Brenda Marie Rivers
Spire Global plans to launch cube satellites with data crosslinks in the coming months in a push to drive the implementation of intersatellite communications.
Peter Platzer, CEO of Spire, told SpaceNews that the initial cubesats are slated to launch aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 vehicle as well as Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket and the Soyuz spacecraft, the publication reported Wednesday.
He said that Spire plans to add the crosslink-infused cubesats to its existing constellation “over the next one to two years†ahead of a total replacement of the satellite network.
Crosslinks have the capacity to reduce latency while supporting Spire’s ground infrastructure that encompasses 70 antenna systems, Platzer added.
According to Platzer, Spire intends to retain its “3U†line of cubesats although additional crosslink elements could expand the platform to a 6U configuration.
His comments come after the Space Development Agency announced plans to launch optical intersatellite data links in low-Earth orbit.Â
