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Australian space technology and Earth observation company Spiral Blue has partnered with provider Arlula in a move designed to strengthen sovereign space-based LiDAR capability for defence, intelligence and critical infrastructure applications.
Under the agreement, Spiral Blue will use Arlula’s Sales Engine platform as the distribution layer for its planned Teal LiDAR satellite constellation, providing customers with a secure sovereign interface to discover, task and access decision-grade LiDAR data.
The partnership will provide Spiral Blue with an end-to-end sovereign ground segment capability, enabling defence, government and enterprise users to access near real-time Earth observation data for applications including terrain intelligence, infrastructure monitoring, maritime surveillance, targeting support and battlespace awareness.
Spiral Blue chief executive Taofiq Huq said the agreement would allow the company to focus on developing and deploying its advanced space-based LiDAR capability rather than building the supporting commercial infrastructure from scratch.
“Building advanced LiDAR satellites is challenging enough without also building the infrastructure to distribute the data,” Huq said.
“Sales Engine gives our customers a trusted sovereign platform to access Spiral Blue data while our team stays focused on deploying our Teal constellation and delivering high-quality insights for defence, government and commercial users.”
Spiral Blue has emerged as one of Australia’s leading sovereign space technology firms, having already deployed 10 Nvidia-powered edge computing systems into orbit through customer and partner missions.
Earlier this year, the company exported Australia’s first defence-focused space LiDAR capability to a United Kingdom partner and secured a $3 million CRC-P grant to develop what it says will be the world’s first AI-enabled LiDAR satellite.
The company is also working with industry and research partners on advanced defence programs, including hypersonic missile defence initiatives under the iLAuNCH Trailblazer program.
The Teal LiDAR constellation is being designed to deliver highly accurate three-dimensional Earth observation data with increasingly rapid revisit rates as additional satellites are launched.
Arlula’s Sales Engine platform will provide Spiral Blue with a white-labelled portal covering data discovery, satellite tasking, ordering and delivery, allowing the company to streamline customer access to its services.
Arlula chief executive Sebastian Chaoui said the platform had been purpose-built for operators such as Spiral Blue.
“Spiral Blue is exactly the kind of operator Sales Engine was built for,” Chaoui said.
“Their LiDAR products can reach customers from day one of operations, without their engineers being pulled into building bespoke commerce infrastructure.”
The partnership comes amid growing Australian and allied investment in sovereign space capabilities under initiatives including AUKUS Pillar 2, with defence customers increasingly seeking sovereign-controlled commercial geospatial intelligence data for operational use.
LiDAR-derived terrain intelligence and change detection capabilities are viewed as particularly valuable for modern defence applications because they can provide structural and elevation data beyond what is possible through traditional passive imagery systems.
As part of the rollout, Spiral Blue will progressively expand its existing data catalogue, which currently includes Landsat and Sentinel-2 imagery by integrating open-source LiDAR datasets ahead of the launch of its fixed-wing drone LiDAR program in NSW.
The company will later introduce space-derived LiDAR products as the Teal constellation enters service.
Arlula said its broader Geostack platform provides operational infrastructure for Earth observation missions through six modular components covering data sales, constellation orchestration, fulfilment, automation, data normalisation and advanced data management.
Spiral Blue said its broader mission is to use space-based LiDAR technology to address challenges, including national security, natural disasters, climate adaptation and climate resilience, with its Teal LiDAR constellation and Sapphire rendezvous and proximity operations sensor aimed at delivering high-precision elevation data to defence, government and commercial customers.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
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