The newspace operator Spire Global which provides space-based data and analytics has signed a multi satellite “Launch Service Agreement with launch provider Virgin Orbit. The first launch of this multi-launch multi-year contract will take place in 2023. Exact detals of the contract have not been released. While there are many small launch vehicles in development, for the time being Virgin Orbit’s air launched LauncherOne has the advantage of being one of the few that has achieved operational status. The launches ranging will be to low Earth orbits ranging from polar types to incliations nearer the equator. These take place from Mojove, California.
Spire Global and Virgin Orbit previously demonstrated the flexibility of LauncherOne’s rapid call-up capabilities with the late-load of Spire’s ADLER-1 satellite on board the Above the Clouds mission from Mojave, CA in January 2022, an expedition which took just 22 days from the initial call-up to payload integration. Building on that success, the two companies are teaming up to provide rapid and flexible launch solutions to Spire’s global customer base.
