WASHINGTON, Sept 8 : The new president of Earth-observation firm Satellogic is a retired U.S. Navy vice admiral who led the Pentagon’s geospatial intelligence agency, a key hire for its defense business as it builds a satellite network that can map the entire planet on a daily basis.
Frank Whitworth, who led the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) from 2022 until last year, joined Satellogic on Tuesday, the company told Reuters.
Whitworth will lead “internal operations, integrating mission with sales and marketing efforts, while also shaping strategy for the company’s defense and intelligence product suite,” Satellogic said in a statement.
Satellogic, founded in 2010 by Argentinian engineers, operates 18 Earth-imaging satellites and sells the data to governments and companies. It also sells networks of satellites to countries seeking their own systems.
The company went public in 2022 by merging with a special-purpose acquisition company, bringing on former U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin as chairman.
Satellogic is planning a new “Merlin” constellation, starting with eight satellites, to provide daily global observations. The company is targeting clients in militaries, intelligence agencies and industries like shipping and logistics that demand the most up-to-date data.
The first Merlin satellite is scheduled to launch in October, with more planned next year.
The company views the network as especially key for imaging oceans, large swaths of the Earth that are monitored by fewer satellites compared to those eyeing land. The Merlin network will fuse its data with Automatic Identification System information used by ships.
Whitworth held various senior U.S. intelligence roles across a 36-year government career, culminating with his time leading the NGA’s 16,000 staffers, providing U.S. combat forces with geospatial data derived from satellites and other sources.
Previously, he helped expand the Defense Department’s Palantir-built Maven artificial intelligence program.