Spire Global Secures $3 Million NOAA Contract Extension to Advance Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder Technology
Spire Global, Inc., a leading provider of satellite-powered data, analytics, and space-based intelligence solutions, has received a six-month contract extension valued at $3 million from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The agreement allows the company to continue supplying atmospheric observations collected through its innovative Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder (HyMS) technology, supporting NOAA’s ongoing evaluation of next-generation weather sensing capabilities.
In addition to the funded extension, the agreement also includes an unfunded option that could extend the program by another three months, representing an additional $2 million in potential contract value. The extension highlights NOAA’s continued interest in assessing the role commercial satellite technologies can play in strengthening weather forecasting and atmospheric monitoring.
Building on Early Mission Success
The contract follows the successful completion of the initial phase of Spire’s HyMS demonstration program, during which the company began delivering hyperspectral microwave sounding observations earlier in 2026. Those early results demonstrated that the technology could successfully capture high-quality atmospheric measurements from orbit, laying the groundwork for expanded testing and operational evaluation.
Under the new agreement, NOAA will continue analyzing the data to determine how hyperspectral microwave observations can improve numerical weather prediction models. Researchers will study the sensor’s performance across a broader variety of atmospheric conditions, seasonal weather changes, and geographic environments. The evaluation will also examine how the new data contributes to improved atmospheric profiling and forecast accuracy.
By extending the testing period, NOAA will be able to gather observations during multiple weather cycles, providing a more comprehensive understanding of the technology’s operational value.
Advancing Atmospheric Observation
Traditional microwave sounders have played an important role in global weather forecasting for decades. However, Spire’s Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder introduces significant improvements in both resolution and data quality.
Unlike conventional systems that rely on a relatively limited number of observation channels, HyMS collects atmospheric measurements through more than 2,000 individual sensing channels covering critical temperature and water vapor frequencies. This substantial increase in spectral resolution enables scientists to generate highly detailed vertical profiles of the atmosphere.
The technology provides valuable information about atmospheric temperature, humidity, and moisture distribution at multiple altitude levels, helping meteorologists better understand weather systems as they develop and evolve.
These enhanced observations can ultimately support more accurate weather prediction models while improving the ability to monitor rapidly changing atmospheric conditions.
Improved Resistance to Radio Frequency Interference
One of the defining advantages of HyMS technology is its resilience against radio frequency interference (RFI), an increasingly significant challenge for modern satellite operations.
As global wireless communications continue expanding, weather satellites face growing levels of spectrum congestion. In addition, intentional signal disruption through jamming and spoofing presents new operational risks for Earth observation systems.
Spire’s hyperspectral microwave technology has been engineered to maintain high-quality atmospheric observations even in environments affected by these interference sources.
This improved resilience makes the system particularly valuable for government weather agencies that depend on reliable, uninterrupted environmental data to support forecasting, disaster preparedness, and public safety operations.
Supporting Better Weather Forecasts
Accurate weather prediction depends heavily on the quality and quantity of atmospheric observations available to forecasting models. Large portions of the world’s oceans, polar regions, and remote land areas continue to have relatively limited observational coverage.
Commercial satellite constellations offer an opportunity to significantly expand global atmospheric monitoring by providing more frequent observations across these underserved regions.
Theresa Condor, Chief Executive Officer of Spire Global, emphasized that bringing hyperspectral microwave sounding capabilities to a scalable commercial satellite constellation represents a major advancement for the weather industry.
According to Condor, the technology introduces an entirely new level of atmospheric intelligence by combining commercial innovation with resilient satellite infrastructure. She noted that the expanded collaboration with NOAA reflects growing confidence in commercial weather data and its potential to enhance forecasting capabilities worldwide.
She added that Spire remains committed to helping government agencies improve weather prediction through advanced satellite observations that can support more accurate forecasts and greater climate resilience.
Demonstrator Mission Validates Technology
Spire launched its HyMS demonstrator satellite mission in January 2026, marking an important milestone in the company’s long-term strategy to expand commercial weather sensing capabilities.
The mission successfully validated the core performance of the hyperspectral microwave sounding instrument while demonstrating its ability to collect detailed atmospheric observations from space.
The successful deployment represents an important step toward future operational satellite constellations capable of delivering continuous global coverage.
As climate variability increases and demand for higher-quality weather intelligence continues to grow, technologies like HyMS are expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting government agencies, emergency response organizations, aviation, agriculture, shipping, and numerous other weather-sensitive industries.
Evaluating Seasonal Performance
Mohammad Belal, Program Director for Microwave Technologies at Spire Global, explained that the initial phase of the mission confirmed the instrument’s ability to collect reliable hyperspectral microwave observations from orbit.
The contract extension now enables researchers to evaluate those observations across a much wider range of weather conditions throughout different seasons.
According to Belal, collecting data during varying atmospheric situations is essential for understanding how hyperspectral microwave sounding can improve numerical weather prediction models and complement existing global weather observation systems.
The additional evaluation period will also help determine where HyMS data delivers the greatest forecasting benefits and how it can best integrate with current operational weather infrastructure.
Complementing Existing Weather Data
The Hyperspectral Microwave Sounder represents an important addition to Spire’s expanding portfolio of proprietary weather observation products.
The company already provides two major categories of atmospheric data through its satellite constellation:
- Radio Occultation (RO) observations, which measure atmospheric temperature, pressure, and humidity by analyzing signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS).
- GNSS Reflectometry (GNSS-R) data, which captures reflected satellite signals to monitor ocean surface winds, soil moisture, flooding, and other environmental conditions.
By combining HyMS observations with Radio Occultation and GNSS-R measurements, Spire can provide customers with a more complete understanding of atmospheric temperature, moisture distribution, and weather dynamics.
The integration of these complementary sensing technologies enables richer environmental datasets that support increasingly sophisticated forecasting models.
Expanding Commercial Weather Intelligence
The NOAA contract extension further strengthens Spire’s position as one of the world’s leading commercial providers of space-based weather intelligence.
Demand for commercial environmental data continues to increase as governments and private organizations seek more timely, accurate, and resilient sources of atmospheric information.
Commercial satellite constellations offer several advantages over traditional government-only systems, including faster deployment cycles, greater flexibility, higher revisit rates, and continuous technology upgrades.
Spire’s growing portfolio of weather products is designed to meet these evolving requirements by providing real-time environmental intelligence that supports operational decision-making across numerous industries.
About Spire Global
Spire Global is an international provider of satellite-powered data, analytics, and space services that helps organizations better understand and respond to changing conditions across the planet.
The company designs, builds, owns, and operates one of the world’s largest commercial satellite constellations, using advanced radio-frequency technology to observe Earth in real time.
Its satellites collect information that supports global weather forecasting, maritime tracking, aviation monitoring, radio-frequency interference detection, spoofing and jamming identification, and broader environmental intelligence. These insights enable governments, businesses, and organizations to improve operational efficiency, strengthen security, manage risk, and make more informed decisions.
In addition to delivering proprietary satellite data, Spire also offers Space as a Service, allowing customers to leverage its existing satellite infrastructure to deploy their own missions without building an entire space program from the ground up.
With offices located across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Luxembourg, and Germany, Spire continues to expand its role in providing commercial space-based intelligence that supports weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, transportation, and global security. The latest NOAA contract extension represents another important milestone in the company’s mission to advance atmospheric science through innovative satellite technology and scalable commercial solutions.
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