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“Lemur”
Space Situational Assessment 2021: The Growing Menace of Space Debris
Credit: ISRO

BENGALULU, India (ISRO PR) — Growing collision threats of space objects including orbital debris with the operational space assets have become a perennial problem for the safe and sustainable use of outer space.  These threats restrict the unhindered access to space and prompt all space actors to take appropriate measures to mitigate them.

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  • March 26, 2022
Second Successful 2021 Launch for Spire

Spire grows LEMUR CubeSat platform with newly deployed satellites

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. & RESTON, Va. (Spire PR) — On April 29 Spire successfully deployed two new satellites into its LEMUR constellation. The satellites bring Spire to 143 total satellites launched, with more than 110 currently in orbit. This is the second launch of 2021 for Spire and 30th launch overall.

The Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver (LEMUR) is Spire’s CubeSat platform used to track maritime, aviation, and weather activity from space. Each satellite is equipped with multiple sensors, capable of capturing data day and night and during extreme weather conditions.

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  • May 4, 2021
SPACovirus Sweeps Space Sector
Richard Branson celebrates the first Virgin Galactic trade on the New York Stock Exchange. (Credit Virgin Galactic)
Wall Street’s latest easy money craze has attracted a growing number of space companies. But, just because they can go public, should they?

by Douglas Messier
Managing Editor

Seven space companies have gotten caught up in the SPACovirus sweeping through Wall Street. The impact on the space industry is going to be interesting to watch.

A SPAC is a special purpose acquisition company. It’s a publicly traded investment firm that, with outside investors, acquires or merges with another company, and then takes the acquisition public under its own name.

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  • March 18, 2021
Spire Global Goes SPAC: Space-based Data & Analytics Company to Go Public Through a Merger with NavSight Holdings
  • Spire collects spaced-based data through their proprietary constellation of over 100 satellites
  • Spire has a technology stack that is proven, at scale, and fully operational
  • Spire delivers subscription-based data, insights, and predictive analytics to global customers across a range of industries, including maritime, aviation, weather, and climate
  • Transaction funds growth strategy across key verticals and geographies, accelerates sales, marketing, and product development, and further strengthens competitive advantage
  • Transaction values the combined company at a $1.6 billion post-money equity value and is expected to provide approximately $475 million in gross proceeds, assuming no redemptions
  • Includes an upsized, and fully committed $245 million common stock PIPE, anchored by Tiger Global Management, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, Hedosophia, JAWS – the family office of Barry Sternlicht, and Bloom Tree Partners
  • Spire stockholders, NavSight stockholders, and PIPE investors will hold shares in the combined company to be listed on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “SPIR”
  • Business combination expected to be completed in summer 2021
  • Investor webcast and call is scheduled for March 1st, at 8:30 AM EST

SAN FRANCISCO & RESTON, Va., March 1, 2021 (Spire Global/NavSight Holdings PR) — Spire Global, Inc. (“Spire” or the “Company”)a leading global provider of space-based data and analytics, and NavSight Holdings Inc. (“NavSight”) (NYSE: NSH), a special purpose acquisition company, today announced they have entered into a definitive merger agreement for a business combination that would result in Spire becoming a publicly listed company.

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  • March 1, 2021
India Launches Earth Observation Satellite, 9 Secondary Payloads
  • India’s first launch of 2020 lofts 10 satellites
  • ISRO has been hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic
  • India typically launches five or six times per year
  • Secondary payloads included four Kleos Space maritime applications satellites and four Lemur multi-mission satellites for Spire

SRIHARIKOTA, India (ISRO PR) — Today, India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, in its fifty first flight (PSLV-C49), successfully launched EOS-01 along with nine international customer satellites from the First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. 

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  • November 7, 2020
Australian Office of National Intelligence Partners with Spire for First Supercomputing Satellite

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.

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  • October 19, 2020
What’s On Board Vega Booster

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.

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  • September 2, 2020
NASA Awards Earth Science Data Contracts to DigitalGlobe, Planet & SPIRE

One of the organizations in NASA’s Private Sector Small Constellation Satellite Data Product Pilot program, Planet, has several satellite constellations including Dove. Two of the Dove small satellites are shown here deploying from the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

WASHINGTON (NASA PR) — NASA has launched a pilot program to evaluate how Earth science data from commercial small-satellite constellations could supplement observations from the agency’s fleet of orbiting Earth science missions. On Sept. 28, the agency awarded sole-source contracts to acquire test data sets from three private sector organizations.

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  • October 5, 2018
Orbital ATK’s Cygnus Capsule to Host Research Destined for ISS

SS John Glenn near the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL. (May 16, 2018) – The 9th Commercial Resupply Services (awarded by NASA) mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by Orbital ATK is targeted for launch no earlier than 5:04 a.m. EDT on May 20th. Orbital ATK’s Cygnus capsule will host multiple payloads sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory (managed by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space). These payloads represent a diverse combination of science (life and materials sciences, chemistry evaluations), technology, small satellites, and the replenishment of hardware facilities to support future research. Additionally, multiple investigations will launch to station focused on inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.

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  • May 16, 2018
ISS U.S. National Lab Payloads Prepped for Orbital ATK CRS-8 Launch

SS John Glenn near the International Space Station. (Credit: NASA)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL., November 2, 2017 (CASIS) The Orbital ATK Cygnus vehicle is slated to launch to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than November 11, 2017 from Wallops Flight Facility.

The Cygnus spacecraft will carry ISS National Laboratory payloads to conduct research across a variety of areas aimed at improving life on Earth. In addition to the diverse research launching to the ISS National Lab, multiple payloads focused on enabling future research missions will be part of the CRS-8 manifest. Thus far in 2017, the ISS National Lab has sponsored more than 100 separate experiments that have reached the station.

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  • November 2, 2017