NASA’s satellite data receiving software is slow, while Blink from Croatia is exceptionally fast, so NASA sees it as a possible replacement.
“We are living in interesting times,” says Frane Miloš, head of the Luxembourg office of the Croatian company Amphinicy Technologies, announcing a major business opportunity for this innovative business headquartered in Zagreb, one of the leading companies in the software industry, reports Jutarnji List on February 22, 2018.
The company’s team will soon travel to NASA offices since the US space agency is interested in Blink, their super-fast system for receiving images of Earth from satellites. “We have been invited to demonstrate our system at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, as a possible replacement for their existing systems,” says Miloš. For commercialisation of this software, Amphinicy has received European Union funding through an EU programme. At this time, NASA uses software which processes satellite data as much as 20 times slower than Blink.
“In the meantime, Blink has been recognised by the European Space Agency as a system they want to use in their new missions. We have established commercial and long-term co-operation with a Belgian company engaged in Earth monitoring services. Also, the product has been presented to the European Commission in Brussels as an innovative Croatian project and a candidate for further funding from EU funds,” Miloš explains. The second phase of the Blink project would be “far more substantial than the first, which requires a larger investment.”
The Luxembourg office was opened in the late 1990s, since the country is the centre of the European satellite industry, with many headquarters and representative offices of leading European companies located there. It negotiates with partners and provides technical support to customers, while the software is mostly developed in Zagreb.
The company is glad that just this week Croatia signed a cooperation agreement with the European Space Agency. “However, this just open doors to associate membership, a process that will last at least five, and possibly more than ten years, when Croatian companies will be able to participate equally on ESA projects.” In the short term, there is no direct business benefit for Amphinicy Technologies, but the future potential is obvious. “This agreement is of great importance for companies like Amphinicy Technologies because it provides a confirmation that Croatia is moving towards integration with the European space strategy.”
Amphinicy will further strengthen its Luxembourg office, which is already involved in some ESA projects and programmes. Once Croatia comes in a position to more fully participate in the projects, the company will use its experience. “We will be ready immediately to embark on further ESA projects,” says Miloš, adding that this is the same path which many other companies in countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania have already passed. “We have our strategy, and we will be very efficient as a company which represents Croatia in European projects,” he adds.
The company is currently working on innovative solutions for the global satellite industry. In addition to Blink, they have developed a satellite oversight and management system Monica, while the Luxembourg office is working on software solutions for managing the terrestrial segment of major EU projects (GOVSATCOM) and innovative products developed jointly with other companies in the Benelux region.
Translated from Jutarnji List (reported by Gordana Grgas).
