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Bill Gates invests in plan to cover Earth in video feed satellites

EarthNow wants to provide continuous coverage of the planet as it evolves.
EarthNow wants to provide continuous coverage of the planet as it evolves. EarthNow wants to provide continuous coverage of the planet as it evolves.

An aerospace company that hopes to launch a network of satellites to provide a continuous live feed of the whole of Earth has been backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

EarthNow has plans to launch a fleet of advanced imaging satellites into orbit above the Earth, which will then provide a feed of photos and video as the world itself changes through the seasons and as major natural events occur.

The company says it will be able to “catch illegal fishing ships in the act” as well as watch tropical storms as they evolve and detect forest fires as they start.

It also says its feeds could be used to track whale migration and to help the media in telling stories as well as be used to make “smart cities” become more efficient.

(Screenshot)
(Screenshot) (Screenshot)

As well as backing from Gates, Japanese tech giant Softbank and aviation company Airbus are also investing in the firm.

EarthNow chief executive Russell Hannigan said the company’s mission was to provide unprecedented views of the planet.

“EarthNow is ambitious and unprecedented, but our objective is simple; we want to connect you visually with Earth in real time,” he said.

“We believe the ability to see and understand the Earth live and unfiltered will help all of us better appreciate and ultimately care for our one and only home.

“With existing systems, users can see only what has happened in the past. With EarthNow’s constellation of satellites, you will see events unfold as they happen in real time.”

For now though, the company has not revealed when it plans to begin launching its satellites.