywhere between the UK’s midlands and southern Chile, an area that contains 90% of the Earth’s population. Capable of shooting ultra-HD footage, the satellite will be able to capture up to 1 minute long video clips of a targeted locale.

With this capability, UrtheCast aims to monetize its ISS docked cameras by providing real-time images of the globe to news agencies and private companies looking to gain a truly all-encompassing view of any region.  Once dedicated time has been purchased the rights to any captured images or video would be owned by that firm, making the possibility of “globally exclusive footage” of events like volcanic eruptions a real possibility.

Beyond its commercial uses, UrtheCast also sees itself as a company that can lend a hand in monitoring global weather patterns and possibly help coordinate disaster relief delivery plans.

In the coming years UrtheCast plans to launch 23 more satellites giving it a fleet of cameras that can canvas the globe – providing multiple angles of a single locale and increasing the amount of data that can be pulled from an image. At present, UrtheCast hasn’t released any info about how its system will be governed, though, leaving many to wonder whether high-def, pay-per-view space-based surveillance just made a very public launch.

Image and Video Courtesy of UrtheCast