The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded contracts to world spire (NYSE: SPIR), Geooptics and PlanetiQ provide space weather data as part of a pilot program to demonstrate the impact of commercial data on weather forecasting models.
The commercial weather data pilot contracts call for the three companies to provide radio occultation measurements that provide insight into ionospheric conditions to allow NOAA to assess whether the commercial data could support its operational space weather applications and models, said NOAA on Thursday.
The CWDP studies will last approximately 12 months and NOAA will assess whether to continue to purchase commercial weather data to support its operational forecasting efforts.
NOAA awarded the contracts in accordance with the Promoting Research and Observations of Space Weather to Improve the Forecasting of Tomorrow Act and the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017.
chuck cashvice president of federal sales at Spire, told SpaceNews in an email that the company generates radio occultation data through its constellation of more than 100 satellites.
“We provided radio occultation data with NOAA for more than three years and are excited to expand our relationship to provide data for space weather prediction research, which will lead to safer and more efficient aircraft and spacecraft operations,” Cash said.
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