Case Study: King Abdullah University of Science & Technology achieves high-resolution ecosystem and ocean monitoring with Spire

Advanced satellite monitoring of Middle East’s ecosystems and oceans

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology (KAUST) faced a growing need for timely, high‑resolution data to monitor terrestrial and ocean ecosystems, support food and water security, and track climate‑driven change. To meet this challenge KAUST partnered with Spire, using Spire’s Space-as-a-Service (SPaaS) approach to avoid high upfront space infrastructure costs and rapidly field a mission‑ready capability.

Spire implemented a collaborative nanosatellite mission—a 6U CubeSat carrying a high‑performance hyperspectral camera (more than 100 user‑configurable spectral bands) and Spire’s GNSS‑Reflectometry (GNSS‑R) payload (processing 4 GNSS constellations and up to 32 simultaneous reflection measurements, with ~11 years of flight heritage). The platform’s on‑board processing and data compression deliver high‑resolution optical and infrared imagery and soil‑moisture intelligence that enable KAUST researchers to map habitats, monitor vegetation health, assess coastal and coral ecosystems, and generate enhanced metrics to monitor change globally, all at lower cost and risk through Spire’s subscription model.

King Abdullah University of Science & Technology

Matthew McCabe

Director of the Climate & Livability Initiative