How can the Earth’s heat, observed from space, help protect crops, identify ships and strengthen European security? The answer lies in the technology developed by Constellr, a German thermal intelligence company that has been part of the Semapa Next portfolio since 2024.

Founded in Germany in 2020, Constellr began with a clear mission: to contribute to food security by making agricultural water use more efficient. To that end, it developed technology capable of measuring the Earth’s surface temperature from space, using thermal satellites. 

The initial goal was to help farmers spot signs of water stress in their crops before they became visible. But the technology proved to have far broader potential. From monitoring forests, cities and infrastructure to maritime surveillance and defence, Constellr is demonstrating how thermal intelligence can address challenges across very different sectors. 

Conventional satellites observe the Earth’s surface through optical or radar imagery. Constellr’s technology adds a different dimension: temperature. By capturing real-time thermal data on surface temperature, day or night, Constellr shows not only where objects and systems are and what they look like, but also how they move and behave over time. According to the company, thermal intelligence adds a layer of behavioural analysis that complements the structural mapping of radar and the visual classification of optical imagery. For military use, it promises earlier detection, independent verification and reliable assessments, making it possible to track vehicles, ships or equipment attempting to avoid detection, or to tell when an army is preparing to advance.

The technology originated at Germany’s Fraunhofer institute and was validated aboard the International Space Station in 2022, where it captured more than ten million images, according to the press release announcing the first satellite launch. Now in orbit, the operational constellation, named HiVE, comprises two satellites: SkyBee-1 and SkyBee-2, both launched aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rockets. 

According to the mission factsheet published by the European Space Agency, the two satellites follow a sun-synchronous orbit (an orbit in which the satellite passes over any given point on Earth at the same local solar time) at an altitude of between 510 and 540 kilometres, with a native resolution of 30 metres. This means that each pixel in the image corresponds to an area of 30 × 30 metres on the ground, exactly as the sensor captures it, with no software enhancement. 

In agriculture, thermal readings detect crop stress before it becomes visible. Vegetation temperature varies with plant transpiration, and that variation signals water shortage or disease while the field still looks healthy. According to Constellr, its data picks up these signs up to two weeks earlier than current tools. That is enough time for growers to act before the harvest is affected. 

At sea, thermal readings are used to detect vessels that avoid being seen. Many ships sail with their identification transponder switched off so as not to appear on tracking systems or move at night to evade optical cameras. These are known as “dark vessels”, used in illegal fishing, smuggling or undeclared military operations, and to anyone monitoring a coastline they are all but invisible to conventional means. 

Heat solves part of that problem, because the hull’s thermal signature reveals these vessels by day or night, including smaller ones that radar struggles to detect. The warm wake they leave in the water also indicates the direction in which they are travelling.

In February 2026, Constellr closed a €37 million Series A round led by Alpine Space Ventures and Lakestar, with participation from Semapa Next and investors including Bayern Kapital, Cardumen Capital and Kineo Finance. The company describes it as one of the largest Series A rounds in European space technology, bringing total funding raised since its foundation to €75 million. 

The announcement states that the investment will be used to adapt the system to defence standards and to develop satellites with sub-five-metre resolution, aimed at government and military customers. 

As an illustration of its current capabilities, Constellr released details of an observation operation at the Rybachiy naval base in Russia. According to the company, thermal data made it possible to track vessels and even to expose the presence of submarines, through heat accumulated near the quays. The thermal wakes left in the water remained visible for around an hour, long enough to infer the direction and speed of the ships. This is information that radar and optical satellites, on their own, cannot obtain. 

2026 also marked a new phase of commercial and technological expansion for Constellr. 

In January, its data became available to researchers through the European Space Agency’s Third Party Missions programme; in February, the company signed a commercial agreement with Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT and made its data available through the UP42 platform. 

In June 2026, Constellr appeared in two competing consortia bidding for space-based reconnaissance. In one, Airbus Defence and Space acted as prime contractor, alongside Rohde & Schwarz, Constellr, Orbint and HPS. In the other, Rheinmetall and ICEYE included Constellr among the founding partners of their joint venture. Of all the companies involved, it was the only one to appear on both lists. 

Development of the constellation continued in the months that followed. In August, Constellr contracted Denmark’s Space Inventor to build two new platforms, with launch scheduled for 2028; in September, it announced a partnership with Lynred, the French infrared detector manufacturer, for its next generation of satellites.

Semapa Next acquired a stake in Constellr in 2024, recognising the potential of a technology with applications across multiple sectors and the capacity for international growth. Since then, the German company has consolidated its position in the European space industry, widened access to its data and stepped up the development of solutions for defence and security. 

Constellr’s trajectory is aligned with Semapa Next’s investment strategy: backing European technology companies with scalable business models, international ambition and the potential to lead their respective markets. 

From efficient water management to the monitoring of critical infrastructure and European security, Constellr shows how a single innovation can generate value across different fields. A technology that began by helping to protect crops and that today also helps to observe and understand Europe’s security challenges. An example of how investing in innovation can open the way to new solutions for global problems. 

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