Why Pinkmatter became FarEarth Labs

We are excited to share some big news: Pinkmatter Europe is now FarEarth Labs!

Our FarEarth platform has grown significantly over the last few years, with many NewSpace customers around the world now relying on FarEarth to handle camera calibration and daily production image processing for their satellite constellations.

So, the time has come to clear out the clutter and renew our focus. And for FarEarth Labs, that focus is now FarEarth only. We chose Würzburg in Germany as our home to be close to our customers and more central to the global space industry. Although we have a long history, for us this is the start of a new journey. And as new journeys have a tendency to do, it made us stand still for a moment and reflect on where we come from…

The story of Pinkmatter: Where we come from

You may not know this, but Pinkmatter has been around for many, many moons. And we didn’t start off in the space industry at all, but with network security and Big Data applications. This is our story.

The year is 2002 - just after the Dot-Com bust. Two twenty-somethings in Pretoria, South Africa, sit around pondering life, the universe, and everything. One thing is clear - we want more out of life. Building software is great, yes, but we want to live a life of meaning and adventure. One where we could peer into the future and see only the murky unknown of big dreams.

So, of course, it is clear what we need to do. We would quit our jobs and start a business writing interesting software. And we would call it Pinkmatter Solutions to refer to the good, rosy software that we would build. Everything that is “in the pink”. And a nod to Pinky and the Brain, who, like us, wouldn’t give up on the dream of bigger things.

It is the start of an adventure along a road that would take many twists and turns. We build lots of beautiful software that doesn’t make money. We learn about business. We learn about the world and about ourselves. We test the limits of our grit. We fight for survival.

We build more beautiful software.

The year is 2008 - the midst of the global financial crisis. We get a call from a friend who works at a space agency - they need help getting their Landsat processing system up and running. Interesting software, right? Little did we know that this would be the start of our journey into the fascinating world of satellites and Earth observation. Interesting software indeed. But the road would take some more turns yet before we would start with FarEarth in earnest. First, a detour.

Around the same time, we got involved in a venture to build Big Data and link analysis software. It was exciting times. Thousands of people around the world would eventually use this software to help them do amazing things. It takes up a lot of our time and focus, but we don’t let go of our space dreams. More interesting software - more fun, right? We deploy our first FarEarth system in 2013 - processing and data management software for classic space. We’re stretched thin. We juggle. We keep both dreams alive.

We build beautiful software.

The year is 2017. A year of growth and change. Much of it unexpected and unplanned. The link analysis software is growing by leaps and bounds. FarEarth for classic ground receiving stations, real-time Landsat processing, and fire detection is now used by agencies around the world. We work on plans for an antenna hosting site in the Southern Hemisphere. We build a platform for monitoring change with satellite imagery. And… with more big dreams for the future, we register Pinkmatter Europe in Germany. But, as it turns out, the move to Europe would become a dream on hold.

We build beautiful software.

More years, more twists, more turns. Successes. Sleepless nights. Plans for an antenna hosting site. Amazing adventures. Tragedy.

The year is 2019. Chris passes away suddenly in October. Goodbye, my partner. Goodbye, my best friend. My life stops for a moment. But I’m not alone. The Pinkmatter team is with me. They are Pinkmatter. They carry the dream forward.

We build beautiful software.

The year is 2022. We are preparing for a successful exit from the link analysis venture. That software will live on, but with another team. It is time to take stock. What are we going to do tomorrow, Brain? We make grand plans for a new, audacious software platform. FarEarth for NewSpace, of course, Pinky!

We build beautiful software.

FarEarth Labs: Where we are going

The FarEarth platform has grown, and it is time to give it the focus it deserves. FarEarth Labs in Germany will do just this, while Pinkmatter continues with antenna hosting in South Africa.

We chose the name FarEarth Labs to capture our renewed focus and continued commitment to science and innovation. And of course, as a nod to Pinky and the Brain’s lab, where this journey started. A special thank you to my co-founders, Eduan and Stefan, who are walking this path with me. What are we going to do tomorrow?

We build beautiful software.

And we are excited about the future!

Sonja