NASA Renews Earth Observation Data Contract With Spire

NASA has extended its contract with Spire Global, allowing the company to continue providing the agency and all U.S. government-funded research and federal agencies with Earth observation data, associated metadata and ancillary information from Spire’s constellation of low-Earth orbiting satellites.

The 12-month contract renewal, valued at $6.5 million, was awarded under the Commercial Smallsat Data Acquisition program. The data that will be collected and shared includes GNSS radio occultation soundings; GNSS reflectometry data; space weather measurements of electron density and scintillation; satellite state vector, altitude and precise orbit determination data; and magnetometer observations, Spire Global said.

The company has been part of the CSDA program since 2018, supporting scientific research efforts. Data from Spire’s satellites can be used to improve the accuracy of global weather forecasting; measure sea ice, soil moisture and ocean surface wind speed; monitor the ionosphere; and correct errors in orbital drag models. 

Chuck Cash, vice president of federal sales at Spire, said Earth observation data helps agencies and researchers address key challenges, including climate change.