Marble Sat-1 to test laser downlink of Earth observation data from early 2027

Marble Imaging, Reflex Aerospace and Odysseus Space announced a joint mission in which Marble Imaging's first satellite, Marble Sat-1 "Morgana", will send very-high-resolution imagery to the ground by laser. Launch is scheduled for the first quarter of 2027.

Reflex Aerospace built the satellite and integrated Odysseus Space's Cyclops-DTE terminal. The satellite has reportedly passed vibration testing and flight qualification. Odysseus Space supplies Cyclops as a managed, subscription-based service covering pass planning to data delivery, with speeds of up to 10 Gbps and at least 1 TB of imagery a day.

The first six months in orbit are a demonstration phase to validate the satellite and the optical downlink, including space and ground segments. Commercial operations follow. Marble Imaging plans a constellation of very-high-resolution satellites; the figure given varies by source, from 20 or more to 30 by 2030.

Why it matters: Faster, higher-capacity downlink could ease a key bottleneck for very-high-resolution imagery, shortening the time from capture to delivery for mapping and monitoring users. If the demonstration succeeds, it may influence how future commercial EO constellations handle data.