PlanetiQ secures $15 million Air Force STRATFI contract

COLORADO SPRINGS – Commercial satellite operator PlanetiQ will develop and launch spacecraft equipped with next-generation instruments to gather terrestrial and space weather data with a $15 million U.S. Air Force Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract announced April 16.

The STRATFI agreement is “a big indication from the U.S. government that our technology matters and they are willing to put $15 million toward it,” Chris McCormick, PlanetiQ chairman and founder, told SpaceNews.  

PlanetiQ’s next-generation satellites will provide extensive data on atmospheric temperature, pressure and water vapor in addition to revealing ocean-surface winds, sea states and soil moisture. The datasets delivered will reduce latency and improve the accuracy of terrestrial and space-weather forecasts, McCormick said.

Under the two-year contract, Golden, Colorado-based PlanetiQ will develop and launch spacecraft equipped with next-generation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation receivers to measure signals refracted through Earth’s atmosphere as well as signals reflected off Earth’s surface. In addition, PlanetiQ will refine data-assimilation techniques to integrate GNSS polarimetric radio occultation data. Polarimetric radio occultation data improves the characterization of precipitation in numerical weather models.

“This award represents a major step forward in delivering more advanced, actionable weather information to the warfighter,” PlanetiQ CEO Ira Scharf said in a statement. By combining GNSS radio occultation, polarimetric radio occultation and reflectometry “measurements in a single platform, we are unlocking a more complete picture of the atmosphere and Earth’s surface. We are proud to partner with the U.S. Air Force to accelerate these capabilities and bring next-generation environmental data into operational use.”

Data delivered by PlanetiQ from its spacecraft in orbit “will support multiple applications across the Department of the Air Force, to include artificial intelligence model training, data assimilation and performance evaluation,” according to the news release.

With its current constellation, PlanetiQ also provides data to NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Commercial Data Program.