Weather Stream has announced that its GEMS2-Amethyst satellite has achieved first light, collecting global atmospheric observations from orbit.
The satellite was launched aboard SpaceX’s Transporter 16 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base on March 30, and is the latest iteration of the company’s Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS) meteorological satellite mission.
GEMS2-Amethyst carries a dual-band passive microwave radiometer designed and built in Boulder, Colardo by Weather Stream’s team. The company says the instrument measure three-dimensional atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles across a near 2,000km swath, providing near-global coverage approximately every 12 hours.
Integrated with a satellite bus from Denmark-based GomSpace, the satellite reached a sun-synchronous orbit at nearly 600km with a projected operational life of three-to-five years. Payload calibration activities are now underway ahead of data validation and operational delivery.
The mission builds on the success of Weather Stream’s GEMS1 satellite, which in 2019 became the first commercial microwave radiometer to operate in orbit. While GEMS1 sensed temperature alone, GEMS2-Amethyst adds sensitivity to humidity and precipitation, in addition to an enhanced temperature-sensitive channel set, creating the potential to fill critical gaps in global weather observations.
“Weather affects everything. From forecasting severe storms to supporting military operations to helping the insurance industry assess risk, the observation gaps we are filling with GEMS2-Amethyst touch decisions that billions of people depend on every day,” said Michael Hurowitz, CEO of Weather Stream.
GEMS2-Amethyst data supports applications ranging from weather forecasting and natural disaster response to defense operations, climate research and commercial use cases including parametric insurance and aviation planning. Weather Stream delivers this data to government and commercial customers worldwide.
Weather Stream continues developing its GEMS constellation, with plans to expand its commercial passive microwave capabilities through future GEMS2 missions, alongside advanced sensor development and select strategic partnerships.
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