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Spire To Launch Constellation Of Cubesats For Weather Forecasting

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Satellite data company Spire announced today that it's going to be launching a constellation of weather forecasting satellites by the end of the 2015. The satellites themselves will be tiny - the size of a shoebox - and designed with rapid upgrading in mind.

According to a statement from the company, the satellites "will deliver five times the amount of data currently available, collecting 10,000 readings per day as compared to the 2,000 readings per day available from a collection of publicly funded weather satellites, vastly improving both short and long-term forecasting."

When the constellation is completed, Spire plans to provide both raw data and analysis to customers. This will be provided either by subscription or ad hoc, similar to traditional satellite imaging business models.

"We have secured all the funding necessary to deploy the constellation," CEO Peter Platzer told me. That includes a $25 million Series A round that the company secured in July.

"It's a pittance compared to the billions of dollars traditional government programs require for large satellites," said Platzer.

The reason why Spire is able to deploy so comparatively cheaply is their technology. Rather than create a few large satellites as used in traditional weather forecasting, Spire will instead deploy dozens of shoebox-sized satellites.

"A large satellite is a single point of failure," Platzer told me. "But a large network of satellites is less susceptible. If one fails, you can easily replace it but the system stability remains high."

The network is also easier to upgrade. Because the satellites are so small, they're cheap to launch, meaning that hardware iterations can be made quickly. The satellites are also capable of having the software upgraded by radio signal.

The satellites themselves use the same radio signals used for GPS to detect to calculate temperature, pressure, and humidity in the parts of the atmosphere that they're aimed at. And where it's aimed is another thing that Spire is doing differently than other companies.

"What makes us unique is that it's we cover remote portions of the planet and the oceans," Platzer told me. "Over land, there's lots of ways to capture images. However, over the ocean and in remote areas, only real way to do it is through a large number of satellites with the right kind of sensors."

By increasing the amount of data available, Spire hopes to be able to partner with agencies charged with predicting and monitoring the weather, such as NOAA.

"Both governmental and non-governmental agencies have great, sophisticated models for forecasting weather," Platzer said. "But they're starved for data."

One prototype weather satellite is currently in orbit. 20 are slated to launch in 2015, with plans to expand the constellation to 100 satellites by 2017.

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