iQPS vs Spire Global: Earth observation compared

November 2026 edition · assessment by Frontier Tech Intelligence

iQPS ranks 47 on the Space 100 with a score of 75; Spire Global ranks 84 with 66. iQPS is ahead on deployment, positioning, firepower and leverage. Spire Global is ahead on commercials. Level on production, progress and technology. iQPS is based in Fukuoka, Japan, Spire Global in Vienna, United States. iQPS: Public. iQPS is named in 32 signals and Spire Global in 106.

iQPS →

Fukuoka, Fukuoka, Japan · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · Public · i-qps.net

iQPS operates the QPS-SAR constellation of small radar satellites, providing day-and-night Earth observation imagery with little sensitivity to cloud cover.

Space 100 · rank 47 · score 75

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment9
Production6
Commercials4
Progress9
Technology6
Positioning8
Firepower8
Leverage8

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

iQPS is a Japanese SAR operator (TSE-listed) running the QPS-SAR constellation (8+ satellites under JSAT operations contracts, QPS-SAR-15 first-light images in January 2026), which raised a JPY 15.2B PIPE in March 2026 (SKY Perfect JSAT, Mitsui Sumitomo taking 18.23%) for mass production and launches. It is a member of the winning Japanese MoD Satellite Constellation Project consortium (December 2025), the sovereign-SAR national team, carrying the same MoD-dependency flag as Synspective. Revenue is estimated at 10-100m class.

Latest signals

  • MaiaSpace and iQPS signed a multi-launch agreement beginning in 2029.Payload
  • iQPS and MaiaSpace signed a basic agreement for QPS-SAR launches from 2029 onward.sorae
  • iQPS expanded its QPS-SAR constellation plan beyond 36 satellites.sorae

32 signals name iQPS.

Facts, with sources

  • 26SpaceNews
  • 24Via Satellite
  • MaiaSpace and iQPS signed a multi-launch agreement beginning in 2029Payload

39 facts on file.

Spire Global →

Vienna, Virginia, United States · Space · Satellites & spacecraft / Earth observation · spire.com

Spire sells satellite-driven weather intelligence through AI-WX, AI-S2S, APIs and Cirrus, serving energy, agriculture, logistics, insurance, finance and government customers.

Space 100 · rank 84 · score 66AI Core · watchlist · score 55

Scores, Space (of 10)

Deployment8
Production6
Commercials6
Progress9
Technology6
Positioning6
Firepower6
Leverage6

Darker bar: ahead of the other company on that measure.

Positioning

Spire Global is a US operator of a multi-payload nanosatellite constellation for RF sensing (weather, AIS, ADS-B) plus a space-services model building satellites for others, having reset its balance sheet by selling its maritime business to Kpler (~$241M, 2025) and now forecasting ~50% revenue growth in 2026. Its European pivot has a humanoid-list crossover: Schaeffler (which tops the Humanoids list) and Diehl are named partners in its German manufacturing expansion. Post-divestiture revenue is estimated at 10-100m.

Latest signals

  • Estuaire used approximately 8,000 Spire Global flight tracks to build an aviation emissions-tool auditing framework.Spire Global
  • Spire Global won a $28 million NOAA contract to develop a hyperspectral microwave sounding satellite.SpaceNews
  • NOAA awarded Spire Global and PlanetiQ contracts for radio-occultation dataSpaceNews

106 signals name Spire Global.

Facts, with sources

  • NOAA contract for a hyperspectral microwave sounderSpaceNews
  • NOAA contract to develop new weather satellite instruments for the TMATE projectVia Satellite
  • NOAA contract to build and flight qualify a satellite and hyperspectral microwave sounderSpaceNews

114 facts on file.

More comparisons

Questions this page answers

iQPS or Spire Global: which is ahead in space?

iQPS ranks 47 on the Space 100 with a score of 75; Spire Global ranks 84 with 66. iQPS is ahead on deployment, positioning, firepower and leverage. Spire Global is ahead on commercials. Level on production, progress and technology. iQPS is based in Fukuoka, Japan, Spire Global in Vienna, United States. iQPS: Public. iQPS is named in 32 signals and Spire Global in 106.

How do iQPS and Spire Global compare?

iQPS ranks 47 on the Space 100 with a score of 75; Spire Global ranks 84 with 66. iQPS is ahead on deployment, positioning, firepower and leverage. Spire Global is ahead on commercials. Level on production, progress and technology. iQPS is based in Fukuoka, Japan, Spire Global in Vienna, United States. iQPS: Public. iQPS is named in 32 signals and Spire Global in 106. Both company files carry the scores on eight measures, the facts with sources and the latest signals.

Every comparison here comes from the same files members use every day.

Members see every signal and fact behind both companies, the live ranking, the questions the signals answer and the week explained. $99 a month, 7-day trial. What Frontier Tech Intelligence is →

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