It looks like space investor Max Polyakov has found himself another winner. He recently acquired a small South African satellite camera producer, Dragonfly Aerospace, through his investment firm Noosphere. The deal comes after EOSDA, another one of Polyakov’s companies, was already working with Dragonfly. The exact financial details of the acquisition have remained private.
Dragonfly Aerospace Is Making Waves
Dragonfly specializes in the production of high-resolution cameras for satellites. While the team behind the South African company has over 20 years of experience working with satellites and imaging, their specific technology was only created in 2016. It was quickly shown to be viable in 2017 when it successfully debuted on the nSight-1 satellite.
Dragonfly has managed to carve out a valuable niche in the microsatellite imaging industry. They were ahead of the curve compared to competitors and predicted strong growth in the nanosatellite sphere.
Dragonfly Aerospace is known for its innovative camera technology and ability to create impressive imaging constellations. Dragonfly’s imaging technology can take very high-quality images in a range of spectrums and resolutions.
The South African firm’s camera capabilities have played a significant role in their success and have led them to score impressive clients such as NanoAvionics, Loft Orbital, and Pixxel. Dragonfly has been focusing on the European and Asian markets, but it hopes to break into the US market with the help of Dr. Max Polyakov.
Dragonfly Ambitious Growth Plans
The satellite imaging experts have decided to grow their operation and take it to the next level. Dragonfly has confirmed that they will now be manufacturing their microsatellites weighing up to 600kg. They believe that by expanding and pivoting their operations, they can increase their revenue and become a truly global player in the space industry.
Dragonfly is in the midst of building its satellite-making capabilities. In the last 12 months, they increased their team by over 80 members. Even more impressive is their new 32,000 square feet facility in Cape Town, South Africa. The facility will give Dragonfly the ability to produce more than 40 satellites per year and work on 16 simultaneously.
The South African firm will still be producing cameras and has already agreed to provide two cameras to EOSDA’s first satellite, which should be launching in 2022. Max Polyakov plans to initially leverage their cameras to study agriculture. However, he has much grander plans than simply looking at crops. The Ukrainian space investor wants to use satellite imaging to improve the environment and global agriculture. He wants to increase global food security and heal the Earth. With Dragonfly’s world-class cameras, he is confident he can achieve his noble goal.
