On 9 December American missions-as-a-service company Loft Orbital announced a new customer for its upcoming YAM-6 mission. Hydrosat Inc, based in Washington D.C. (which also has offices in Luxembourg) has contracted with Loft Orbital to fly its VanZyl-1 payload on the mission. YAM-6 is expected to launch in 2022 on-board a SpaceX Falcon 9 vehicle.
The VanZyl-1 payload is intended to provide a global thermal, infrared map which will be used to generate commercial products tracking water stress, wildfire risk and crop compatibility. It is named after company co-founder Dr. Jakob van Zyl, who passed away earlier in 2020.