Orbital Eye, a specialist in AI-powered satellite monitoring for critical infrastructure, today announced that LSNed has replaced its weekly routine helicopter inspections with continuous satellite-based monitoring for the operational oversight of its pipeline corridor in the Netherlands.

LSNed manages a major infrastructure corridor connecting the industrial regions of Rotterdam and Antwerp. The corridor contains approximately 1,400 kilometres of pipelines and around 5,000 kilometres of cables, forming a critical component of the Dutch underground infrastructure network.

Monitoring activities along the corridor
Until recently, the corridor was monitored through weekly helicopter patrols. While these flights provided periodic visual inspections, they offered limited temporal coverage and were inherently snapshot-based. In 2025, LSNed initiated a pilot project to evaluate satellite monitoring by Orbital Eye as an alternative approach. Following the successful completion of this pilot, LSNed decided to replace routine helicopter patrols with satellite monitoring as part of its daily operational processes.

“As an infrastructure management organisation, we continuously look for ways to improve our oversight,” says Ferdinand van den Oever, Director of LSNed. “Satellite monitoring enables us to gain faster insight into activities along the corridor and to act more effectively. At the same time, it offers a more sustainable approach to supervision, with less disruption to the surrounding environment.”

Translating satellite data into actionable insights
Orbital Eye’s satellite monitoring is designed to detect risk-increasing activities in the vicinity of underground infrastructure at an early stage. These include excavation works, construction activities, temporary site installations and heavy equipment storage. By analysing radar, optical and multispectral satellite data with AI, Orbital Eye translates surface changes into actionable alerts that can be directly integrated into operational workflows.

By adopting satellite monitoring, LSNed gains more consistent, corridor-wide insight into potential risks, enabling earlier intervention compared to periodic aerial inspections. The transition also reduces dependency on weather- and resource-intensive helicopter patrols, while improving scalability as infrastructure networks grow in size and complexity.

“This transition illustrates how satellite monitoring is moving beyond pilots and innovation projects into daily operations,” says Sven van Haver, CEO at Orbital Eye. “The LSNed case demonstrates that continuous, data-driven monitoring can effectively support infrastructure operators in managing risk across large and complex corridors.”