PlanetiQ announced on Friday that its GNOMES-11 weather satellite has made ground contact and entered the commissioning phase, marking a significant step toward fulfilling a key NOAA contract. The spacecraft, launched on October 20, introduces a different orbital sampling pattern ahead of the December 1 start of NOAA's data delivery agreement.
The new satellite is part of a broader effort to enhance temporal sampling. NOAA's contract requires PlanetiQ to deliver 4,200 atmospheric profiles daily, of which 700 must feature enhanced temporal diversity. This subset represents about 16.7% of the total, emphasizing the importance of observations across different times of day.
GNOMES-11's mid-inclination, non-Sun-synchronous orbit is designed to meet this requirement. Unlike traditional Sun-synchronous orbits that pass over the same local time, this orbit spreads observations across tropical, subtropical, and mid-latitude regions at varied times, improving the temporal resolution of weather data.
The launch adds to PlanetiQ's expanding constellation. With GNOMES-10 launched on October 1 and GNOMES-11 on October 20, the fleet now includes five spacecraft. Three were already operational, and the company claims the combined capacity approaches 20,000 profiles per day, though this is an operator claim and not yet verified by operational deliveries.
The technology behind these satellites is radio occultation, which measures how GPS and other navigation signals bend as they pass through the atmosphere. This data helps forecasters derive temperature, pressure, and moisture profiles, crucial for weather prediction. The Pyxis receiver on board tracks all four global navigation constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, with observations reaching into the lower troposphere and boundary layer.
PlanetiQ's CEO, Ira Scharf, emphasized that commercial weather data is now a mature industry. The NOAA contract, awarded in September, has a base value of $28.41 million, with potential surge options bringing the total to $47.34 million over two years. The enhanced sampling requirement is a separate technical condition, and GNOMES-11 is one of the tools to meet it.
The order is part of NOAA's broader procurement of 10,000 daily atmospheric profiles from three suppliers. PlanetiQ's share of 4,200 profiles makes up 42% of the total, underscoring the strategic importance of its fleet. The company also sees demand from commercial forecasters and emerging AI weather models, though no specific accuracy improvements have been quantified yet.
As GNOMES-11 undergoes commissioning, the focus will be on ensuring it can deliver usable profiles on schedule. Sensor calibration, data latency, and model quality control are potential challenges. The successful integration of this satellite will be critical for PlanetiQ to meet its contractual obligations and solidify its position in the commercial weather data market.
