Tag: Spire Global

NOAA Awards Second Delivery Order for Commercial Radio Occultation Data

News 0

SILVER SPRING, Md. (NOAA PR) — On February 19, 2021, NOAA awarded Delivery Order 2 (DO-2) under its existing Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts for radio occultation (RO) data to GeoOptics.

Through DO-2, NOAA will purchase 1300 occultations per day for six months from March to September, with a license to share the data with U.S. government agencies immediately upon receipt and to share on a full and open basis after 24 hours. Following verification of data and system readiness, NOAA plans to begin incorporating commercial RO data into operational numerical weather prediction (NWP) models in May.

(more…)

Nanoracks Completes First SpaceX Rideshare Mission

News 0

CAPE CANAVERAL SPACE FORCE STATION, January 24, 2021 (Nanoracks PR) – Nanoracks is pleased to share the successful completion of the Company’s first mission on a SpaceX rideshare launch. Nanoracks brokered the launch and deployment of eight Spire LEMUR-2 CubeSats and of an emissions monitoring microsatellite, GHGSAT-C2 (“Hugo”).

Nanoracks’ first rideshare mission, dubbed “Eyries-1,” marks the Company’s entrance into the rideshare brokering market and the broadening of services for Nanoracks’ global customer base. This launch allowed Nanoracks to continue longstanding customer relationships and to foster new partnerships.

(more…)

Spire Global, European Investment Bank Announce Venture Debt Financing Agreement

News 0

LUXEMBOURG (Luxembourg Space Agency PR) — On 3 December at Web Summit 2020, the European Investment Bank (EIB), and Spire Global announced a venture debt financing agreement of up to €20 million.

According to the European Investment Bank, the financing supports Spire Global’s nanosatellite development and launches, space infrastructure, data analytics, and high-skilled job creation in Luxembourg and the EU. It also represents the first-ever direct EIB financing for the emerging European “New Space” industry.

The financing will back capital expenditure and research and development (R&D) activities to further develop Spire’s constellation of small satellites and high-quality maritime, aviation and weather space data and analytics. It will also back the development of new software applications for customers and create high-skilled jobs in Luxembourg.

(more…)

NOAA Awards Radio Occultation Contracts to Spire Global, GeoOptics

News 0

NOAA has awarded Spire Global and GeoOptics contracts worth a combined $23 million to provide radio occultation data from satellites the agency will use to improve its weather forecasting.

Under the two-year Commercial Weather Data Operational Buy contracts, the companies’ satellites will measure how Global Navigation Satellite System radio signals bend as they travel through the atmosphere.

NOAA will use data collected on temperatures, pressure and water vapor to better model and forecast the weather.

San Francisco-based Spire Global and GeoOptics of Pasadena, Calif., will share the $23 million award in accordance with the data the companies provide.

The contracts are a follow-on to the Commercial Weather Data Pilot program under which Spire Global and GeoOptics provided radio occultation data to NOAA for evaluation.

NOAA concluded earlier this year that the provided data were of sufficient quality to warrant purchasing.

Firefly Aerospace Announces New Customer Agreements, Completes Stage 1 Acceptance Testing Ahead of First Alpha Launch

News 0

CEDAR PARK, Texas, Oct. 20, 2020 (Firefly Aerospace PR) — Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a leading provider of economical and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, today announced the successful acceptance test of the first stage of its Alpha launch vehicle for its inaugural flight later this year, and the execution of new customer agreements.

Firefly has signed a Launch Services Agreement (LSA) with Spire Global (Spire) for the launch of Lemur spacecraft on the Alpha launch vehicle. The LSA will provide for the launch of Spire spacecraft on multiple Alpha missions over the contract period. Firefly has also executed an LSA with Geometric Space Corporation for the full payload capacity of an Alpha launch vehicle.

(more…)

Australian Office of National Intelligence Partners with Spire for First Supercomputing Satellite

News 0

SAN FRANCISCO (Spire Global PR) — Spire Global, a leading data analytics provider with the world’s largest earth observation constellation of satellites for advanced weather data, maritime analytics, and aircraft tracking, today announced its first dedicated LEMUR satellite, named Djara, developed for Australia’s Office of National Intelligence (ONI).

The close collaboration between Spire and ONI – together with the LEMUR satellite’s extensive spaceflight heritage – saw the rapid development of Djara from concept to orbital deployment. The Djara satellite is part of an Australian National Intelligence Community program to experiment with commercial satellite technologies, including the on-board application of advanced machine learning capabilities.

(more…)

Spaceflight Inc. Launch Cadence Accelerates with Upcoming Electron and PSLV Missions to Expand Constellations

News 0
Kleos Scouting Mission (Credit: Kleos Space)

Rideshare provider to deploy nine spacecraft for customers Canon Electronics, Kleos Space and Spire on next two missions

SEATTLE – October 14, 2020 – Spaceflight Inc., the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced it will execute two launches on two different continents in a matter of weeks; one aboard a Rocket Lab Electron and the other on NewSpace India Limited’s (NSIL) PSLV. For both missions, Spaceflight arranged the launch and is providing mission management and rideshare integration services for its customers Canon Electronics, Kleos Space and Spire.

(more…)

Exolaunch Delivers 15 Small Satellites into Orbit on a Soyuz Rideshare Mission, Deploys 100th Payload into Space

News 0

BERLIN, GERMANY (Exolaunch PR) – Exolaunch, the leader in rideshare launch and deployment services for the New Space industry, announced a successful launch of 15 commercial, governmental and scientific satellites for its customers from Europe, Canada, the UAE and the U.S. The Mission dubbed “Wanderlust,” Desire to Travel, lifted off on September 28 at 11:20 UTC on a Soyuz-2 rocket, marking over 100 satellites deployed by the company.

On this mission, Exolaunch provided comprehensive launch, deployment, mission management and integration services to Kepler Communications, Spire Global, the UAE Space Agency, Technische Universität Berlin, Würzburg Center for Telematics and two unnamed commercial customers.

(more…)

Machine-learning Nanosats to Inform Global Trade

News 0
Spire’s machine-learning capable nanosat (Credit: ESA)

PARIS (ESA PR) — The latest batch of tiny satellites to monitor trade on Earth from space have launched.

The Glaswegian-built nanosatellites join a fleet of about 100 objects in low Earth orbit that help to predict the movement of the world’s resources, so that businesses and governments can make informed decisions.

(more…)

What’s On Board Vega Booster

News 0

The European Vega rocket that launched this evening was carrying 53 satellites on its first rideshare mission as part of the Small Spacecraft Mission Service Proof of Concept Flight.

The payloads included 14 Flock 4V Earth imaging satellites from Planet, 12 SpaceBEE Internet of Things spacecraft from Swarm Technologies, and 8 maritime monitoring satellites from Spire.

(more…)

NOAA to Purchase Commercial Radio Occultation Weather Data

Aabar Investments, News 0

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

NOAA will purchase radio occultation (RO) data from commercial companies after determining that the measurements are useful in improving weather forecasting.

In a report released last week, NOAA said measurements provided by Spire Global and GeoOptics satellites during the second round of the Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) program in 2018 and 2019 demonstrated the utility of commercial RO data.

(more…)

NASA Adds Airbus to Commercial Satellite Data Program

News 0

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

NASA has decided to add Airbus Defence and Space GEO Inc. to its growing list of companies from which the space agency will purchase commercial optical and radar satellite imagery.

NASA published a public notice earlier this month that it plans to acquire Airbus imagery as part of its Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition Program (CSDAP). The commercial imagery complements data collected by NASA’s satellites.

(more…)

Exolaunch Is Awarded a PSLV Launch Contract for Spire’s Satellites

News 0

Exolaunch will support the deployment of Spire’s Lemur-class 3U cubesats on the Indian PSLV early this year.

Singapore (Exolaunch PR) — Germany’s Exolaunch, the leading launch services and separation system provider for small satellites, confirmed that it will arrange a milestone cubesat launch to send four of Spire’s cubesats into low-inclination orbit on the Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) in early 2020.

With this launch, Spire Global – a data analytics company with the world’s largest constellation of satellites for weather, maritime and aircraft data tracking – aims to diversify its satellite orbits. The mission will also serve as the springboard for an exciting new collaboration between Exolaunch and Indian launch services provider, New Space India Limited (NSIL) – the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). 

(more…)

Spaceflight Announces Next Three Rideshare Missions on ISRO’s PSLV

News 0

SEATTLE – Oct. 15, 2019 – Spaceflight, the leading satellite rideshare and mission management provider, today announced it will launch 14 more spacecraft from India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) this year. Payloads will launch on PSLV’s C47, C48 and C49 missions, scheduled to launch in November and December 2019 from India’s Satish Dhawan Space Center. Customers aboard the missions include Analytical Space, Spire, iQPS and Kleos Space.

(more…)

Spire Global Raises $40 Million

News 0

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 25, 2019 (Spire Global PR) — Spire Global, the world’s largest earth observation constellation of satellites for advanced weather data, maritime analytics, and aircraft tracking, today announced over $40m in new funding from strategic partners including ITOCHU, Mitsui, and Scottish Investment Bank and financial investors led by the GPO Fund, Perennial Value Management Limited, and Bessemer Ventures. Existing investors RRE Capital, Expon Capital, Seraphim Capital and Qualcomm Ventures also participated, among others.

‘We are thrilled by the affirmation of these strategic relationships and how this capital infusion affords Spire continued validation from the strength of our respected financial investors. While we increasingly continue to fund our organic growth from revenue, this investment allows the company to also execute on its substantial path of international advancement,” said Spire CEO Peter Platzer. 

(more…)