KP Labs Sp. z o.o. and Scanway S.A., two leading Polish space-sector companies, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) during Space Tech Expo Europe in Bremen. The agreement covers cooperation on integrated optical payloads and onboard data-processing systems designed for future space missions.
KP Labs provides advanced hardware–software solutions for on-orbit data processing, including Data Processing Units (DPUs), onboard management software, and AI-based algorithms enabling autonomous operations. Scanway specializes in high-resolution optical instruments and camera systems for Earth observation and in-orbit inspection, developing advanced optical payloads under its SOP (Scanway Optical Payload) product line, which has already been verified in space and holds flight heritage. Under the MoU, both companies plan to combine Scanway’s imaging technology with KP Labs’ computational architecture to create compact optical payloads capable of acquiring, processing, and transforming image data directly on orbit—reducing the need for data transmission to ground stations and increasing satellite autonomy.
The agreement outlines collaboration on joint optical-payload architectures for satellite platforms, integration of Scanway’s optical instruments with KP Labs’ DPU and software, performance analysis of joint applications for Earth-observation and in-orbit-inspection missions, and coordinated development of a technological roadmap tailored to specific mission requirements. The partnership also opens opportunities to develop solutions for space-exploration missions and other applications beyond Earth observation, including operations in deep-space missions. The optical payloads developed under the partnership are intended to support commercial and institutional missions seeking more efficient and intelligent optical systems.
“This partnership enables us to combine state-of-the-art optical-observation capabilities with intelligent on-orbit data processing. By merging Scanway optics with our onboard data-processing ecosystem, we want to deliver payloads that not only acquire data but also autonomously interpret it at the source. This reduces the load on ground infrastructure, shortens decision-making cycles, and allows operators to focus on mission objectives rather than on handling raw data. As the space sector moves toward greater autonomy and more distributed constellations, integrated optical-computational solutions are becoming essential. Through this cooperation, we aim to provide mission designers with a compact and efficient optical-payload architecture that enhances resilience, improves operational efficiency, and unlocks real-time insights directly in orbit,” says Michał Zachara, COO of KP Labs Sp. z o.o.
“As demand grows for increasingly capable imaging instruments and telescopes for highly specialized missions, we see the need for close collaboration with providers of Data Processing Units. We are building a broad and diverse portfolio of partnerships because we need trusted entities with whom we can develop complementary and advanced solutions. It is hard to imagine a better local partner than KP Labs—we can jointly compete effectively in European Space Agency (ESA) projects and in other markets wherever the combination of our telescopes with their DPU delivers the greatest value for customers. It is worth noting that we are already working together on projects and are simultaneously discussing new initiatives, including with ESA,” says Mikołaj Podgórski, COO of Scanway S.A.
Both companies are already cooperating under the national CAMILA constellation program (Country Awareness Mission in Land Analysis), led by Creotech Instruments S.A. under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA). The CAMILA program includes a group of Polish Earth-observation satellites and ground-segment infrastructure. Scanway supplies telescopes and optical cameras for two satellites, while KP Labs provides onboard data-processing systems, part of the flight software in its DPU, and the EGSE test environment—offering complementary competencies for the mission’s optical segment.
Source: managerplus.pl
