Spire Global is to begin supplying historical weather data collected by its satellites to the European Space Agency to support cutting-edge science and the development of operational applications.
The contract, which was awarded under ESA’s Third Party Mission (TPM) program, will give European researchers access to Spire’s historical Earth intelligence data, including GNSS-reflectometry and polarimetric radio occultation data. These datasets provide insight into sea ice, soil moisture and precipitation, among other climate variables, according to Spire Global.
Matthieu Talpe, a remote sensing product engineer at Spire Global, commented, “The TPM program supports Spire in delivering novel Earth observation products to the Earth science community in Europe.
“Our datasets are already shaping the future of climate research, enabling breakthroughs like enhanced weather forecasts at ECMWF, the world’s premier weather forecasting institution. We can’t wait to see how researchers leverage this data to address global challenges.”
Peggy Fischer, TPM manager at the ESA, added, “Through our Third Party Mission program, we aim to empower Europe’s scientific community with access to high-impact commercial Earth observation data.
“We’re proud to work with Spire to make its GNSS-Reflectometry and polarimetric radio occultation data available to the European scientific community, helping advance both research and pre-operational Earth observation capabilities across the continent.”