Spire Global Selected by Precursor SPC to Support Hypersonic Tracking

Key Terms

gnss technical

GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, a network of satellites that provide precise location and timing information anywhere on Earth, like a constantly available digital map and clock. It matters to investors because many industries—transportation, agriculture, telecom, finance and defense—rely on this positioning and timing for products, services and critical infrastructure; improvements or disruptions in GNSS can change costs, create new revenue streams, or introduce operational risk.

radio occultation technical

Radio occultation is a technique that uses a signal from a satellite or spacecraft as it passes behind Earth to sense how the planet’s atmosphere bends and slows that signal, like watching how a flashlight beam dims and blurs when it shines through fog. The measured changes reveal temperature, humidity and ionospheric conditions with high precision, which investors care about because better weather, climate and positioning data improve forecasting, supply-chain planning, agricultural yields and insurance risk models.

ionospheric technical

Ionospheric describes anything related to the ionosphere, the upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere where sunlight and space weather create a thin soup of charged particles that bend and block radio and satellite signals. For investors, ionospheric conditions matter because changes there can disrupt GPS, satellite communications and some ground-based radio services—like a warped mirror that distorts or drops signals—affecting revenue, reliability and operating costs for companies in telecom, satellites, aviation and defense.

nowcasting technical

Nowcasting is the practice of estimating the current state of an economy, market, or business activity using the latest incoming information rather than waiting for official reports. It matters to investors because it provides a quicker read on trends—like using a live weather radar to know if a storm is over your neighborhood—helping them adjust positions, manage risk, or spot short-term opportunities before slower, formal data is published.

ai/ml technical

AI/ML stands for artificial intelligence and machine learning, software systems that identify patterns in data and make predictions or automate decisions, improving performance as they process more information. Investors care because these technologies can boost revenue, cut costs and create competitive advantages — like a factory that learns to produce goods faster and with fewer mistakes — while also introducing execution, ethical and regulatory risks that can affect a company’s value.

rf technical

rf (commonly written r_f) denotes the risk-free rate — the theoretical return on an investment with no chance of loss, often used as a baseline for valuing other assets. Investors use it like a yardstick: returns above this number compensate for extra risk, so it helps price stocks, bonds and option valuations and guides decisions about whether higher-return opportunities justify their added risk. Think of it as the safe deposit box interest rate against which riskier bets are measured.

• GNSS radio occultation data to enable assured attribution and continuous, real-time hypersonic tracking across all phases of flight as a complementary missile defense layer
• Spire RO profiles used by Precursor SPC for real-time ionospheric nowcasting during Artemis II launch and re-entry

VIENNA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR) (“Spire” or “the Company”), a leading global provider of satellite data, analytics and intelligence, announced it has been selected by Precursor SPC, a provider of real-time space domain awareness and environmental intelligence, to provide GNSS radio occultation (RO) profiles in support of hypersonic tracking.

Under the agreement, Precursor SPC will integrate Spire’s RO profiles into its AI/ML-driven ionospheric nowcasting system to enable assured attribution and continuous, real-time hypersonic tracking across all phases of flight.

A Critical Layer for Missile Defense

Hypersonic vehicles operate at extreme speeds and altitudes, where rapidly changing atmospheric and ionospheric conditions can impact tracking, communications, and overall mission performance. Traditional sensing systems, including radar and infrared, are not designed to fully characterize these environmental effects in real time.

“The complexity of hypersonic threats demands that we move beyond static models and embrace real-time, environmental intelligence,” said Quintin Jones, Head of North America and VP, Spire Global. “By providing a persistent layer of ‘invisible intelligence’ from our constellation, we are proud to work with partners like Precursor SPC turn atmospheric volatility from a tactical blind spot into a strategic advantage.”

Precursor’s platform uses AI/ML fusion to combine GNSS, ionosondes, RO, and other data sources to generate continuous, real-time ionospheric nowcasts. These nowcasts provide critical insight into environmental conditions that can shift in seconds and directly impact operational decision-making.

“Our partnership with Spire represents a significant step toward delivering a next-generation capability for hypersonic tracking,” said Clive Cook, CEO of Precursor SPC. “By integrating Spire’s RO data with our real-time nowcasting platform, we are addressing a critical gap in today’s operational environment to support more accurate tracking and the evolving needs of the warfighter.”

Spire’s RO profiles deliver precise measurements of atmospheric density and ionospheric conditions at a global scale. The Company has the capacity to produce up to 20,000 RO profiles per day, enabling high-frequency monitoring of the environmental variables that influence hypersonic trajectories and long-range communications.

Artemis II Launch and Re-Entry

Recently, Spire and Precursor delivered a real-time ionospheric nowcast during the Artemis II mission—the first crewed flight to orbit the Moon in more than half a century—spanning both launch and re-entry. Leveraging Spire’s RO profiles, Precursor monitored environmental conditions as they evolved in near real time, providing insight into electron density changes, RF degradation, and other dynamic factors that impact tracking and communications during the most critical phase of flight.

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 offices across the U.S., Canada, UK, Luxembourg and Germany. To learn more, visit spire.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260420368029/en/

For Media:
Sarah Freeman
Senior Communications Manager
Sarah.Freeman@spire.com

For Investors:
Benjamin Hackman
Head of Investor Relations
Benjamin.Hackman@spire.com

Source: Spire Global, Inc.