Project Orbion digital twin to deliver a real-time Earth map

Aechelon Technology has announced Project Orbion, an initiative to create a dynamic, real-time digital twin of the Earth. Developed in partnership with Niantic Spatial, ICEYE, BlackSky, and Distance Technologies, the project aims to combine complementary technologies to build a platform that could eventually support both defence and civilian applications.

The idea is not simply to map the world but to reimagine how it might be seen, understood, and acted upon. Aechelon describes Orbion as a “living synthesis” of satellite imagery, radar intelligence, video photogrammetry, and AI—reconstructed into a three-dimensional view of Earth that would remain in motion, complete with live weather and physics.

The ambition is to move beyond static mapping, towards a dynamic model that responds in real-time to the changing conditions of the planet.

GPS Limitations: A Trigger for Project Orbion

Since its deployment in 1995, the Global Positioning System (GPS) has been the backbone of navigation, from smartphones to airplanes to shipping. But GPS was built for a different era. Its accuracy is limited by environmental factors such as weather and urban density, and its updates are never truly real-time.

As Michael Wollersheim, analytical director at ICEYE, explained: “Once you have a fragment of data, it starts to degrade immediately.” This delay may be acceptable for everyday navigation but not for high-stakes environments—disaster zones, military operations, or autonomous systems requiring split-second precision.

Project Orbion, according to Aechelon, is designed to address these gaps by offering a model that could reflect the Earth as it is in the present moment, not as it was minutes or hours earlier. In many ways, it is an attempt to build what GPS cannot: a digital twin that is dynamic, detailed, and globally accessible.

Tech Use: AI, Radar Satellites, Geospatial Data

Each partner brings a critical piece of technology to the table. Aechelon, known for its defence simulation systems, plans to integrate its Synthetic Reality platform to fuse multiple data streams into photorealistic global environments. ICEYE would add radar satellites capable of imaging through clouds, smoke, and darkness, a feature that could prove vital for responding to wildfires, floods, or combat operations obscured by weather.

Similarly, Niantic Spatial brings its geospatial reconstruction expertise and intends to integrate its forthcoming Visual Positioning System (VPS), designed to deliver centimetre-level localisation in GPS-denied environments. This would allow emergency teams operating in crisis or electronic warfare zones to navigate with precision.

Given that Project Orbion would generate vast amounts of information, BlackSky’s role is to manage the scale of incoming data. Its AI-driven architecture is intended to filter and analyse large volumes of imagery, converting raw feeds into actionable insights. Distance Technologies, meanwhile, is developing 3D light-field displays that could render this complex intelligence into intuitive visuals, supporting training, battlefield operations, and augmented reality.

In short, the five companies aim to combine their respective strengths to build a planetary map that is not only accurate but also usable under the most demanding conditions.

Defence, Disaster Response and Enterprise Applications

While defence is a key focus, Project Orbion is being designed for a broader scope in terms of its usage. In conflict situations, the platform could enable near real-time tracking of troop movements and battlefield conditions. In peacetime, it may help improve disaster management, global shipping operations, and urban planning. By fusing “ground truth” data with AI, Orbion may eventually train both human operators and autonomous systems with a level of precision that is not previously possible today.

Aechelon Co-Founder and CTO Nacho Sanz-Pastor underlined how the initiative builds on the company’s history of simulation technologies. “The challenge has always been keeping pace with changes in the physical world and training humans and autonomous systems with realistic worldwide information. Project Orbion addresses applications that until now were just in the realm of science fiction.”

Niantic Spatial CTO Brian McClendon pointed to potential benefits for emergency services: “The understanding of geospatial unlocks a new level of situational awareness that allows teams to plan and execute missions with greater confidence and safety.”

In fact, the companies aim to expand the concept of digital twin, primarily associated with manufacturing and urban design, to encompass the entire planet. By merging ground-truth intelligence with AI-enabled processing, the project aspires to provide a continuously updated operational picture. For the defence sector, this could mean faster, more reliable mission planning and enhanced command capabilities. For enterprises, it may open pathways to safer logistics, smarter infrastructure development, and advanced approaches to risk management.

The ambition is clear: to establish a new global benchmark for geospatial intelligence and to move beyond the static limits of GPS. Whether Orbion achieves this will depend on how effectively its technologies are integrated, scaled, and sustained in practice.