Virgin Orbit and
Spire Gloabal Sign Multilaunch Agreement.
OCTOBER 12, 2022
Spire Global has committed to
purchase multiple launches from Virgin Orbit,
starting in 2023.
The launches will support
Spire’s growing Space Services business as well as
upgrades and enhancements to the company’s fully
deployed satellite constellation.
The launches are part of Virgin
Orbit’s growing launch backlog as it heads towards
its first international launch later this year from
the United Kingdom.
Building on their shared record
for successful collaboration in responsive space,
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a global provider
of space-based data, analytics and space services,
has entered a binding Launch Service Agreement with
leading launch provider, Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq:
VORB), to purchase multiple launches over several
years. The first launch is expected to take place in
2023.
Exemplary of the growing demand
for the small satellite market, the launches will
support the growth of Spire Space Services, a
platform which offers customers fast and scalable
access to space through a subscription model, and
continual upgrades and enhancements to the company’s
fully deployed satellite constellation. Spire will
make full use of LauncherOne’s demonstrated
flexibility by launching to a variety of orbits –
from mid-inclination to polar – all out of Virgin
Orbit’s first spaceport in Mojave, 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.
“We’re very pleased to have
formed this strategic relationship with the
innovative Spire team. Our
previous joint execution of the ADLER-1 launch
demonstrated the potential of marrying expert
satellite capabilities with rapid, flexible launch”
said Virgin Orbit CEO, Dan Hart. “Demand from the
small satellite market continues to be strong and we
are privileged to be among the few operational
companies serving this vitally important sector.”
“Working with Virgin Orbit
gives us flexibility and control over launches,
rather than waiting for the secondary rideshare
market to provide the orbits we want on timelines
that we have to work with,” said Robert Sproles,
Vice President, Constellation Planning & Operations.
“It’s particularly crucial for offering our Space
Services customers rapid and reliable access to
space so that they can meet their mission-critical
deadlines.”
Spire joins Virgin Orbit’s
growing backlog of customers seeking both
flexibility of launch location and orbital
destination. As a small launch provider, Virgin
Orbit is dedicated to providing flexible,
affordable, rapid launch opportunities anytime,
anywhere to the commercial, educational, and
government small satellite industry.
|