Tag: Spire Global

GNSS-reflectometry data unlocks new insights into Arctic sea ice

In recent years, scientists have shown that detecting changes in navigation signals from GPS and Galileo after they bounce off Earth’s surface (GNSS reflectometry, or GNSS-R) can deliver valuable information on sea ice. Now research drawing on data from Spire Global has enabled the generation of Arctic-wide sea ice maps, marking a major step forward for the emerging technique.

Spire Global‘s sea ice freeboard maps use data captured by Spire’s GNSS-reflectometry multipurpose listening constellation.

The research — enabled by the Third Party Missions (TPM) programme of the European Space Agency (ESA) — suggests that harnessing reflected navigation signals could become an important complement to established ice-monitoring altimetry missions.

The study leveraged Spire’s GNSS-R data to retrieve sea ice freeboard measurements across an entire winter season. The results show strong alignment with established altimetry datasets, including the ESA’s CryoSat mission, validating the complementary role of commercial satellite data alongside government missions.

Arctic-wide sea ice freeboard map for January 2024. (Credit: ESA)

The study was led by Felix Müller at the Technical University of Munich (DGFI-TUM) and Robert Ricker at the Norwegian Research Centre, experts in GNSS-R.

“The primary purpose of signals emitted from GNSS is to fix the location of a device at any point on Earth,” Müller explained. “However, when these signals bounce off Earth’s surface, their properties change. By analyzing these changes, we can infer information about the characteristics of Earth’s surface.”

“Previous research has shown that this technique works well experimentally,” Ricker added. “Using the Spire constellation, we aimed to demonstrate whether it would hold up on a larger scale by generating an Arctic-wide map of sea ice freeboard, which is a measure of how far ice protrudes above the waterline.”

Spire’s GNSS-R constellation

Spire’s constellation was first used to sample the atmosphere for weather forecasting. Then scientists began exploring other applications. Spire started collecting reflected signals arriving at shallow angles using a technique called grazing-angle GNSS-R. This method is particularly well suited for ice monitoring.

The research team analyzed data detected over the Arctic Ocean and surrounding seas between October 2023 and July 2024. The data was obtained via the TPM program, through which ESA disseminates data from a range of commercial and institutional partners on a free basis for research and development purposes.

The team focused on one of the most critical challenges in sea ice altimetry: reliably identifying narrow openings in the ice pack, known as leads. These openings are reference points for determining sea surface height and, ultimately, sea ice freeboard.

In turn, sea ice freeboard can be used to infer sea ice thickness — an essential parameter for tracking climate change, estimating sea level, and modeling ocean and weather patterns.

Identifying leads in sea ice with GNSS-R data. (Credit: ESA)

Classifying surface properties

“In the initial phase of the project, we used two complementary methods to identify surface properties based on GNSS-R data, with the aim of identifying leads,” Müller said.

The first — known as the adaptive threshold technique — involved measuring the power of the reflected navigation signal to classify surface type as either water or ice. This method allows rapid processing of the entire GNSS-R dataset, while remaining robust to changes in signal conditions.

The second method — known as unsupervised clustering — offers a more complex approach to classifying surface conditions. In addition to signal power, it considers multiple other signal features that tease out more nuanced information on surface type, including identifying thin or refrozen ice.

Both methods were compared with co-located CryoSat surface-type classifications and Sentinel-1 imagery, confirming that the GNSS-R classifications were largely comparable against conventional satellite products.

Mapping sea ice freeboard

“Building on this classification work, we then took the research to the next step by producing Arctic-wide sea ice freeboard maps from GNSS-R data,” Ricker said.

The team corrected ice surface height measurements generated from GNSS-R data for tidal variations, sea surface height, and atmospheric delays, which is standard practice in altimetry. A refined algorithm then identified where leads in the ice were likely to occur, with the lowest points in these areas revealing estimated sea surface height. Sea surface height estimates were then subtracted from ice surface heights to retrieve freeboard. Using this approach, monthly gridded freeboard products were generated for the full winter season.

The team reported that the GNSS-R datasets showed strong agreement with CryoSat freeboard datasets across much of the Arctic, confirming that GNSS-R can reproduce large-scale patterns previously observed by dedicated altimetry missions. Independent validation against upward-looking sonar measurements in the Beaufort Sea further supported the accuracy of the retrieved freeboard values.

However, as expected, the GNSS-R estimates became less reliable during spring, when surface melt alters reflection characteristics. This limitation is consistent with earlier GNSS-R and radar altimetry studies and remains an active area of research.

The contribution of commercial data

While GNSS signals have long been used for positioning, this research highlights how reflected signal analysis can extend their value into large-scale Earth observation applications, delivering persistent coverage independent of sunlight or weather conditions, said Theresa Condor, Spire Global CEO.

“Advances in miniaturization, digital signal processing, and machine learning have fundamentally changed what’s possible in RF sensing,” Condor said. “Commercial constellations can now deliver persistent, high-quality RF data that complements traditional government systems with greater flexibility and cost efficiency.

“As environmental monitoring requirements intensify, we’re seeing agencies increasingly integrate commercially sourced RF datasets into operational architectures, reflecting the continued maturation of this market and the growing role of commercial infrastructure in government missions.”

“By producing analysis-ready gridded datasets, this work marks an important milestone in the progress of grazing angle GNSS-R from an experimental method to a reliable technique for mapping Arctic sea ice freeboard at scale,” said Matthieu Talpe, Remote Sensing Product Engineer, Spire Global. “In doing so, it strengthens the case for the grazing angle GNSS-R technique employed by the Spire constellation as a valuable complement to existing ESA and partner missions, helping to close observational gaps in one of Earth’s most rapidly changing regions.”

March 4, 2026
Spire Global awarded $11.1M NOAA contract for GNSS-RO weather data

Spire Global Inc., a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, was awarded a $11,190,900 contract from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide GNSS radio occultation (RO) data for a one-year period from Sept. 18, 2025, to Sept. 18, 2026.

The company’s near-real-time GNSS-RO data consists of vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements, including pressure, humidity and temperature, that can reach all points of the globe. NOAA, together with NASA, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Navy, will integrate Spire’s GNSS-RO data into their weather and space weather models, while additional U.S. and international agencies will leverage the data to strengthen forecasts and advance climate research.

“Spire’s satellites and radio occultation data are uniquely positioned to deliver the atmospheric insights needed to tackle today’s complex weather challenges,” said Theresa Condor, CEO at Spire Global. “Our continued work with NOAA underscores the importance of government–commercial partnerships in advancing weather forecasting and highlights NOAA’s commitment to harnessing innovation to improve forecasts and build climate resilience.”

The award is part of an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Program Radio Occultation Data Buy II.

September 12, 2025
Spire constellation helps detect GPS jamming in space

Image: Spire Global

Spire Global Inc., a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, is using its constellation of about 40 geolocation satellites to detect GPS jamming. Spire is collecting data for use by the U.S. Space Force, a particularly important task in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“All of our fellow space companies… everyone is playing a vital role for humanity in this battle for freedom and democracy,” Spire CEO Peter Platzer told analysts March 9 in an earnings call, according to Space News.

In September 2021, Spire won a contract to supply Slingshot Aerospace with GPS telemetry data. Slingshot’s pLEO Data Exploitation and Enhanced Processing (DEEP) prototype will automate manual data exploitation techniques to deliver intuitive, easily digestible data products at low latencies for military operations.

The DEEP prototype contract is funded through the the Commercially Augmented Space Inter-Networked Operations (CASINO) program of the Space Systems Command (SSC), which develops and demonstrates the military utility of proliferated LEO satellite architectures.

Identifying and mitigating ground-based radio-frequency (RF) and GPS interferences is a critical component of national security and U.S. Space Force operations. RF signals intercepted in open airspace are liabilities that directly threaten on-orbit space assets and military missions.

Even in the absence of enemy interference and intentional jamming, RF signals from radio stations, cell phones, and various electronics cause interruptions and interferences — a problem exacerbated by the growth of modern communications technology.

The DEEP prototype is an effort by the U.S. military to take advantage of existing commercial satellite telemetry data to readily identify these sources of interference and correct any potential problems before they become a threat.

Spire’s cubesats use GPS radio occultation, a remote sensing technique that measures properties of the Earth’s atmosphere from space.

March 29, 2022
Spire to develop flexible geolocation signal-processing tools for ESA

Spire Global has been awarded a contract under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP), specifically “Element 2 – Competitiveness in PNT.” The contract is funded by the United Kingdom Space Agency.

Spire will work with NAVISP to build on the current capabilities of the Spire constellation and develop tools needed for geolocation signal processing, which will be applied toward geolocating GNSS interference sources coming from the Earth’s surface.

Spire’s low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite technology will be used to collect suspect interfering RF signals from a range of geographic areas prone to disruptions. Using advanced processing algorithms, the project will develop a suite of geolocation signal collection and processing techniques (including single and multi-satellite) to detect and characterize signals from a variety of interference scenarios.

NAVISP Element 2 emphasizes maintaining and improving the capability and competitiveness of the position, navigation and timing (PNT) industry and its technologies and services in the global satellite navigation market. In recent years, PNT services have become ubiquitous and relied on by industry and critical national infrastructure such as telecommunications, emergency services, energy, finance, food and transport. The GNSS signals used in these applications are vulnerable to interference, which can disrupt PNT services.

December 8, 2021
NGA launches new phase of Earth magnetic field project
Image: Credit: Petrovich9/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency launches Phase 4a of MagQuest Challenge to advance NASA’s ability to measure Earth’s magnetic field

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has launched the Demonstration Phase (Phase 4a) of its MagQuest Challenge to develop novel data-collection approaches for the World Magnetic Model.

The WMM ultimately ensures the accuracy of navigation, because it corrects for differences in magnetic forces at a user’s location. The model is used by thousands of systems for mobile navigation apps and is critical for military and commercial uses around the world.

Produced since 1905, the WMM originated with data collection from two ships surveying 500,000 miles of ocean. Today, the data is collected by satellites operated by the European Space Agency that will eventually reach the end of their useful life.

NGA’s MagQuest Challenge is promoting the development of miniaturized solutions to determine whether they can produce data useful to support WMM production. NGA has an extensive network of government partners collaborating on the WMM production, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the British Geological Survey, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Defense (DOD), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the United States Naval Observatory (USNO) among others.

As part of its core mission, NGA provides geospatial intelligence products and services to decision makers, military service members, and first responders.

The MagQuest Demonstration Phase 4a will take place on HeroX, a social network platform for crowdsourced solutions.

Three winning teams from Phase 3 of MagQuest each proposed a magnetometer design to measure the Earth’s magnetic field. In this new phase, the teams will receive several million dollars in awards, including a $1.55 million incentive prize purse, to develop their proposed magnetometers. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center will conduct independent testing on each team’s prototype.

Following Phase 4a, successful teams will integrate their magnetometers into their satellites and launch their systems, acquire data and share their results with NGA.

“Our ultimate goal is for all three teams to successfully develop a magnetometer, each of which can be sent into orbit to determine viability for WMM production,” said Mike Paniccia, NGA program manager for the World Magnetic Model. “We want to test as many innovative and groundbreaking magnetometers as possible to ensure that NGA has a robust set of data suppliers to support the future of the WMM. We intend to have a competitive procurement for a data-buy contract following MagQuest and hope that these three teams, in addition to others from industry, will be able to supply comprehensive data sets to support the future of the WMM.”

Three of the teams that participated in Phase 3 were selected to participate in Phase 4:
- Iota Technology, the first-place Phase 3 winner, works alongside experienced teams from Oxford Space Systems and AAC Clyde Space. Their combined expertise in sensor technology, deployable structures and mission design informed the design of their SIGMA solution — a 3U CubeSat featuring a novel deployable boom and a 3D magnetometer array.
- University of Colorado Boulder is one second-place Phase 3 winner, and their solution, COSMO, leverages recent innovations in CubeSat technology and novel magnetometer technology. The University of Colorado Boulder team includes experts and faculty from the Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, and they operate their missions entirely at the university, including using their own ground stations.
- Spire Global and SBQuantum formed a partnership with a promising approach to become the other second-place Phase 3 winner. SBQuantum’s novel diamond-based quantum magnetometer technology is coupled with Spire’s expertise and existing infrastructure in satellites, ground stations and data processing to produce a unique solution.
“This MagQuest Challenge is a testament to the power of the crowd,” said Kal K. Sahota, CEO, HeroX. “We are pleased to be part of securing the future of geomagnetic data collection and consequently contributing to the resilience and continued crucial work of the WMM.”
September 28, 2021
Spire awarded contract for Earth observation data

New task order continues delivery of comprehensive space data and opens availability to all U.S. government-funded researchers and federal agencies

Image: Just_Super/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Spire Global, a global provider of space-based data and analytics, has announced the continuation of its participation in NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program with a $6 million contract extension.

The contract continuation, Task Order 6 (TO6), is a subscription data solution that includes radio occultation (RO) data, grazing angle GNSS-RO, total electron content (TEC) data, precise orbit determination (POD) data, soil moisture and ocean surface wind speed GNSS-Reflectometry data and magnetometer data.

This data will be available to all federal agencies, NASA-funded researchers and, more broadly, to all U.S. government-funded researchers for scientific purposes.

Under CSDA Program TO6, Spire will deliver a comprehensive catalog of data, associated metadata and ancillary information from its Earth-orbiting small-satellite constellation. The company operates its constellation in low Earth and collects upwards of 10,000 radio occultations per day with consistent global coverage.

For TO6, Spire will provide rolling access to 12 months of radio occultation data with a 30-day latency. This data will be archived and maintained by NASA under the CSDA Program’s SmallSat Data Explorer (SDX) database.

“Programs like CSDA highlight the incredible potential of private-public partnerships in the federal government to drastically accelerate our ability to confront some of the greatest challenges of our time, such as climate change,” said Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire. “With the end-user license agreements, our data is now available to all federal agencies and the larger NASA scientific community to help support Earth observation research across fields.”

The program includes end-user license agreements (EULAs) to enable broad levels of dissemination and shareability. All federal agencies and U.S. government-funded researchers will have access to Spire’s data for scientific purposes under TO6 and will be able to request access to the data via the CSDA Program’s Commercial Datasets webpage.

“At NASA, the CSDA Program has continued to blossom as a valuable resource to our team for our Earth observation research and analysis. We are committed to growing the program as well as continuing the work we have started,” said Will McCarty, project scientist at the CSDA Program and research meteorologist at NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office. “Spire has been a valued partner through CSDA’s development since its inception, and with this additional task order, we are excited about the new insights and results that will come not only from within NASA, but also through broader collaboration through the domestic government scientific community.”

NASA has used Spire data in its research on water and sea-ice levels in the polar regions, the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and the day-to-day variability of thermospheric density at flight level.

NASA also noted that Spire data has shown positive benefit to its GEOS Atmospheric Data Assimilation System, which uses space-based data to analyze the Earth’s atmosphere and assimilate the data into its Earth observation systems.

As one of the original vendors for the CSDA Program, Spire provides NASA yearly updates to the scope of work under this agreement to ensure alignment of data to the agency’s needs.

July 23, 2021
Spire’s Earth observation contract includes GNSS-RO, GNSS-R data

New task order continues delivery of comprehensive space data and opens availability to all U.S. government-funded researchers and federal agencies

Image: Just_Super/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

Spire Global, a global provider of space-based data and analytics, has announced the continuation of its participation in NASA’s Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition (CSDA) Program with a $6 million contract extension.

The contract continuation, Task Order 6 (TO6), is a subscription data solution that includes radio occultation (RO) data, grazing angle GNSS-RO, total electron content (TEC) data, precise orbit determination (POD) data, soil moisture and ocean surface wind speed GNSS reflectometry (GNSS-R) data and magnetometer data.

This data will be available to all federal agencies, NASA-funded researchers and, more broadly, to all U.S. government-funded researchers for scientific purposes.

Under CSDA Program TO6, Spire will deliver a comprehensive catalog of data, associated metadata and ancillary information from its Earth-orbiting small-satellite constellation. The company operates its constellation in low Earth orbit and collects upwards of 10,000 radio occultations per day with consistent global coverage.

For TO6, Spire will provide rolling access to 12 months of radio occultation data with a 30-day latency. This data will be archived and maintained by NASA under the CSDA Program’s SmallSat Data Explorer (SDX) database.

“Programs like CSDA highlight the incredible potential of private-public partnerships in the federal government to drastically accelerate our ability to confront some of the greatest challenges of our time, such as climate change,” said Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire. “With the end-user license agreements, our data is now available to all federal agencies and the larger NASA scientific community to help support Earth observation research across fields.”

The program includes end-user license agreements (EULAs) to enable broad levels of dissemination and shareability. All federal agencies and U.S. government-funded researchers will have access to Spire’s data for scientific purposes under TO6 and will be able to request access to the data via the CSDA Program’s Commercial Datasets webpage.

“At NASA, the CSDA Program has continued to blossom as a valuable resource to our team for our Earth observation research and analysis. We are committed to growing the program as well as continuing the work we have started,” said Will McCarty, project scientist at the CSDA Program and research meteorologist at NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office. “Spire has been a valued partner through CSDA’s development since its inception, and with this additional task order, we are excited about the new insights and results that will come not only from within NASA, but also through broader collaboration through the domestic government scientific community.”

NASA has used Spire data in its research on water and sea-ice levels in the polar regions, the height of the planetary boundary layer (PBL), and the day-to-day variability of thermospheric density at flight level.

NASA also noted that Spire data has shown positive benefit to its GEOS Atmospheric Data Assimilation System, which uses space-based data to analyze the Earth’s atmosphere and assimilate the data into its Earth observation systems.

As one of the original vendors for the CSDA Program, Spire provides NASA yearly updates to the scope of work under this agreement to ensure alignment of data to the agency’s needs.

July 15, 2021
Spire Aviation launches AirSafe API for ADS-B tracking

Image: Spire Aviation

Spire Global has released the company’s first product from Spire Aviation with the launch of its new AirSafe API (application program interface).

Spire Aviation’s AirSafe product uses low-Earth orbit ADS-B technology combined with ground-based collection to provide detail on global aircraft position reports for the world’s aircraft fleet operations.

With more than 70 million position reports every day and growing, AirSafe is positioned to provide best-in-class data over land and the world’s oceans.

The AirSafe product solves the industry’s need for flight tracking data covering both land and oceans at a competitive cost, illuminating trends in aircraft operations, the company said.

Airsafe enables a fixed-based operator to analyze historical data to safely increase productivity by better positioning resources in the future, and then using real-time data to create a proactive alerting system for diversion or air turnbacks.

Spire Aviation is building towards full surveillance of all remote areas of the globe and continues to grow its satellite constellation. Spire’s aggressive roadmap includes launch campaigns to ultimately provide an equatorial ICAO 4D/15 compliant method of aircraft tracking (+/- 15 degrees latitude) and global coverage enabled by inter-satellite links. These satellite launches will produce the an advanced nanosatellite constellation for aviation ADS-B and aviation weather forecasting.

Spire AirSafe also offers Spire’s proprietary weather forecasting products, enabling customers to benefit from fused aircraft location positional data and global winds aloft (Every 1,000 feet MSL) and clear air turbulence forecast.

Learn more about the benefits of working with Global ADS-B data and Spire’s Aviation Weather Forecast during an upcoming webinar.

October 18, 2019
An overview of the latest PNT satellite launches

Satellites NTS-1, 2 and 3. (Illustration: Lt. Jacob Lutz, AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate)

Just last month we celebrated the kickoff of the GPS III campaign, reporting on the launch of the first space vehicle of that generation in the closing days of 2018. A new era had begun, heralded by a rocket’s blazing path, bearing aloft a new “lighthouse in the sky serving all humankind.”

Turn around and — whoa! Where did all these other new PNT satellites come from?

We attempt to chronicle them all in this issue, though I’m not sure we haven’t still missed some.

For years we’ve been talking about the Iridium constellation, a low-Earth orbit telecommunication network that can also deliver timing services to improve accuracy, and signal acquisition in urban environments. Were it not for the fact that 10 more of its satellites just launched in January, bringing the total of its second-generation NEXT constellation to 75, this would practically qualify as old news.

But let’s move on to the real new news. NTS-3 is the new kid on the block most closely related to the GPS family. In fact, integrally a part of it. This third Navigation Technology Satellite will go even beyond GPS III — whose capabilities, mark you, are not yet online — to investigate new experimental antennas, flexible and secure signals, increased automation and use of commercial ground assets.

Learn about 72 nanosatellites of the Spire constellation piggybacking on Galileo signals to offer GNSS radio occultation products for the weather community. This may not be exactly direct-to-user PNT, but it’s a derivative.

Finally, absorb the latest on Hawkeye 360 formation-flying Pathfinders, designed to detect and geolocate radio frequency (RF) signals, and use the data in search-and-rescue as well as commercial maritime operations.

Don’t stop there! Read about Planet, the breadloaf satellites, current population 300 with more coming, beaming down 1.2 million high-resolution Earthly images per day, useful for agriculture, defense, mapping and GIS, and a few other industries.

If a group of satellites is a constellation, what do you call a group of constellations? If we are to follow astronomy’s lead, I’ve just learned that the proper technical term is an asterism. However, I think galaxy will be easier to handle.

February 19, 2019
Galileo now predicts the weather

Image: Spire

Spire Global, a space-to-cloud analytics company, is now using Galileo to offer GNSS radio occultation (GNSS-RO) products for the weather community. Radio occultation is the process of using satellites to measure how GNSS signals are refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Two of Spire’s nanosatellites are the first to use Galileo signals to measure GNSS-RO profiles, a service now available to Spire’s global user base as a new tier of data for advanced weather prediction. The satellites launched on Nov. 29, 2018, from Sriharikota, India.

The satellites are part of the collaborative European Space Agency ARTES Pioneer Space-as-a-Service program, which aims to prove the value of using nanosatellites for space-based GNSS-RO.

With Galileo, Spire’s weather observation satellites can harvest approximately 25 percent of the total GNSS-RO profiles available from the existing GNSS satellite constellations in orbit today.

Spire operates 72 nanosatellites — also known as “cubesats” — and more than 30 ground stations throughout the world. The nanosatellites are developed, assembled and tested at Spire’s production facility in Glasgow, Scotland.

February 4, 2019
ESA’s Pioneer mission sends GNSS-RO nanosatellites into orbit

News from the European Space Agency (ESA)

Two tiny GNSS-RO nanosatellites now circle the Earth, ready for action. The first European Pioneer mission lifted off Nov. 29 from Sriharikota, India, to put the satellites into orbit.

One of Spire’s Satellite Manufacturing Technicians (Tomasz Chanusiak) tests the Radio Frequency capabilities of a LEMUR2 nanosatellite in Spire’s cleanroom in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo: ESA)

The shoebox-sized satellites were launched at 04:27 GMT into low Earth orbit by the Indian Space Research Organisation’s PLSV launcher, and opened their first communication windows with their owner, Spire Global, less than an hour after they separated from the rocket.

Both satellites were developed under ESA’s ARTES Pioneer programme, and will aim to prove the value of using nanosats for space-based GNSS Radio Occultation (GNSS-RO).

GNSS-RO. GNSS-RO is the process of using satellites to measure how GNSS signals are refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere. Experts can use these measurements to glean temperature, pressure and humidity information for weather forecasting and climate change monitoring.

In contrast, weather data gathered by weather balloons and aircraft can only reach certain altitudes, leaving the higher atmospheric layers untouched.

Satellites have no such restrictions. They can gather massive amounts of this data from the ground up to the mesosphere as they fly over the Earth. This is usually done by large satellites. Spire’s nanosatellites weigh just 5 kg each, and were assembled and tested entirely by Spire in under three months, at their headquarters in Glasgow, Scotland.

Named “Space as a Service,” the Spire Pioneer mission intends to prove that nanosat GNSS-RO is a commercially viable alternative to traditional methods.

Two nanosatellites built by Spire Global were launched into low Earth orbit Nov. 29. (Photo: ISRO)

The two tiny satellites will collect and distribute GNSS-RO data during their commissioning phase, after which they will go into full commercial data production mode, gathering weather information for meteorological institutions, maritime and aviation customers on demand.

ESA’s Pioneer initiative partners with companies like Spire to help them provide this kind of in-orbit demonstration and validation for third parties.

“We saw a gap in the market for what we call space mission providers: companies that offer all aspects of a space mission to validate a new technology or service for the benefit of others,” said ESA Pioneer Programme Manager Khalil Kably. “ESA is always looking to champion innovation in the space industry, and the idea of Pioneer is that these space mission providers can help this by being a one-stop shop for in-orbit demonstration and therefore reduce the barriers and complexity that can stifle new ideas.”

“Spire has been focused on developing unique data sources with high frequency updates for the entire Earth and has over 60 LEMUR-2 class satellites deployed in space complimented with a global ground station network,” Spire Global CEO Peter Platzer said. “Under Pioneer, we can offer our extensive experience in manufacturing and managing small spacecraft like these to those who cannot afford to waste money and time doing it themselves. This work with ESA helps further support the global development of commercial aerospace’s potential to make space access universal.”

“These incredibly clever shoebox-sized satellites built in Glasgow could slash the complexity and cost of access to space, presenting an exciting opportunity for the UK to thrive in the commercial space age,” UK Space Agency Chief Executive Graham Turnock said. “Through our £4m development funding, the government’s Industrial Strategy and by working closely with our international partners, we are helping UK businesses transform their ideas into commercial realities, resulting in jobs, growth and innovation.”

December 3, 2018