The first vineyard operationally monitored by hyperspectral satellites from space

Bordeaux / Helsinki 19 March 2026 – Château Puybarbe, an organic wine estate in Bordeaux owned and operated by Finnish winemakers Riku Väänänen and Anna Väänänen, has begun a collaboration with Finnish satellite analytics company Kuva Space to explore how hyperspectral satellite technology can support the future of sustainable agriculture and vineyard management.

Hyperspectral imaging supporting wine industry from space has previously been used mainly for research and has relied on expensive satellites. Kuva Space and Château Puybarbe are now exploring how a new generation of more affordable satellites can be used operationally in vineyards as an everyday tool.

The partnership will use Château Puybarbe as a real-world pilot environment to test how space-based Earth observation data can help detect subtle changes in vineyard ecosystems.

Kuva Space is bringing the power of spaceborne hyperspectral imaging to the wine industry, enabling vineyard managers and winemakers to monitor vine health, detect early signs of disease, and optimize viticultural practices sustainably. By capturing detailed spectral signatures from orbit, Kuva Space’s hyperspectral satellites reveal subtle biochemical and structural changes in grapevines that are invisible to traditional imaging systems.

During the current growing season, the focus will primarily be on data collection and anomaly detection. With hundreds of spectral bands, real-time analysis of the imagery may allow detection of extremely subtle variations in plant physiology and environmental conditions that are often invisible to the human eye. These insights may eventually help identify early signs of vineyard stress, including conditions that can lead to mildew outbreaks, insect activity, soil moisture changes, or nutrient imbalances – all factors that influence both yield and grape quality.

This data-driven insight allows vineyards to identify stress earlier, manage variability across fields, and ultimately improve yield, sustainability, and grape quality. Through its expanding hyperspectral satellite constellation and analytics platform, Kuva Space is helping transform vineyard management into a smarter, more resilient, and climate-adaptive operation.

As Kuva Space continues to expand its hyperspectral satellite constellation, the amount, quality and frequency of available imagery will increase, enabling more detailed monitoring in the future. This season represents an important starting point for building the data foundation needed to develop new applications for vineyard management.

“Château Puybarbe is deeply committed to organic farming and sustainability,” says Riku Väänänen. “Working with Kuva Space allows us to explore how cutting-edge space technology could possibly help us early detection of various anomalies in the vineyards even better. It does not release us from continuous hands-on monitoring of each vineyard but may provide us earlier detection of various conditions leading to unwanted events, saving both effort and costs.”

For Kuva Space, the collaboration represents an opportunity to test and refine its technology in one of the world’s most renowned wine regions.

“Vineyards are extremely interesting complex ecosystems where small changes can have a big impact on quality, yields and sustainability,” says Tuomas Tikka, Founder and CTO of Kuva Space.

“Working with Château Puybarbe provides a valuable opportunity to study these dynamics and explore how hyperspectral satellite data can support precision agriculture and environmental monitoring towards more sustainable food production globally.”

While the project begins with exploratory data analysis, both partners see strong potential for future applications. With more satellites launching in the coming years, hyperspectral Earth observation could become a powerful tool for supporting farmers, improving sustainability, and protecting agricultural ecosystems worldwide.

About Kuva Space

Founded in 2016 in Espoo, Finland, Kuva Space is building the world’s first extensive microsatellite constellation with patented hyperspectral camera technology to collect gapless data aimed at solving the world’s most pressing issues, such as climate change, food security, safety, and security. Combined with its AI-driven analytics platform, Kuva Space delivers reliable and timely global insights and foresights that transform rich spaceborne data into actionable insights users can use for efficient resource management, optimizing operations, and improving profitability sustainably. For more information, visit www.kuvaspace.com.

Contact:

Tuomas Tikka, CTO, co-founder
media@kuvaspace.com

About Château Puybarbe

Château Puybarbe is a historic wine estate in the Blaye Côtes de Bordeaux appellation, overlooking the Gironde estuary. While vines have grown on these hillsides since Roman times, the earliest documented record of winemaking at Puybarbe site dates to 1895. After the Orlandi family owned and miticulously kept the quality of the winery for more than 50 years, in 2018, ownership passed to Riku and Anna Väänänen, marking a new chapter that combines heritage with innovation and research.

Known for its clay-limestone soils and favorable microclimate, the estate produces elegant, structured – and rewarded – organic wines with strong aging potential.

Contact:

Riku Väänänen, owner
+33 (0)5 57 64 37 41
riku@chateaupuybarbe.com

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