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Vantor names new head of U.S. government business. Will Cocos succeeds Susanne Hake as executive vice president and general manager of the Earth intelligence company's government business WASHINGTON - Vantor has named Will Cocos to lead its U.S. government business and oversee the Earth intelligence company's work with U.S. defense, intelligence and civilian agencies. Cocos was appointed executive vice president and general manager of the business, Vantor said. His appointment comes as Susanne Hake, who led Vantor's U.S. government operations since 2023, announced on Aug. 19 that she is leaving the company. The leadership change comes as Vantor, formerly Maxar Intelligence, seeks to expand beyond its traditional business supplying high-resolution satellite imagery to the U.S. government and sell a broader set of software, data and intelligence capabilities. Cocos has served as Vantor's chief transformation officer since 2023, helping shape the company's strategy and, more recently, its international expansion. "My priority is getting the right capabilities into the hands of U.S. warfighters, analysts and other mission users faster," Cocos said in a statement. Cocos is a former U.S. Navy SEAL and a combat veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Before joining Vantor, he held management, commercial and transformation positions in the technology sector and was a partner at Boston Consulting Group. The U.S. government remains a central customer for Vantor, whose satellite imagery business has long supplied the U.S. intelligence and defense communities. The Westminster, Colorado-based company operates 10 high-resolution electro-optical imaging satellites, including six newer WorldView Legion spacecraft. The company announced plans to expand its constellation with two high-resolution Vantage satellites and as many as 24 smaller Pulse satellites designed to increase revisit rates." The company operates G-EGD Pro, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's primary commercial geospatial-intelligence platform, which Vantor says serves more than 1.2 million users across more than 250 government organizations. Other government work includes providing 3D terrain data for the U.S. Army's One World Terrain program and automated analysis under NGA's Luno program.

Synspective Europe GmbH opens in Munich. Synspective Inc., a provider of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data and analytics solutions, is pleased to announce the opening of its new European subsidiary, Synspective Europe GmbH, located in Munich, Germany. Munich is widely recognized as one of Europe's leading hubs for aerospace and satellite innovation. Synspective Europe GmbH will serve as a regional hub, delivering advanced SAR technology solutions for key sectors, including national and civil protection, infrastructure monitoring, disaster response, energy, and resource management. Synspective aims to strengthen its partnerships with Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) stakeholders, provide insights to support decision-making, and deliver solutions tailored to the region. Comments from Dr. Motoyuki Arai, Founder and CEO, Synspective Inc. "We are excited to expand our global footprint and establish a direct physical presence in Europe, a key market for space and technology. We look forward to working closely with our regional partners to leverage our advanced SAR technologies and provide actionable insights that drive resilience and sustainable progress." Comments from Iain MacInnes, Managing Director & CEO, Synspective Europe GmbH "This is an exciting time for Synspective as we establish a strong local foundation in Europe. There is growing demand in the European market for reliable, high-frequency Earth observation data to address critical challenges in infrastructure resilience, energy, and security. By opening Synspective Europe GmbH in Munich, we aim to foster closer collaboration with local businesses, institutions, and governments, ensuring that our SAR solutions are readily available to address the unique challenges and opportunities within the region." Profile of Iain MacInnes Iain MacInnes is the Managing Director & CEO of Synspective Europe GmbH. He has over 25 years of industry experience and holds a BSc in Geography from the University of Glasgow and an MSc in Environmental Remote Sensing from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. Prior to joining Synspective, Iain led the EMEA Office, Sales and Customer Experience team at Vantor (formerly Maxar) and held Sales Leadership roles in Enterprise and Public Sector markets over a 15-year period. Iain also led International Sales at PCI Geomatics, a Canadian Remote Sensing software company, and managed the Ground Penetrating Radar department at GeoRed Chile. Iain has overseen growth and product diversification in accounts such as the European Space Agency, NATO, and the European Union Satellite Centre, in addition to civil and defense agencies across the region.

Developing future talent through real-world research: Master Thesis Program. Innovation often begins with curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to tackle difficult problems. Through Vantor's partnership with Linköping University in Sweden, master's students have the opportunity to apply academic research to real-world challenges while contributing to technologies that may shape future products and capabilities. This year, Mikael Lundgren and Edvard Wetind joined Vantor's Linköping office to complete a thesis project focused on geolocalization from low-altitude imagery. Working with Gustav Tapper, Manager, Software Development, and Gustav Häger, as supervisor, the students explored machine learning approaches for determining the position of a drone using forward-facing camera imagery captured near ground level. The project was closely tied to the Raptor program and addressed a complex challenge: helping autonomous systems determine their location without relying on predefined starting coordinates. The team's work evaluated whether machine learning could provide an initial position and orientation estimate for drones operating in environments where traditional positioning methods may be limited. The results proved promising. The students brought positive energy, curiosity, and an effective approach to problem-solving throughout the project. Their work demonstrated the potential for future applications that could help autonomous systems operate more independently across large geographic areas. Mikael Lundgren Mikael Lundgren. Mikael is pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering at Linköping University. He was initially drawn to the opportunity because of its focus on computer vision, machine learning, autonomous systems, and the chance to work on a challenge with real-world applications. One of the most rewarding aspects of the experience was seeing the project evolve from an uncertain research question into a solution that demonstrated meaningful potential. "The most exciting thing we achieved was the optimistic outlook our supervisor had when he first got to see our results," Mikael said. "As the project went on, it seemed more and more plausible that it could result in some exciting new technology." Outside of engineering, Mikael is a longtime fan of sumo wrestling. While studying abroad in Tokyo, he joined Keio University's sumo club and even competed in amateur tournaments. Edvard Wetind. Edvard, also pursuing a Master of Science in Computer Science and Engineering at Linköping University, was attracted to Vantor because of its reputation for meaningful thesis projects and strong collaboration with the university. For Edvard, one of the most valuable aspects of the experience was becoming part of the local team and learning directly from experienced engineers and researchers. "It was fun to integrate into the team and learn from coworkers," Edvard said. "Being able to discuss the research field with experienced colleagues and immediately apply that knowledge to the thesis made the experience especially rewarding." The experience also opened the door to the next stage of his career. Following graduation, Edvard will continue his journey with Vantor as a full-time employee. Building the future through partnership. Partnerships between industry and academia create opportunities for students to contribute to meaningful research while helping organizations explore emerging technologies and future capabilities. For Vantor, the Master Thesis Program provides access to fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. For students like Mikael and Edvard, it offers the opportunity to apply years of academic study to real-world challenges while contributing to research that may influence future technologies. Their work demonstrates how collaboration, research, and emerging talent can help drive innovation forward. Turn research into real-world impact. Achieve total clarity from space to ground. See how Vantor can help you take advantage of the most advanced spatial intelligence for unparalleled insight into its dynamic world and to power your autonomous systems across space, air, and ground.