Ukrainian entrepreneur calls for faster, better satellite data to help fight Russian invasion

A Maxar satellite image shows Russian airborne forces in Zdvyzhivka, Ukraine, on Feb. 28, 2022. (Image credit: Maxar Technologies)

Private Earth observation companies have been sharing satellite images of Ukraine and its bordering countries amid Russia’s military invasion, but these efforts are not actually helping resistance fighters on the ground, Ukrainian entrepreneur Max Polyakov said in a call with reporters on Monday (Feb. 28).

Polyakov, who co-founded the Texas-based spaceflight company Firefly Aerospace, urged Earth observation companies to help Ukraine’s defense operations by freely and rapidly sharing data and images from their satellites with EOS Data Analytics, a company Polyakov owns. EOS would then rapidly process that data and share it with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense to help fight the Russian invasion, he said.