We used to sip satellite data through a proverbial straw; a steady, manageable flow, comfortably digested from orbit. But when that flow became a tsunami, we somehow didn’t give up the straw. That’s a problem, and one that’s only expected to grow. With more than 10,000 operational satellites now in low Earth orbit, and projections calling for over 42,000 by 2032, the bottleneck is no longer a distant concern.

It’s here. Now.

Volume is clearly an issue. Terabytes of data beam down every second in a torrent of imagery and sensor readings, especially from the roughly 1,000 Earth observation satellites that scour the planet, tracking everything from shifting weather patterns to military movements. But velocity matters, too. To be effective in today’s hyper fast landscape, industry leaders, policymakers, and warfighters need more than just data. They need real-time analysis. And satellite infrastructure designed for yesterday’s demands often can’t keep pace. From overtasked ground stations to siloed storage, the entire ecosystem has a scaling problem.

Humanity has built a watchful eye. Our satellites are awash with information. But if we continue to expand our constellations without the kind of orbital infrastructure able to first make sense of it all, we’ll starve ourselves of the kind of meaningful, actionable insights hidden in all that data – and at a time when time matters most.

Consider, for instance, what happened in Canada in 2023. Record-setting wildfires ravaged all thirteen of its provinces and territories. Satellite imagery captured smoke plumes, while thermal sensors detected hotspots. But the fires damaged fiber lines that transfer all that data from the Copernicus Sentinel-2A, -2B, and -5P satellites, acquired at the Inuvik Station, to the European mainland for processing. The information wasn’t lost, but it was delayed and buried beneath a backlog of unprocessed data, which cost decision-makers precious time.

Now, consider this. 

What if these systems didn’t rely as much on Earth-bound chokepoints? What if much more data could be processed directly on orbit? What if satellites could not only see but “think,” filtering raw imagery and signals, identifying threats, and prioritizing critical data before any of it reached the ground? If only there were an environment suited for that kind of energy-hungry infrastructure; one with natural cooling and near-constant solar power.

Oh, wait.

Across industries, there's a growing recognition that the unique conditions of space can support a new generation of intelligent satellites. By enabling scalable edge computing, on-orbit capabilities can reduce latency, enhance autonomy, and revolutionize how we manage everything from national security to disaster response. But to truly be effective, these systems will have to be supported by the kind of dynamic infrastructure, flexibly integrated within both existing and evolving technologies – as well as changing missions – that can start to chip away at some of those bottlenecks. 

The future of satellite intelligence, in other words, isn’t just about deploying more or better eyes in space. It’s about supporting how those eyes can think, act, and respond in real time; and do so before any of that information ever leaves orbit. 

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