Empower Field at Mile High as seen from an Urban Sky balloon. (Courtesy Urban Sky)
A Denver-based startup that’s reimagining how to take satellite images raised nearly $10 million last week.
Urban Sky makes and deploys balloons that take satellite images. But, unlike traditional images that are usually taken from space, co-founder Andrew Antonio said Urban Sky balloons go into the stratosphere — which is lower, about 30 miles above Earth’s surface.
“We saw it as an untapped layer of Earth’s atmosphere,” Antonio said. “You’re going to see a lot of utility and value because it’s cheaper than space and in a lot of ways better.”
Andrew Antonio
The reusable, zero-emission balloons weigh less than six pounds. According to Antonio, high-quality satellite images usually cost around $35 per square kilometer, while Urban Sky is around $5 per square kilometer.
“In space, we saw these satellites getting smaller and we wanted to apply that to stratospheric systems,” Antonio said. “We had this interesting technical idea which was how do we make balloons reusable and how do we make them smaller?”
Antonio said the 4-year-old company, which is based at 4800 Race St. in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, takes images for a variety of companies and organizations, such as oil and gas or insurance companies. For example, he said they took pictures to help Denver Water determine how wildfires impacted water quality and where new trees needed to be planted.
Urban Sky can deploy balloons anywhere a truck can park. A software system determines where and when the balloon needs to be inflated based on predicting wind in the stratosphere. Because of this, they don’t need a pilot.
“We don’t steer the balloon,” Antonio said. “Winds are like currents in the ocean, they’re very predictable. You’re so high up in the stratosphere, if you’re off by a mile it’s not a problem.”
Afterwards, it’s deflated, picked up and refurbished to fly again.
Antonio said the $9.79 million raised this month will go to expanding operations to other states and developing new technology like infrared imaging.
Antonio said Urban Sky has 14 full-time employees, one of whom drives around to launch the balloons, and he hopes to double the workforce this year. The company has raised roughly $11 million to date. Antonio declined to disclose revenue figures or customer numbers.
An Urban Sky balloon in flight. (Courtesy Urban Sky)
Before Urban Sky, Antonio and his co-founder, Jared Leidich, helped design the suit for the StratEx Project, a 2014 mission that sent Google’s senior vice president skydiving from 136,000 feet above the earth.
Afterwards they worked for World View, which sells a luxury dining experience in the stratosphere using balloons the size of skyscrapers. According to its website, it has had over 115 flights. A ticket costs $50,000.
Antonio said other balloon technology includes weather balloons, which look similar to Urban Sky but are difficult to control and pop once they hit the stratosphere. New York-based Near Space Labs also takes satellite images in the stratosphere and uses “sophisticated weather balloons,” according to its website.
Antonio hopes to “commercialize” the stratosphere with Urban Sky’s technology.
“Long term is to be the SpaceX of the stratosphere,” he said. “We see a whole ecosystem developing there. We fully expect the stratosphere to be as robust of an economy as space and commercial air space.”
Empower Field at Mile High as seen from an Urban Sky balloon. (Courtesy Urban Sky)
A Denver-based startup that’s reimagining how to take satellite images raised nearly $10 million last week.
Urban Sky makes and deploys balloons that take satellite images. But, unlike traditional images that are usually taken from space, co-founder Andrew Antonio said Urban Sky balloons go into the stratosphere — which is lower, about 30 miles above Earth’s surface.
“We saw it as an untapped layer of Earth’s atmosphere,” Antonio said. “You’re going to see a lot of utility and value because it’s cheaper than space and in a lot of ways better.”
Andrew Antonio
The reusable, zero-emission balloons weigh less than six pounds. According to Antonio, high-quality satellite images usually cost around $35 per square kilometer, while Urban Sky is around $5 per square kilometer.
“In space, we saw these satellites getting smaller and we wanted to apply that to stratospheric systems,” Antonio said. “We had this interesting technical idea which was how do we make balloons reusable and how do we make them smaller?”
Antonio said the 4-year-old company, which is based at 4800 Race St. in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood, takes images for a variety of companies and organizations, such as oil and gas or insurance companies. For example, he said they took pictures to help Denver Water determine how wildfires impacted water quality and where new trees needed to be planted.
Urban Sky can deploy balloons anywhere a truck can park. A software system determines where and when the balloon needs to be inflated based on predicting wind in the stratosphere. Because of this, they don’t need a pilot.
“We don’t steer the balloon,” Antonio said. “Winds are like currents in the ocean, they’re very predictable. You’re so high up in the stratosphere, if you’re off by a mile it’s not a problem.”
Afterwards, it’s deflated, picked up and refurbished to fly again.
Antonio said the $9.79 million raised this month will go to expanding operations to other states and developing new technology like infrared imaging.
Antonio said Urban Sky has 14 full-time employees, one of whom drives around to launch the balloons, and he hopes to double the workforce this year. The company has raised roughly $11 million to date. Antonio declined to disclose revenue figures or customer numbers.
An Urban Sky balloon in flight. (Courtesy Urban Sky)
Before Urban Sky, Antonio and his co-founder, Jared Leidich, helped design the suit for the StratEx Project, a 2014 mission that sent Google’s senior vice president skydiving from 136,000 feet above the earth.
Afterwards they worked for World View, which sells a luxury dining experience in the stratosphere using balloons the size of skyscrapers. According to its website, it has had over 115 flights. A ticket costs $50,000.
Antonio said other balloon technology includes weather balloons, which look similar to Urban Sky but are difficult to control and pop once they hit the stratosphere. New York-based Near Space Labs also takes satellite images in the stratosphere and uses “sophisticated weather balloons,” according to its website.
Antonio hopes to “commercialize” the stratosphere with Urban Sky’s technology.
“Long term is to be the SpaceX of the stratosphere,” he said. “We see a whole ecosystem developing there. We fully expect the stratosphere to be as robust of an economy as space and commercial air space.”
