Theresa Condor – COO and Director of Spire Global, Ewan Reid – Founder and CEO of Mission Control, Lisa Campbell – President of the Canadian Space Agency at the International Aeronautical Congress before announcement.
The Persistence Mission is expected to demonstrate the power of robust and resilient AI for in-orbit processing to preserve bandwidth, enable rapid decision making, and improve our knowledge of Earth
MILAN, Oct. 16, 2024 — At the International Aeronautical Congress (IAC), Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) (“Spire” or the “Company”) and Mission Control announced a mission to explore the power of artificial intelligence (“AI”) in space. The Persistence Mission is expected to showcase how AI can be reliably used onboard satellites over a long period of time to generate actionable insights in real-time.
Spire has agreed to build and operate the LEMUR 6, a 6U satellite with an optical payload that will provide images of the Earth for analysis by Mission Control’s onboard AI algorithms. Mission Control has agreed to demonstrate its SpacefarerAI™ platform, designed to streamline the deployment and update of AI models for spaceflight applications. SpacefarerAI™ is expected to simplify how mission teams can harness the power of AI directly onboard their spacecraft, ushering in a new era for the use of AI in space and a better understanding of the Earth supported by AI.
“AI has proven itself as a critical tool in extracting valuable insights from the huge dataset generated from spacecraft observing the Earth,” said Ewan Reid, founder & chief executive officer of Mission Control. “By moving the intelligence to the edge, onto the spacecraft itself, we will unlock new capabilities in intelligent remote sensing that are crucial to the future of earth observation and space exploration.”
Spire will manage the full lifecycle of the 6U satellite, from design and build to launch and operation. With over 13 years of experience in end-to-end satellite manufacturing, Spire operates the world’s largest multi-purpose constellation and has launched over 180 satellites.
“By leveraging our expertise in satellite and payload design, build and operation alongside Mission Control’s innovative AI software, this mission represents a significant step forward in advancing on-orbit AI processing,” said Theresa Condor, chief operating officer at Spire. “We are excited to contribute to the development of cutting-edge autonomous systems and driving technological progress in the space sector.”
The mission will advance how satellites can reliably use key AI technologies to gain important insights about Earth faster and more effectively. The Canadian Space Agency is providing financial support to Mission Control so it can demonstrate how its AI technology can advance on-orbit processing.
The satellite is scheduled for launch no earlier than 2025.
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. To learn more, visit spire.com.
About Mission Control Mission Control empowers explorers by innovating to make advanced software viable for use in space. Using Spacefarer™ and SpacefarerAI™, customers can simplify mission development and operations while unlocking the potential of new scientific and commercial opportunities on the Earth, Moon, Mars, and beyond. Spacefarer™ is being trusted for multiple missions to the Moon by mission controllers, scientists, and software developers who seek faster deployments, lower-cost mission development, and valuable data returns. Mission Control is inspired by a vision of the world in which access to space is ubiquitous and inspires all humans to treasure planet Earth and marvel at the universe. To learn more, visit www.missioncontrolspace.com
