NOAA has awarded a pair of contracts to Spire Global, one for radio occultation data and another for satellite weather data. The total value of the two awards is $13.6 million.
“Our continued work with NOAA underscores the importance of government–commercial partnerships in advancing weather forecasting and highlights NOAA’s commitment to harnessing innovation to improve forecasts and build climate resilience.”
Theresa Condor, Spire Global
The larger of the two contracts is $11,190,900 to provide global navigation satellite system (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) data for a one-year period from September 18, 2025 to September 18, 2026. The company's near-real-time GNSS-RO data consists of vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements, including pressure, humidity, and temperature, that can reach all points of the globe.
NOAA, together with NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy, will integrate Spire’s GNSS-RO data into their weather and space weather models, while additional U.S. and international agencies will leverage the data to strengthen forecasts and advance climate research.
“Spire’s satellites and radio occultation data are uniquely positioned to deliver the atmospheric insights needed to tackle today’s complex weather challenges,” said Theresa Condor, CEO at Spire Global. “Our continued work with NOAA underscores the importance of government–commercial partnerships in advancing weather forecasting and highlights NOAA’s commitment to harnessing innovation to improve forecasts and build climate resilience.”
The award is part of an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Program Radio Occultation Data Buy II.
The second contract, valued at $2.5 million, is part of NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Pilot (CWDP) Ocean Surface Winds Pilot Study to evaluate how commercial satellite observations can improve measurements of ocean surface winds — a critical factor in forecasting hurricanes, winter storms, and other severe weather. For the nine month contract period, Spire will deliver Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) data in near real-time, focusing on ocean surface wind speeds. NOAA will use this data to assess how commercial satellite observations can enhance weather forecasting models and advance climate research. The initiative supports NOAA’s mission need for accurate and comprehensive measurements of global ocean surface winds, which are critical for marine forecasts, hurricane prediction, winter storm tracking, understanding the global water cycle and more.
"Ocean wind data is essential for improving forecasts, tracking severe storms, and advancing climate research," said Theresa Condor, Chief Executive Officer at Spire Global. "We’re proud to partner with NOAA to utilize our satellite and GNSS-R data to advance the measurement of ocean winds, strengthen forecasts, and support efforts to protect lives and property from severe weather."
The contract, commencing September 10, 2025, will consist of two phases: Data Delivery and Evaluation. The pilot will focus on ocean surface wind analysis, including assessing GNSS-R’s ability to capture stronger tropical cyclone winds, with results expected to inform future NOAA efforts to integrate commercial satellite data into weather and climate applications.