Spire Global, a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, announced that nine satellites designed and built by Spire's in-house manufacturing teams have shipped to Vandenberg Space Force Base in California ahead of their launch aboard SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 Twilight mission. The mission includes the Company's Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) satellite demonstrator, a compact, space-ready sensor built to advance global weather forecasting from space.
Developed in collaboration with the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council’s RAL Space and STAR-Dundee Ltd., HyMS is designed to capture detailed internal views of the Earth’s atmosphere, measuring important atmospheric variables including temperature, humidity, and precipitation. As a first-of-its-kind hyperspectral microwave mission, it will aim to help forecasters better understand how weather systems form and evolve in real time.
“HyMS marks a meaningful step in expanding how we observe Earth’s atmosphere from space,” said Theresa Condor, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Global. “Two of the most impactful sources of data for improving forecast accuracy are radio occultation and microwave observations, areas where Spire is uniquely positioned to lead. This mission is a critical milestone on that path to delivering deeper atmospheric insights from space.”
In addition to the HyMS demonstrator, the Falcon 9 Twilight launch will include seven Spire-built satellites for customers and one constellation replenishment satellite supporting the Company’s operational data missions. All the satellites were designed, built, and tested by Spire’s teams in Glasgow, Scotland. With over 200 satellites launched across more than 40 launch campaigns, Spire’s vertically integrated approach designing, manufacturing, testing, and operating satellites in-house – enables rapid iteration and deployment of new technology that helps customers across government and commercial sectors make faster, data-driven decisions.
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