This idea proposes a Persistent Responsive Real-Time Earth Observation small satellite constellation mission PERTEO, to provide a global democratic service to support disaster management. Earth observation and satellite-based communications play a key role to support Disaster Management. This need is now more important due to the effects of Climate change (SDG 13); e.g. recent flooding and wildfire events in Central Europe. Disaster management services, both nationally and through international frameworks like the UN-SPIDER, are currently supported by services such as the Copernicus EMS, EUMETSAT, and the US Lance service. A key factor in disaster management is the system responsiveness and the persistence of the service. In the terminology of on-demand Copernicus services [12], responsiveness is determined by the lead-time and latency. The persistence is determined by the availability and by the revisit time of the service. Current satellite-based Disaster Management services are neither persistent nor are they highly responsive. In the proposed mission, a responsive real-time service would be provided, through the combination of edge-computing for on-demand applications (ML/AI) and global persistent communications. Persistency would be provided through a heterogeneous constellation of small satellites, including optical and SAR payloads. A persistent comms link, e.g. GEO-relay or ISL, enables software defined real-time changes in the satellite tasking, in the satellite application configuration (i.e. AI app change), and enables real-time global product delivery. To provide a democratic global service, this will also include direct-to-ground delivery. This allows the general civil population, in disadvantaged regions, to receive directly from the flight segment, disaster management services. This idea and mission would dramatically improve satellite-based Disaster Management services, allowing nations to more effectively prepare and respond to future crises.
