IIMEO project trials radar-and-camera satellite concept for rapid rail monitoring

The EU-funded IIMEO project, hosted by OHB Digital Connect in Germany, has tested a system for automated, near-real-time monitoring of long infrastructure such as railways, roads and power lines. It has three parts: a satellite module, a ground platform and user services. The satellite concept pairs cameras with synthetic aperture radar, so it can observe by day or night and through cloud, and it processes images on board to flag anomalies.

The prototype was flown on a small aircraft along the Küstenbahn Ostfriesland museum railway in northern Germany, where temporary obstacles were placed on the tracks. Operators requested observations through the ground platform and received results as a digital map. The team aims to deliver results within one hour of a request.

The project ran from December 2022 to May 2026 with an EU contribution of about €2.8 million. Next steps include roads and other Earth observation uses.

Why it matters: On-board processing with radar and optical fusion could shorten the time from satellite tasking to usable alerts for linear assets. The approach could suit large rail, road and power networks in any region, though the trial was in Germany.