Thales, Spire, ESSP sign MoU to introduce “innovative global satellite-based surveillance services”

Thales, Spire Global and European Satellite Services Provider (ESSP) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoU) with the goal of “introducing a range of innovative global satellite-based surveillance services to the air traffic management (ATM) industry and broader aviation market”. These services will be powered by a specialised constellation of over 100 satellites collecting Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) messages broadcast from aircraft and transmitting the data back to Earth in real time. A statement breaking down the MoU explained the roles in the agreement, saying: “Spire will develop the space segment, including system design, building the satellites and payloads, ground