SECTOR: ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
Breakthrough Victoria has announced a significant investment of $37 million in World View. This investment marks a pivotal moment in the expansion of World View’s groundbreaking technology aimed at revolutionising stratospheric remote sensing services.
THE INVESTMENT
Investment type: Growth capital |
Stage: Series D |
Investment vehicle: Convertible note |
BV investment: $37,000,000 |
WHO IS WORLD VIEW?
World View is a leading global stratospheric exploration company, founded in 2012 and headquartered in Tucson, Arizona, USA, and Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
World View has a proven track record of successful stratospheric flights and is leading a new era of stratospheric exploration to take humanity’s understanding and appreciation of Earth to inspired new heights.
World View manufacture, launch and control stratospheric balloons providing on-demand, payload agnostic, high resolution sensing, weather monitoring, and communication services for a wide range of clients including commercial and government (defence and non-defence) clients.
World View has completed more than 120 stratospheric flight operations, including flights with 4,700kg and 10,000kg payloads.
In addition to growth to meeting near term demand for enhanced sensing capabilities, future plans for World View also include expanding into space tourism via stratosphere flights, which will involve building and operating launch locations across the globe, including a possible Spaceport Great Barrier Reef in Queensland.
World View has patents in the following areas: near-space operations, parafoil systems, space window/capsule, balloon systems and methods, space vehicles and associated components.
THE PROBLEM
Current solutions can be costly, slow to deploy, unable to "hover" over specific locations for extended periods, or have limited Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) payload capabilities.
THE SOLUTION
World View’s high-altitude balloon systems can “station keep” over an area of interest with a 45km radius for up to 10 consecutive days, at an elevation of c.75,000 ft, 5 times lower than satellites but 15-20 times higher than a drone (UAV), that are cost effective when compared to existing options, can stay in the air for over 30 days, all while taking payloads up to 4700kg to 10,000kg.
The World View system is also not a jet propulsion based system so therefore has no GHG emissions on launch or recovery.
Using the different wind directions in the stratosphere to maintain its station keeping location by ascending and descending to capture the correct directional wind, through the increase or decrease in pressure in the ballast balloon via an onboard compressor.
World View’s system is underpinned by a number of unique characteristics:
- Maneuverability – Use of a patented zero-pressure and altitude control balloon system that provides for significant navigability.
- High resolution optical sensors – 5-7cm ground sampling distance at 50-70k feet. Commercial satellite offering is 30cm from satellites (the difference between two consecutive pixel centers measured on the ground).
- Payload recovery – patented parafoil landing system.
- Autonomous altitude control and fleet management system for navigation guidance.
IMPACT FOR VICTORIA
World View has set up their Indo-Pacific headquarters in Victoria, in addition they are building an advanced manufacturing facility in Victoria which will ultimately employ up to 200 jobs in engineering, data scientists, material scientists, and non-degreed skilled labour. World View’s Indo-Pacific headquarters will also be the joint mission control facility for stratospheric balloon operations launched from Australia.
The global remote sensing market expected to grow to US$22.8bn by 2027.
In addition to their Indo-Pacific headquarters and manufacturing facility, a stratospheric research hub will also be established in Victoria, with World View investing in R&D c.US$5m p/a across Australian universities and research and design centres.
WHAT ARE THE USE CASES FOR WORLD VIEW’S TECHNOLOGY?
ASSET MONITORING
Tracking high-value assets across broad distances.
CLIMATE CHANGE RESEARCH
Collecting data to identify, monitor and measure the environmental impacts of climate change.
SUPPLY CHAIN TRACKING
Ensuring continuity and detecting anomalies in distribution processes.
NON-INVASIVE ENERGY EXPLORATION
Aiding in the discovery of resources without disrupting geologic areas.
AGRICULTURAL MONITORING
Observing and analysing the condition of broad swaths of crop land.
PIPELINE INSPECTION
Detecting leaks, theft and line breaks in critical energy infrastructure.
WILDFIRE/STORM TRACKING
Providing detection and constant monitoring of natural disasters – even at night or in adverse conditions.
MARITIME AWARENESS
Tracking and monitoring shipping and other activity across vast oceanic territory.
COMMUNICATIONS
Using telecommunication beacons to improve wireless connectivity around the globe.
METHANE DETECTION
Detecting and measuring methane emissions in remote, hard-to-monitor areas.
PAYLOAD HOSTING AND TESTING
Tracking high-value assets across broad distances.
INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, RECONNAISSANCE (ISR)
Supporting important missions from national security to environmental monitoring to humanitarian relief.