New video views of Earth show our planet in stunning high-definition, courtesy of a newly-launched 4K video-streaming platform.
The new platform, from British company Sen, features six video cameras in space. Two can be steered to capture wide-angle imagery of Earth — or peer at their spacecraft. Sen recently launched its video cameras (and a computer system for data processing) onboard a satellite from Russian company RSC Energia.
"We've spent years planning and developing the technology to stream real-time 4K video from space, so it's a great achievement to have our first successful mission," Charles Black, the founder and CEO of Sen, said in a statement.
"This mission validates our core technology — which will be deployed in future on both hosted cameras and our own satellites — as Sen develops its business of streaming videos from space for the benefit of humanity," he said.
RSC Energia will use Sen's video-streaming platform on future spacecraft, Sen representatives added in the statement.
Sen, which is short for "Space Exploration Network," was founded in 2014 with the aim of sending real-time video from space to people on Earth. The company briefly operated a news service on its website before refocusing several years ago on creating a streaming platform, which Sen says will help global populations deal with a changing climate.
Sen is a newer entrant to a competitive market for small-satellite providers that give real-time information about Earth. Other companies in that market include Planet, UrtheCast and Spire Global.
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