Satellite operator Spire Global has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to compete for orders under a US$59m ceiling.
The award is part of NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Program’s Radio Occultation (RO) Data Buy II. The contract commenced on March 27, 2023, and will run until March 26, 2028.
Spire will provide NOAA with near-real-time RO data that consists of vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements, including pressure, humidity and temperature across all points of the globe, as well as ionospheric measurements. The data will be used for NOAA’s operational weather forecasts, space weather models and climate research, among other applications.
Spire is the largest producer of RO data, powered by its fully deployed constellation of more than 100 satellites, and offers a vast portfolio of current weather, historical weather data and weather forecast solutions. The company is currently capable of providing 20,000 RO profiles per day and could achieve up to 100,000 profiles per day in as little as 18-24 months.
Chuck Cash, vice president of federal sales, Spire, said, “Better predicting weather patterns and understanding our climate is one of the most important challenges — and opportunities — of our time. Our long-standing relationship with NOAA demonstrates the value of assimilating commercial satellite data into weather models to improve forecasts. Armed with more accurate forecasts, we as a society are able to better prepare for and mitigate the impacts of extreme weather to protect our property, environment and, most importantly, lives.”
Spire was awarded a total of four NOAA contracts in FY22, valued at US$23.6m, and has provided data to the agency since 2016.