LEMUR (Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver) is Spire Global's modular nanosatellite platform, built and operated in-house, that forms the backbone of Spire's LEO constellation collecting weather, maritime AIS, and aviation ADS-B data.
LEMUR
LEMUR (Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver) is Spire Global's modular nanosatellite platform, built and operated in-house, that forms the backbone of Spire's LEO constellation collecting weather, maritime AIS, and aviation ADS-B data.
Description
LEMUR is Spire Global's flagship nanosatellite platform, designed, built, and operated entirely in-house. Originally launched as a 3U CubeSat carrying AIS (maritime vessel tracking), GNSS radio occultation (weather/atmospheric sensing), and ADS-B (aircraft tracking) receivers, the platform has evolved into a modular family of satellite bus sizes ranging from LEMUR 3 up to LEMUR 16, supporting payload power from 25.5W to 288W and design lifetimes of 3-5 years. Satellites operate in low Earth orbit and support mission types including M2M/IoT telecommunications, electro-optical and multi/hyperspectral Earth observation, RF geolocation and spectrum monitoring, GNSS reflectometry and jammer detection, and space situational awareness. Spire markets LEMUR both for its own proprietary space-based data business and as a satellite-as-a-service offering for third parties such as GHGSat, NorthStar, Hubble Network, ESA, and the UK Space Agency. As of 2026, Spire has flight heritage exceeding 600 combined satellite-years, with 175+ LEMUR satellites launched across 50+ unique missions, and operates one of the largest commercial small-satellite constellations with over 100 satellites on orbit at any given time.
Specifications
| Platform name | LEMUR (Low Earth Multi-Use Receiver) |
|---|---|
| Original form factor | 3U CubeSat, 10 x 10 x 34.5 cm, less than 6 kg |
| Lemur 3 configuration | 3U, 5 kg total, 3.4 kg max payload |
| Lemur 16 configuration | 16U+, up to 23.4 kg max payload |
| Payload power | 25.5 W (3-8U variants) to 288 W (12-16U variants) |
| Design lifetime | 3-5 years, refreshed on ~3-year hardware cycle |
| Orbit | Low Earth orbit, approximately 400-650 km altitude |
| Original payload types | AIS receiver, GNSS-RO receiver, ADS-B receiver |
| Additional supported payloads | Electro-optical/hyperspectral EO, RF geolocation, spectrum monitoring, GNSS reflectometry, jammer detection, SSA |
| Flight heritage | 600+ combined satellite-years; 175+ satellites launched across 50+ unique missions and 35+ launch campaigns; 100+ active satellites on orbit as of 2026 |