Spire Global awarded space services contract by Lacuna Space to for 6 IoT Satellites

Spire Global awarded space services contract by Lacuna Space to for 6 IoT Satellites
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Dec 06, 2023

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leader in space-based data and analytics, has recently entered into a landmark Space Services contract with Lacuna Space, a prominent satellite IoT connectivity provider. This agreement marks a significant step in expanding global IoT (Internet of Things) networks, with Spire initially slated to build and launch six satellites equipped with Lacuna Space's payloads and antennas. Furthermore, there's potential for this collaboration to extend to dozens of satellites, signifying a major scale-up in the constellation.

Manufactured in Spire's Glasgow facility, these six new satellites will join Lacuna Space's existing fleet of ten satellites. This expansion is aimed at enhancing Lacuna Space's IoT network, offering low-cost, reliable global connections essential for sectors such as agriculture, maritime, logistics, and environmental monitoring. The applications of these IoT services are vast, ranging from remote soil moisture measurement for improved agricultural yield to efficient tracking of maritime assets.

One of the defining features of these satellites is Lacuna's newly developed 'Gentoo' satellite gateway, boasting ultra-high density and innovative capabilities. This technology, coupled with Lacuna's ground scheduling network, employs adaptive, regional, fine-frequency algorithms powered by AI. This system has been refined through years of satellite-based spectrum scans, showcasing the technological sophistication behind Lacuna's IoT services.

Frank Frulio, the General Manager of Space Services at Spire, highlighted the transformative potential of satellite-enabled IoT connectivity. "These services are transformational in enabling new applications across a wide variety of industries and solving some of the biggest challenges facing humanity today," Frulio stated. He emphasized the streamlined process offered by Spire Space Services in architecting, building, launching, and operating satellites, which allows technologies like Lacuna's IoT network to reach the market faster and more efficiently.

Rob Spurrett, CEO and co-founder of Lacuna Space, reflected on the contract as a pivotal moment in the company's journey towards commercial operations. He noted that this contract culminates over five years of intensive development work, aimed at achieving the scalability and reliability necessary for a global commercial service.

Craig Brown, Investment Director at the UK Space Agency, lauded this contract as a testament to the UK's robust heritage in space manufacturing, particularly highlighting Glasgow's significant role in satellite production within Europe. Brown remarked on the UK's progress towards global connectivity and new commercial applications in telecommunications, facilitated by collaborations like that between Spire Global and Lacuna Space.

This partnership is set to unlock a myriad of opportunities for businesses, leveraging satellites to transfer data and information among millions of ground-based sensors that comprise the IoT. The potential for further scaling up the constellation adds to the excitement surrounding this development.

Spire Space Services, renowned for its comprehensive and efficient approach to space missions, offers a subscription model that eliminates the high upfront costs typically associated with building and maintaining space infrastructure. Having designed, built, and launched over 170 satellites, Spire simplifies the process for commercial and government organizations to deploy and operate space-based systems. Through Spire's established infrastructure, customers can manage their satellite operations with ease using a web API.