2024 Commercial Remote Sensing Global Rankings Revealed

The Center for Strategic and International Studies along with Taylor Geospatial Institute, Taylor Geospatial Engine, and the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation have collaborated to produce a ranking of the world’s best commercial space-based remote sensing systems. Commercial Remote Sensing Global Rankings provides a snapshot, albeit with a good depth of view, of this rapidly growing industry segment.

The goal of the rankings is to give an overview of the global competition in the market and help to keep the U.S. private sector at the cutting edge of remote sensing. It also proves a useful way of seeing which companies seem to be leading the way at this moment. 

2024’s trends for commercial remote sensing global rankings

The 2024 report focuses on some of the huge advancements being made in both the U.S. and China. There are 11 different performance categories outlined in total, including EO systems (video and imaging) as well as SAR, IR, and Multispectral remote sensing categories. 

The report has a (deliberate) Olympic feel to it with gold, silver, and bronze awards given, with Chinese systems getting the gold medal in five areas, US systems in four areas, and Finland and South Korea each securing a gold medal each.

The report could also help to drive things forwards by outlining future developments that could feature in future reports. 2024’s edition explains that the Maxar WorldView Legion constellation is likely to compete for the top spot in the future when the products are available. Expected to launch in 2025, we also see the first commercial EO imaging systems going to very low Earth orbit, created by Albedo Space and EOI.

Taylor Geospatial Institute executive director Nadine Alameh, Ph.D., explained the crucial role of collaboration when creating the report: “This collaboration exemplifies how complementary non-profits can collaborate to offer an impartial, comprehensive, yet accessible view of a complex competitive market,” she explained. “Our goal is for the Commercial Remote Sensing Global Rankings to provide a dependable foundation for stakeholders in government and industry to develop strategies in the areas of technology, investment, partnerships, and policy.” 

The full report can be read here along with the rankings of remote sensing systems.