Earth in space encircled by three metallic-blue orbital scanning rings

Introducing OpenScan Halo

Planet-scale photogrammetry

For years, OpenScan has focused on affordable 3D scanning for smaller objects. Today, we are ready to build the obvious next big thing.

Meet OpenScan Halo: a photogrammetry rig made of multiple synchronized belts around the Earth, designed to deliver 100% scan coverage, 24/7.

Explore the concept Strategic partnerships

Scan coverage 100%

Acquisition window 24/7

Native support NeRF / Splats

From smaller objects to medium-sized planets.

What began as affordable 3D scanning for smaller objects now scales to full-Earth capture through synchronized orbital belts, persistent global rescans, and a product story that remains entirely calm while escalating in all the right wrong directions.

Rather than asking users to rotate the object, OpenScan Halo leverages existing planetary motion and a layered belt topology. This reduces local moving parts while increasing system ambition to levels more commonly associated with launch providers and satire.

“We firmly believe the next logical step after small-object scanning is medium-sized planets.”

Thomas Megel (Founder of OpenScan)

Reframing photogrammetry at orbital scale.

Instead of scaling the turntable, OpenScan Halo reframes the planet itself as the capture volume. The result is a globally distributed imaging platform designed for continuous rescans, large-baseline reconstruction, and extremely serious-looking investor decks.

Multi-axis belt architecture
Three synchronized orbital capture rings provide redundant viewpoints and improved occlusion handling at continental scale.

Persistent global rescans
Daily full-object refresh cycles enable temporal comparison, long-horizon monitoring, and world-sized Gaussian Splats.

Follow-the-sun capture
Sunrise-aware scheduling delivers majestic flare, useful illumination, and a strong sense of strategic inevitability.

Core claims

Affordable 3D scanning for the masses. All of them.

No turntable needed, passive rotation provided by existing planetary motion.

Improved occlusion handling through orbital belt redundancy.

Seamless metadata synchronization across all longitudes.

Continuous Earth-scale capture pipelines for heritage sites, coastlines, and very patient architecture.

Multi-hemisphere capture for improved underside coverage.

Cloud, fog and haze processing in the OpenScanCloud.

Supporting narrative

Early internal tests have shown promising results for terrain, buildings, coastlines, and other medium-sized planetary features.

Cloud processing, in the literal sense OpenScanCloud handles actual meteorological clouds, fog, haze, and other weather-shaped mesh sabotage before downstream reconstruction begins.

Privacy-aware aerial precedent Certain coastal capture scenarios are filtered through a light-touch “Streisand layer”, inspired by the internet’s best-known reminder that objecting to aerial imagery can sometimes amplify aerial imagery.

Processing destination Continuous capture, seamless metadata sync, and whole-Earth reconstruction converge in the OpenScanCloud, weather permitting.

Why now

Timing is driven by three converging dynamics: declining launch costs, rising appetite for photoreal digital twins, and the realization that no one has yet built a tasteful investor teaser for a planet-sized photogrammetry rig.

Post-satellite fatigue
Conventional satellites are currently facing a mild perception problem: they are numerous, utilitarian, and not especially fun. Giant orbital capture belts address at least one of these issues decisively.

Enterprise-ready framing
Deadpan presentation style significantly increases plausibility in early conversations.

Natural adjacency
Photogrammetry has long been applied to aerial and satellite imagery. OpenScan Halo simply scales this to cosmic proportions.

Currently exploring strategic partnerships with rocket-owning billionaires.