Spire, Thales, ESSP to develop space-based air traffic surveillance service

Spire Global (SPIR), Thales (TCSFY), and European Satellite Services Provider announced earlier that they have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the goal of introducing a range of global satellite-based surveillance services to the air traffic management industry and broader aviation market. These services will be powered by a specialized constellation of over 100 satellites collecting Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast messages broadcast from aircraft and transmitting the data back to Earth in real time, the companies said. Spire will develop the space segment, including system design, building the satellites and payloads, ground control and data collection. Thales will provision the ground air traffic management system and the service supervision infrastructure. ESSP will manage the certification and the delivery of the service for air traffic surveillance purposes and perform H24 operation and supervision, ensuring the compliance with real-time, safety-critical requirements imposed to ATC. The partners will also rely on the Space Alliance* formed by Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio, to identify and implement possible synergies bringing further added value in terms of key-enabling technologies, secured network optimization and sustainable operations and services. The partners plan to certify, commercialize and start the operation of the service by 2027.