Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Braced From Space: Startup Keeps Watchful Eye on Gas Pipeline Leaks Across the Globe

25/01/2023

As its name suggests, Orbital Sidekick is creating technology that acts as a buddy in outer space, keeping an eye on the globe using satellites to help keep it safe and sustainable.

The San Francisco-based startup, a member of the NVIDIA Inception program, enables commercial and government users to optimize sustainable operations and security with hyperspectral intelligence - information collected from across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Space-based hyperspectral intelligence basically breaks up the spectrum of light so it's possible to see what's happening at a chemical level without needing an aircraft, said Kaushik Bangalore, vice president of payload engineering at Orbital Sidekick, or OSK.

Founded in 2016, OSK is among the first to use hyperspectral intelligence to detect hydrocarbon or gas leaks. These are some of the world's most pressing energy issues - 6,000 U.S. pipeline incidents from 2002-2021 resulted in over $11 billion in damages.

Previous industry-standard ways of detecting such issues were unreliable as they used small aircraft and pilots looking out the window for leaks, depending on the trained eye rather than sensors or other technologies, said Bangalore.

OSK operates a constellation of satellites that collect hyperspectral imagery from space. That data is processed and analyzed in real time using the NVIDIA Jetson edge AI platform. Then, insights - like the type of leak at a GPS point, its size and its urgency - can be viewed on a screen by users of OSK's SIGMA Monitor platform.

The technology accomplishes what a pilot would, but much more quickly, objectively and with higher accuracy, Bangalore said.

A methane leak detected by OSK technology. Sustainable Operations OSK technologies have so far monitored more than 20,000 kilometers of pipelines for various customers, according to Tushar Prabhakar, its founder and chief operating officer.

The platform has detected nearly 100 suspected methane leaks, 200 suspected liquid hydrocarbon leaks or contamination issues, and more than 300 intrusive events related to digging or construction activities, Prabhakar added. OSK helped eliminate the potential for these events to become serious energy crises.

OSK's SIGMA Monitor platform dashboard. We're taking hyperspectral intelligence to the finest commercial resolution that the world has ever seen to make the Earth a more sustainable place, Bangalore said. The biggest challenge with hyperspectral imagery is dealing with huge amounts of data, which can be up to 400x the size of 2D visual data. NVIDIA technology helps process this data in real time.

OSK uses the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier module as an AI engine at the satellites' edge to process the hyperspectral data collected from various sensors and crunch algorithms for leak detection.

The module, along with the NVIDIA CV-CUDA and CUDA Python software toolkits, have sped up OSK's analysis by 5x, according to Bangalore. This acceleration enhances the platform's ability to detect and recognize anomalies from space - then project the data back to Earth.

There are around 15 sun-synchronous orbits per day, Bangalore said. With NVIDIA Jetson AGX Xavier, we can process all the data taken onboard a satellite in an orbit within that same orbit, enabling continuous data capture.

In 2018, OSK's previous-generation system was launched on the International Space Station. Its data was analyzed using the NVIDIA Jetson TX2 module.

In addition, OSK uses the next-generation NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin module for an aerial version of the platform that collects hyperspectral imagery from airplanes. Compared to the previous-generation module, the Jetson AGX Orin - with upgraded memory and speed - can run larger amounts of map data streamed in real time to pilots, Bangalore said.

We chose the NVIDIA Jetson platform because it offers off-the-shelf products for industrial applications with extended shock, vibration and temperature, and software that has been optimized for the NVIDIA GPU architecture, Bangalore said.

And as a member of NVIDIA Inception, a free, global program for cutting-edge startups, OSK received technical support to optimize the team's use of such safety features and SDK acceleration.

Versatile Use Cases Hyperspectral intelligence offers a multitude of applications. For this reason, the OSK platform is deployed across a broad range of customers, including the U.S. Department of Defense and energy sector.

OSK's GHOSt constellation of satellites. Energy Transfer, a major pipeline operator, will use OSK's GHOSt constellation for asset monitoring.

For the commercial oil and gas industry, OSK technology helps detect gas and hydrocarbon leaks, allowing pipeline operators to quickly halt work and fix issues.

To accelerate the energy transition, the platform can enhance exploration of lithium, cobalt and more, display a hyperspectral index of areas on a map that have signals of the elements, and differentiate between these materials and soil.

Creating sustainable supply chains for battery materials like lithium is key to advancing the global energy transition and scaling electric vehicle adoption, as lithium-ion batteries power the majority of EVs. The EV battery market is projected to reach over $218 billion in 2027, and EV sales are estimated to reach up to 50 million units by 2030.

Our tech can help discover lithium, and prevent methane or greenhouse gasses from being let out into the atmosphere, Bangalore said. It's a very direct impact, and it's what the planet needs.

Read more about innovative energy startups, including MinervaCQ, which is using speech AI to coach contact-center agents in retail energy, and Skycatch, which is building digital twins to make mining and construction sites safer, more efficient and sustainable.

Learn more about NV
LINK: https://blogs.nvidia.com/blog/2023/01/25/orbital-sidekick/...
See more stories from nvidia

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

09/10/2026

Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026

September 10 2026, 06:00 (PDT) Dolby Expands Dolby OptiView Platform with New Capabilities at IBC 2026 New Sports Intelligence helps providers better unders...

07/10/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Media Operations from Ingest to Distribution

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...

17/09/2026

Prime Video Embarks on Fifth Exclusive Season of Thursday Night Football With Innovation, Experience in Tow

Lions vs. Bills will also be the first regular-season game at new Highmark Stadi...

17/09/2026

Teradek Launches Bolt 7 with Integrated 900MHz Data Pipeline

Teradek has announced Bolt 7, a wireless video and data system that adds an integrated 900MHz radio to the Bolt's zero-delay video pipeline. The 900MHz chan...

17/09/2026

DAZN Announces Three Executive Appointments

DAZN has announced three appointments to its executive leadership team, all reporting to CEO Shay Segev effective immediately. Patrick Delany has been appointe...

17/09/2026

Monumental Sports and Entertainment Announces Leadership Changes

Monumental Sports and Entertainment (MSE) has announced a leadership restructuring. Zach Leonsis has been named President and Vice Chairman, a newly created pos...

17/09/2026

CP Communications and Red House Streaming Named 2026 Best of Florida Winners

CP Communications has been named Best of Florida for Audio-Visual Services, and its subsidiary Red House Streaming has been named Best Movie and Recording Studi...

17/09/2026

Scripps Sports and ION to Broadcast Shriners Childrens East-West Bowl

Scripps Sports and ION have announced a broadcast partnership for the Shriners Children's East-West Bowl, the nation's oldest college all-star football ...

17/09/2026

espnW Announces Full Agenda for 2026 Women + Sports Summit

The 17th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit, presented by Toyota, will take place October 14-16 at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, California, with virtual attend...

17/09/2026

PAMA and Shure Announce 2026 Mark Brunner Professional Audio Scholarship Recipients

The Professional Audio Manufacturers Alliance (PAMA) and Shure Incorporated have...

17/09/2026

LNK Group Migrates Five Networks to Grass Valley AMPP

Lithuanian broadcaster LNK Group has completed a migration of playout and media management for its five national television networks - LNK, BTV, TV1, InfoTV, an...

17/09/2026

Net Insight Establishes Pan-Asian Live Media Network for Nimbra 520 Trials

Net Insight has announced a pan-Asian live media network created with its regional partners, giving broadcasters, production companies, and media service provid...

17/09/2026

SVG Students to Watch: Adam Black, University of South Florida

After a high school football injury, the Orlando native found a new path in video production, gaining experience on ESPN college football broadcasts, Tampa Bay ...

17/09/2026

Image-Line & Antares reveal AutoTune Go

Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...

17/09/2026

Gibson & Baggs unveil HiFi DNA pickup

Promises unprecedented realism, dynamic nuance and clarity Gibson have teamed up with acoustic pickup experts Baggs, creating a next-generation' pickup...

17/09/2026

VSL introduce Synchron Cimbalom & World Percussion II

Two new libraries join percussion line-up VSL (Vienna Symphonic Library) have just launched two new libraries that bring some intriguing new instruments int...

17/09/2026

Arturia update the MiniFreak

Hardware & plug-in versions gain new features Arturia have just released a free update that brings some significant new features to their MiniFreak synthesi...

17/09/2026

Respected journalist Catalina Flrez to succeed Anton Enus as SBS World News presenter

Respected journalist Catalina Fl rez to succeed Anton Enus as SBS World News pre...

17/09/2026

Call for Applications: South African Producers to Attend the Berlinale Co-Production Market Visitors Programme 2027

The Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC), in partnership with the Nation...

17/09/2026

5 Reasons to Join Calrec at IBC

Calrec brings leading audio solutions and long-term business value to IBC 2026 We're looking forward to meeting up with you all on 11-14th September in Amst...

17/09/2026

Nielsen Accelerates Streaming Data Delivery with Enhancements to Streaming Content Ratings

Streaming Content Ratings (SCR) Data Shifts to Daily Delivery Cadence, Mirroring...

17/09/2026

The Gauge: Poland | August 2026

August brought further stabilization in total TV viewing time. Poles spent an average of 3 hours and 31 minutes a day watching video content on TV glass-just 2 ...

17/09/2026

Warner Bros. Discovery reclaims top spot in Nielsen's August All Screens Video Landscape Report

Post-sports seasonal shift redistributes viewership across Poland, while streami...

17/09/2026

TVC and Globecast Join Hands to Unveil The Matrix - A Ne...

Television Content Analytics Pte Ltd (TVC), a Singapore-based deep-tech company specialising in sports technology, artificial intelligence and live broadcast in...

17/09/2026

Rise Broadcast Reveals 2026 Awards Shortlist

Rise WIB, the global advocacy group championing gender diversity and career progression across the media technology industry, today announced the shortlist for ...

17/09/2026

CAPITOL BROADCASTING COMPANY AND THE CAROLINA HURRICANES EXTEND CONTENT PARTNERSHIP

RALEIGH, N.C. - Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC) and Hurricanes Holdings annou...

17/09/2026

LNK Group Moves Five National Networks to Grass Valley AM...

Lithuanian broadcaster deploys Playout X and Framelight X across five networks, combining on-premises software-defined playout with cloud-based disaster recover...

17/09/2026

Introducing Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2027

Introducing Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 2027 Brie Clayton September 17, 2026 0 Comments New tools make it easier than ever to enhance y...

17/09/2026

Scripps Research professor Li Ye named finalist for Blavatnik National Awards for Young Scientists

LA JOLLA, CA-While the brain orchestrates metabolic processes in the body, it al...

17/09/2026

Official trailer released for Sky Original WAR

The bold, new legal drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller launches on Sky and NOW on 2nd OctThursday 17 September 2026 Official trailer released for Sk...

17/09/2026

AI safety needs more than rules. It needs evidence

Every week we read headlines about new threats from AI. From taking over jobs to disrupting critical infrastructure, spreading misinformation or even destroying...

17/09/2026

Arqiva selected by SANZAAR to deliver global distribution of 2026 international rugby programme

Arqiva selected by SANZAAR to deliver global distribution of 2026 international ...

17/09/2026

Widow\u2019s Bay triumphs as most decorated freshman comedy in Emmy history - PRESS RELEASE - Posted on 15 September 2026

CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA This evening at the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards, Apple TV...

17/09/2026

Cute Critters Come to the Cloud: Aniimo' Launches on GeForce NOW

A new creature-catching adventure is ready to stream from the cloud this week. Pawprint Studio's Aniimo arrives on GeForce NOW at launch, inviting gamers to...

17/09/2026

RT Statement: 2027 Eurovision Song Contest

RT Statement: RT is today confirming that its position regarding participation in the Eurovision Song Contest remains unchanged. RT will not participate in...

16/09/2026

Grass Valley to be Awarded 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy for Web-Based Frame-Accurate Remote Monitoring

Grass Valley has been recognized with a 2026 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award...

16/09/2026

SVG Cloud & Content Workflows Summit 2026: All Sessions Now Available To Watch on SVG PLAY

Sports-media leaders explore how cloud, AI, and virtualization are transforming ...

16/09/2026

A Summer Catch: How the Women's Pro Baseball League Built a Broadcast Plan From ScratchIn Just Six Months

With a full crew on site in Springfield, deep access to players, and a growing d...

16/09/2026

The History of Concrete Contains More Surprises Than You Can Possibly Imagine

John Wilson attends The History of Concrete premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Yarrow Theatre on January 22, 2026, in Park City, Utah. (Ph...

16/09/2026

Wavea release Flite V2

Powerful soft synth receives free update Wavea have just launched a new and improved version of their feature-packed soft synth, kitting it out with over 20...

16/09/2026

Modartt launch Airteq

Physical-modelling experts launch pipe-based instrument Modartt are well known for their impressive Pianoteq and Organteq offerings, and now, they've pu...

16/09/2026

FL Studio & Antares launch AutoTune Go

Popular DAW gains free pitch-correction tool Image-Line have teamed up with Antares to kit their popular DAW software out with a built-in pitch-correction p...

16/09/2026

Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX500 support in MATEOS

Microwave Factory and Rohde & Schwarz enable automated SAR measurements with CMX...

16/09/2026

Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo 2026

Rohde & Schwarz launches new security scanner for large events at Security Expo ...

16/09/2026

Grass Valley Recognized with 2026 Technology and Enginee...

Grass Valley honored alongside industry leaders for the development of web-based, frame-accurate remote monitoring systems for distributed broadcast production ...

16/09/2026

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Harvard Law School Alumni Event

Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Harvard Law School Alumni Event Brie Clayton September 16, 2026 0 Comments URSA Broadcast G2 and Pocket Cinema Camer...

16/09/2026

Nielsen Marketing Cloud Launches Data-Enrichment Capabilities

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

16/09/2026

IBC2026 Draws 41,225 Attendees From 170 Countries

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...