First-ever achievement for Spire enhances data transmission security and efficiency, setting a new standard for global satellite communications. The Company will launch additional satellites with optical inter-satellite link technology on the
SpaceX Transporter-13 Rideshare Mission
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) has successfully established a two-way optical link between two satellites in orbit. This achievement marks a major step toward enhancing the speed, reliability, and security of data transmissions for future missions.
The satellites, which launched in June of 2023, are equipped with optical inter-satellite link (OISL) payloads. The payloads create lasers that send information back and forth between satellites, securely and almost instantaneously, while up to 5,000 kilometers apart.
This technology has the ability to enhance applications such as weather forecasting, global communications and remote sensing for navigation and environmental monitoring by increasing data speeds, enhancing security and reducing data latency.
The development of the OISL technology was supported by a European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) Pioneer Partnership Project, within ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate, with funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA).
Following the successful demonstration, Spire will launch three additional LEMUR satellites with OISL technology in 2025, two of which are set to launch via Exolaunch on the Transporter 13 rideshare mission with SpaceX.
During the mission, Spire will also launch four additional LEMUR satellites to replenish its fully deployed constellation and enable missions for its Space Services customers. The launch is scheduled for no earlier than March of 2025.
“Precisely pointing two satellites, across distances equivalent of New York to London, and establishing an inter-satellite optical link is a significant milestone for Spire,” said John E. Ward, Senior Director of Research & Development at Spire Global. “This achievement places us among a select group of organizations capable of developing and deploying this advanced technology and overcoming the complexities of aligning satellites separated by thousands of kilometers in Low Earth Orbit. Integrating this technology into our future fleet will enhance resilience, improve security, and reduce latency for critical applications.”
“We have shrunk what is typically a large optical system—the size of a microwave—down to the size of a tissue box,” said Thomas Carroll, Team Lead – Applied Optics Team, Spire. “Our OISL payload is the smallest on the market, allowing us to deploy this technology on our small satellites while delivering performance previously achievable only with much larger systems. This breakthrough has the potential to enhance our data and Space Services solutions, especially for applications that require continuous coverage with fast and secure data relay.”
“Through our ARTES Pioneer Partnership Project, we have supported Spire in the development of a new OISL capability for their space data service network,” said Clive Edwards, ESA Pioneer Implementation Manager. “This OISL system is set to transform satellite communications, offering enhanced security and efficiency for space-based data transmission.”
About Spire Global, Inc.
Spire (NYSE: SPIR) is a global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, offering unique datasets and powerful insights about Earth so that organizations can make decisions with confidence in a rapidly changing world. Spire builds, owns, and operates a fully deployed satellite constellation that observes the Earth in real time using radio frequency technology. The data acquired by Spire’s satellites provides global weather intelligence, ship and plane movements, and spoofing and jamming detection to better predict how their patterns impact economies, global security, business operations and the environment. Spire also offers Space as a Service solutions that empower customers to leverage its established infrastructure to put their business in space. Spire has nine offices across the U.S., Canada, UK, Luxembourg, Germany and Singapore.