VIENNA, Va., October 29, 2024 — Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) (“Spire” or “the Company”), a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, was awarded a concept study contract by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to develop space-based capabilities for a wildfire early detection warning and active monitoring system. Spire will partner with OroraTech, the global leader in space-based thermal intelligence, to design a comprehensive and scalable solution.

Under the contract, Spire and OroraTech will develop a low-cost, orbital solution for monitoring wildfire-prone areas in the United States. Spire will leverage its experience developing and operating space and ground systems alongside OroraTech’s expertise in thermal infrared sensing for early detection of wildfires. OroraTech’s orbital network of thermal sensors currently provides wildfire detection and management services to commercial forest companies, public fire departments and conservation areas on six continents across the world.

Satellite data delivered in near real-time to fire managers and first responders enhance decision-making and response times, significantly improving wildfire management and mitigation efforts. Finding a solution is critical, as the frequency and intensity of extreme wildfires are projected to rise by 30% by the end of 2050, according to a report by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal.

“Wildfires are an escalating threat with far-reaching impacts on our environment and communities,” said Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire Global. “Current monitoring methods fall short during peak periods of fire intensity. By leveraging the transformative power of space-based technology and our partnership with OroraTech, we aim to close this gap and provide a scalable, low-cost solution for early wildfire detection and monitoring.”

OroraTech has successfully operated thermal infrared sensors in orbit on satellites designed and built by Spire. No earlier than 2025, the companies plan to deliver OroraTech’s next eight wildfire-detecting satellites to orbit, dubbed OTC-P1, establishing the first and largest constellation of satellites dedicated to tracking and monitoring wildfires.

“Our orbital detection capabilities are incredibly valuable for quickly finding, tracking and predicting the spread of wildfires and will play a crucial role in mitigating their impact,” said Thomas Grübler, Chief Strategy Officer & co-founder of OroraTech. “Together with Spire, this unique technology is prepared to close the detection gap and make actionable data available for thousands of federal, state and local fire departments and agencies.”

In 2023, Spire and OroraTech were awarded a contract by the Canadian Space Agency to deliver preparatory work of a dedicated satellite constellation to monitor all active wildfires in Canada from space.

About Spire Global, Inc.

Spire (NYSE: SPIR) is a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, offering unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth so that organizations can make decisions with confidence in a rapidly changing world. Spire builds, owns, and operates a fully deployed satellite constellation that observes the Earth in real time using radio frequency technology. The data acquired by Spire’s satellites provides global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements, and spoofing and jamming detection to better predict how their patterns impact economies, global security, business operations and the environment. Spire also offers Space as a Service solutions that empower customers to leverage its established infrastructure to put their business in space. Spire has nine offices across the U.S., Canada, UK, Luxembourg, Germany and Singapore. To learn more, visit spire.com.

About OroraTech

OroraTech is a global intelligence-as-a-service company leveraging thermal data for a sustainable Earth. Their Wildfire Solution platform is powered by high-resolution thermal data from its proprietary and public satellite system, which is trusted worldwide for revolutionizing wildfire detection. Since 2022, OroraTech has established a comprehensive global satellite network, delivering real-time situational awareness and prompt risk alerts. The cutting-edge system detects fires of any scale, day or night, ensuring timely action. Founded in 2018, OroraTech is headquartered in Munich, Germany, with operations in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Greece, and the United States. A dedicated team of over 100 experts is committed to delivering innovative solutions for a sustainable future.

Source: Spire

Gold Coast & Bowen, QLD — November 5, 2024 — Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic MP, and the Australian Space Agency has granted the country’s first orbital launch permit to Gilmour Space Technologies for its maiden Eris rocket launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland. An Australian launch permit is required under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018 to launch an object from Australia to an altitude of over 100 kilometres. It comes with a number of conditions that must be met before launch, and a mandatory 30-day notification period. Gilmour Space CEO and co-founder, Adam Gilmour, welcomed the news as a major milestone for the local space industry. “With this green light, we will soon attempt the first orbital test flight of an Australian-made rocket from Australian soil.

"Our team is assessing the conditions of the permit and will advise on the anticipated launch date for Eris TestFlight1 in the coming weeks." In March, Gilmour's Bowen Orbital Spaceport was granted Australia's first orbital launch facility licence by Minister Husic and was officially opened in April by then-Queensland Deputy Premier Cameron Dick.

In September, the company announced it had successfully completed a major wet dress rehearsal of its Eris launch vehicle, progressing the countdown to T-10 seconds. The upcoming TestFlight1 will be the first of several planned test launches to reach orbit with Eris, which leverages new propulsion technologies developed by the Gold Coast-based company.

Australia's Space Coast

Since launching its rocket program in 2015, Gilmour Space has expanded to over 200 employees, built a local supply chain of more than 300 Australian companies, attracted substantial private investment, gained support from local, state, and federal governments, and actively engaged communities across the region. Its Bowen spaceport, one of only a few private orbital launch sites globally, will initially provide access to low- and mid-inclination orbits. Indeed, with rockets and satellites designed and built on the Gold Coast and launched from Bowen in north Queensland, Gilmour’s efforts have been a boon for the region.

Said Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Ry Collins: "The launch approval marks an incredible milestone for Bowen and the Whitsundays region. The team at Gilmour Space have been fantastic to work with, and their commitment to engaging Bowen residents in this journey is a model of proactive community involvement. "Success here isn’t just about reaching orbit—it’s about positioning Bowen as a key player in Australia’s journey to space. This is just the beginning."

For Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate, who has seen the company grow from a 'shed in Pimpama' to the largest space manufacturer in Australia: "That’s why we’ve invested in our Business Attraction & Expansion programs—to support businesses like Gilmour Space. This homegrown company is reinvesting in itself and in our city, creating high-value jobs and opportunities for the next generation of Gold Coast innovators. "You certainly don’t have to be a rocket scientist to live on the Gold Coast, but if you are, we’ve got a job here for you too!”

Source: Gilmour Space Technologies

Relay satellites are crucial to advancing the cislunar economy by facilitating communication and data transfer between Earth and lunar operations. Their strategic positioning enables continuous connectivity, which is essential for coordinating activities, monitoring resources, and supporting various missions on the lunar surface. As the cislunar economy grows, the reliability and efficiency provided by relay satellites will be vital to avoiding communications blackouts and ensuring seamless interactions among spacecraft, lunar bases, and mission control centers on Earth.

In September, ispace-U.S. introduced its Summit Mission Control Center (MCC), based in its U.S. headquarters in Denver, Colorado. Today at the 75th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), we are thrilled to introduce our relay satellites, Alpine and Lupine.

Alpine and Lupine pay homage to ispace-U.S.’s Colorado footing as the company’s headquarters is located at the foothills of the great Rocky Mountains. As the relay satellites operate in deep space, we can draw parallels between the harsh lunar environment and the rugged high alpine conditions in the mountains. Yet even in the unforgiving alpine terrain, vitality can be found in the form of alpine lakes and wildflowers such as the Lupine. Life finds a way to survive, and this resilience gives us courage as we search for water and other resources critical to sustaining future permanent human activities on the Moon.

Alpine and Lupine will be deployed into lunar orbit by the APEX 1.0 lunar lander prior to its landing. When the APEX 1.0 lunar lander touches down in Schrödinger Basin, a large impact crater on the lunar far side near the Moon’s South Pole, it will rely on Alpine and Lupine for communications to and from Earth. Alpine and Lupine will support the lander in its surface mission, which is designed to fulfill the Draper-led Commercial Lunar Payload Services Task Order (CP-12), delivering NASA payloads to the surface for scientific investigations. Blue Canyon Technologies, RTX’s small satellite manufacturer and mission services provider, will provide its Venus-100 bus platform for Alpine and Lupine. The two microsatellite buses will be deployed into lunar orbit.

Alpine and Lupine are equipped with bi-directional S-band command, telemetry links, and a high-speed Ka-band lunar proximity uplink and X-band downlink to Earth for low-latency real-time communications. After the primary surface mission, Alpine and Lupine are circularized into a high circular polar orbit (HCPO) with near-global coverage and linger points at the poles. For lunar South Pole landing sites, both relay satellites offer more than 70% simultaneous visibility of the lunar surface and Earth.

Additionally, beyond their primary missions for the NASA payloads, Alpine and Lupine offer a platform for other potential payloads, such as those pursuing alternative position, navigation, and timing (PNT), environmental monitoring, and cislunar space domain awareness (SDA) technology demonstrations. The manifest remains open for additional payloads on the APEX 1.0 lander and the relay satellites. The lunar far side will be in reach thanks to the communications and data transfer capabilities of Alpine and Lupine.

About ispace technologies U.S.

Ispace-U.S. is an American lunar exploration company providing transportation and infrastructure capabilities from Earth to lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon for government and commercial customers. ispace believes that the utilization of lunar resources is the catalyst for enabling human permanence and economic opportunity on and around the Moon and is committed to achieving this goal. The company’s U.S. headquarters serves as the central location for the development of its APEX 1.0 lunar lander, which is being designed, manufactured, and launched in the United States.

About Draper

Draper, as a nonprofit engineering innovation company, serves the nation’s interests and security needs; advances technologies at the intersection of government, academia and industry; cultivates the next generation of innovators; and solves the most complex challenges. Multidisciplinary teams drawn from a broad and deep talent pool of 1,600 engineers and scientists collaborate to develop first-of-a-kind solutions. Draper’s unbiased approach enables the company to focus on their customers’ needs and to deliver new capabilities to them.

Source: ispace

AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (“AST SpaceMobile”) (NASDAQ: ASTS), the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by everyday smartphones, designed for both commercial and government applications, today announced the successful unfolding of its first five commercial satellites, BlueBirds 1-5.

With this significant post-launch technical activity now complete, ahead of schedule at 6 weeks after the launch of the satellites, the BlueBirds are now preparing for commercial and US government operations.

“The unfolding of the first five commercial satellites is a significant milestone for the company. These five satellites are the largest commercial communications arrays ever launched in low Earth orbit,” commented Abel Avellan, Founder, Chairman and CEO of AST SpaceMobile. “It is a significant achievement to commission these satellites, and we are now accelerating our path to commercial activity.”

“The deployment of our first five BlueBird commercial satellites marks just the beginning of our journey,” continued Mr. Avellan. “As we prepare for commercial services, we remain committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation. Our team is already hard at work building the next generation of satellites, which will offer ten times the capacity of our current BlueBirds, further transforming mobile connectivity and delivering even greater benefits to our customers and partners worldwide.”

AST SpaceMobile will target 100% nationwide coverage across the United States, providing service through more than 5,600 cells on premium low-band spectrum via strategic partnerships with leading operators like AT&T, Verizon, and Vodafone, among others.

AST SpaceMobile’s technology features large, phased array antennas supported by over 3,450 patent and patent-pending claims. This innovative design aims to extend cellular coverage globally, eliminating dead zones and delivering space-based cellular broadband connectivity to underserved regions. These advanced phased arrays, the largest ever deployed commercially in low Earth orbit, connect directly to standard smartphones at broadband speeds. This eliminates the need for specialized equipment, enabling seamless use with existing mobile phones while enhancing and complementing mobile operator networks.

AST SpaceMobile's technology also offers significant advantages for government applications, with its dual-use capability supporting both communications and non-communications use cases. The company’s innovative approach positions it to deliver advanced space-based solutions for a range of strategic needs, providing scalable, secure, and reliable connectivity to support various government missions.

About AST SpaceMobile

AST SpaceMobile is building the first and only global cellular broadband network in space to operate directly with standard, unmodified mobile devices based on our extensive IP and patent portfolio, and designed for both commercial and government applications. Our engineers and space scientists are on a mission to eliminate the connectivity gaps faced by today’s five billion mobile subscribers and finally bring broadband to the billions who remain unconnected. For more information, follow AST SpaceMobile on YouTube , X (Formerly Twitter) , LinkedIn and Facebook . Watch this video for an overview of the SpaceMobile mission.

Source: AST SpaceMobile