HEO

HEO — High Earth Orbit Robotics — inverts the usual satellite-imagery model: instead of pointing cameras at Earth, it turns cameras (its own and partners') toward space, an approach it calls Non-Earth Imaging. Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Sydney, Australia, the company delivers on-demand imagery and inspection of satellites and other orbital objects.

HEO's software is highly autonomous, tasking sensors and delivering insights on unknown or uncooperative objects through its HEO Inspect product for defense, intelligence, and commercial customers. Its second-generation Adler Mk2 camera suite targets a first geostationary-orbit deployment in 2026, with capabilities including up to 100 frames per second, optional color imaging, and a five-year design life.

HEO has expanded an agreement with Satellogic for exclusive Non-Earth Imagery access supporting space domain awareness. The company's work is inherently dual-use — inspecting uncooperative satellites amounts to surveillance of other parties' national assets, with real limits on attributing intent. HEO is early-stage, its key GEO capability is a 2026 deployment rather than a proven-at-scale service, and its AI is autonomy- and automation-flavored rather than deep machine learning.