The Earth observation (EO) industry revolves around collecting information from satellites that helps us to better understand our world. The view from orbit gives us a unique perspective that can benefit governments, scientific exploration, and private enterprise.
Today, more than a thousand satellites are constantly collecting data about the Earth and transmitting it back to us. While this data is still primarily used by governments, more companies and organizations are beginning to rely on EO data. From environmental concerns and defense intelligence to insurance and compliance analysis, people all over the world now use this satellite data to make better decisions.
Meteosat-1 was Europe’s first EO satellite, launched in 1977 to collect atmospheric and climate data. Since then, the ESA has expanded its EO operations substantially. Today, the ESA works to better understand the Earth and its many systems with the wide-reaching Earth Explorer missions. Copernicus is the EU’s flagship EO program, which offers data for land and water observation, as well as data for emergencies and security.
NASA’s LandSat program is the oldest EO operation that’s still running. The program's satellites have been collecting Earth data since 1972, giving us a continual bird’s eye record of our planet and its changes.
Lithuania's space industry has begun to contribute to the EO industry, which could reach over €12,110,000,000 in value by 2034. Egle Elena Sataite, Head of Space Hub LT at Innovation Agency Lithuania, notes that the nation has a strong potential for growth in the EO sector, with a Lithuanian startup company called Hikos already gaining interest.
“Lithuania’s potential in this area is substantial; while other countries currently have more space-data startups, our ecosystem, exemplified by the ESA BIC startup ‘Hikos’, shows significant promise,” Sataite says.
While the EO industry is becoming more important for the world’s economy, there are still challenges, as integrating this data in business operations is still complex and can be expensive, which can slow adoption in some economic areas.
“This segment is highly dependent on the end-user, often the public sector, necessitating the creation of market demand,” Sataite says. “Development costs in this sector can be lower than in the upstream segment, especially when integrated with artificial intelligence.”
In Lithuania, only a few state institutions and private companies rely on the EO industry today. As the technology becomes more accessible, it could benefit a number of sectors, as well as future public policy.
The view of Earth from space
EO data is helping us understand more about our climate worldwide. Using this data, organisations can get a better idea of how natural disasters impact an area. Scientists also combine EO data with data from ground-based observations to create better models to predict patterns in Earth’s climate.
Public security and defense institutions also use EO data, as it helps monitor border migration, changes in hostile states, and other activities like facility construction and troop movement.
One of the issues facing the EO industry is the scope and complexity of the data that satellites gather and send back. Indeed, this issue impacts all data science, as human time and effort is limited, while we have the ability to gather more and more data to analyze and include in our models.
Recently, companies have been using artificial intelligence for data analysis to keep up with the massive datasets that we gather in space and on the ground. The Marine Research Institute of Klaipėda University, a Lithuanian research institution, specializes in the development of innovative EO applications and AI-based solutions for marine and coastal environments.
“Our activities focus on integrating satellite data with advanced analytics to support water quality monitoring, environmental protection and maritime safety in the Baltic Sea region,” says Diana Vaičiūtė, lead researcher at the Marine Research Institute.
The European Space Agency-funded project EO Baltic Platform for Governmental Services (EO-BALP) is an AI-powered, cloud-based platform for EO data access and processing. This project demonstrates how EO data combined with AI can be transformed into operational services.
“These solutions provide added value for sectors related to aquatic ecosystem management (monitoring of water quality parameters, water pollution and aquatic vegetation), as well as maritime security,” Vaičiūtė said.
While EO data is a niche field within the wider space industry, Lithuanian companies and research organizations are well-suited to fill that niche with their technical expertise.
“Lithuanian organisations are increasingly active in ESA programs and other international initiatives, which provide valuable opportunities to build expertise and strengthen collaboration networks,” Vaičiūtė said.
“Rather than competing in large-scale infrastructure development, Lithuania has a clear opportunity to position itself as a flexible and innovative player in the downstream segment, where the focus is on transforming space-based data into practical, user-oriented solutions,” she continued.
Satellite transmission
The information that satellites give us about the Earth is important, but it’s often used in conjunction with other data, so EO data is complimentary, providing additional context for decision making. The tech startup Hikos is refining this technique, making it easier for clients to understand and use this data for practical applications.
“Our most recent achievements are primarily related to strengthening technological foundations and increasing autonomy in data management,” says Gediminas Norkevičius, the CEO and Founder of Hikos. “We have enhanced our ability to independently collect, process, and interpret data from multiple sources, including satellite-based and other operational data.”
The company is also using artificial intelligence in the form of machine learning instruments, as well as cloud-based solutions, to quickly and effectively get the information in the hands of the people who need it.
“We aim to integrate diverse data streams in a way that makes them meaningful for everyday decision-making. Experience has shown that successful commercialisation depends not only on data quality, but also on how clearly, timely, and understandably insights reach the end user,” Norkevičius says.
According to him, agriculture, infrastructure management, logistics, and environmental monitoring are all areas that could help Lithuania secure its place in Europe’s growing space sector, as EO data becomes more important for companies’ operations.
Using new technology like artificial intelligence and cloud computing has the ability to make EO data less expensive to collect and easier to use. By lowering the barrier to get this information, more European companies and industries could adopt this data source in the future as an important part of doing business.
Launches are becoming more affordable all the time. The 2026 launch schedule is already packed, as private companies innovate ways to get spacecraft into orbit at a lower price point. The number of satellites in orbit is also growing, with larger constellations and more kinds of satellites to carry out different kinds of tasks and provide different kinds of data.
“Looking ahead, our objective is to further develop solutions that connect space-derived data with real operational conditions and enable continuous process improvement through transparency and feedback,” Norkevičius says. “We view technology not as an end in itself, but as an enabling layer that helps organizations better understand their day-to-day activities and the decisions they make.”