A hyperspectral microwave sensor designed to improve the accuracy and timeliness of weather forecasting has been launched into orbit.
The shoebox-sized Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) demonstrator was developed by Spire Global in collaboration with STFC RAL Space. It launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on January 11, 2026 aboard SpaceX’s Twilight mission.
HyMS is intended to enable more frequent and higher-resolution monitoring of atmospheric temperature and moisture, which are key inputs for weather prediction models.
Cloud cover often prevents conventional satellite instruments from consistently measuring these atmospheric properties. Microwave observations can penetrate clouds, allowing meteorologists to collect data even in cloudy conditions.
The sensor builds on technology developed by STFC RAL Space’s Millimetre-Wave Technology Group. Spire Global led the development of the flight payload, integrating the instrument into a small satellite and creating the associated ground data processing capability.
Traditional meteorological satellites are typically large and costly to develop and launch, and they often revisit the same location only once per day. This limits their ability to capture rapidly evolving weather systems such as tropical storms.
HyMS aims to address this limitation by providing higher-frequency resolution in a smaller and more affordable instrument. The approach could allow multiple sensors to be deployed across satellite constellations, enabling much more frequent atmospheric sampling.
The technology originated at RAL Space, where it was developed with early-stage support from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) Innovations team and the UK Space Agency. Spire Global later licensed the technology and engineered it for spaceflight.
The two organizations contributed different elements to the project. STFC RAL Space developed the receivers, calibration target and thermometry, while Spire led mission design, instrument control and operations.
Prof. Peter Huggard, millimeter-wave technology program leader at STFC RAL Space, said, “After years of development by teams at RAL Space and Spire, we’re tremendously proud to see the first HyMS in space.
“The receiver and calibration technology our team has provided will play a critical part in helping Spire Global deliver a step change in weather forecasting.”
Huggard added that deploying HyMS instruments across multiple satellites could significantly improve the tracking and prediction of increasingly variable weather.
Spire Global plans to roll out the technology across a future fleet of satellites and make the measurements available to forecasting agencies worldwide, including in data-sparse regions such as oceans.
Theresa Condor, CEO of Spire Global, said, “Microwave sounding is one of the most impactful satellite observations for weather forecasting models worldwide, alongside radio occultation profiles.
“With the successful launch of our Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder demonstrator, we are proud to strengthen our ability to support global forecasting agencies and further enable efficient and effective private-sector participation in the global observing system.”
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