ExactEarth
{{lowercase title}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=May 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{{Infobox company
| name = exactEarth Ltd
| type = Subsidiary
| parent = Spire Global
| traded_as =
| logo = ExactEarthLtdLogo.png
| slogan =
| foundation = {{#property:P571}}
| location = {{#property:P159}}, {{#property:P17}}
| key_people = Peter Mabson, CEO
| num_employees =
| industry =
| products = Satellite AIS Data Services and Solutions
| homepage = https://www.exactEarth.com
| footnotes =
}}
exactEarth Ltd is a Canadian company that specializes in data services that deliver real-time global location-based maritime vessel tracking information utilizing patented satellite AIS detection technology.
exactEarth provides satellite AIS data services to commercial markets as well as government customers in India, Canada, United States, Australia and across Europe.{{cite web|title=exactEarth receives CA$19.2 million AIS data contract from the Government of Canada|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1420224/exactearth-receives-19-2m-ais-data-contract-from-the-government-of-canada|publisher=Canada News Wire (CNW)|access-date=30 September 2014|archive-date=4 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204084131/http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/1420224/exactearth-receives-19-2m-ais-data-contract-from-the-government-of-canada|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last1=Magan|first1=Veronica|title=exactEarth to Provide India's Navy with satellite-AIS |url=http://www.satellitetoday.com/government/2016/12/23/exactearth-provide-indias-navy-satellite-ais/|publisher=Via Satellite|date=23 December 2016}}
Founded in 2009, exactEarth is based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada. The company was publicly traded until 2021 when Spire Global acquired the company.
History
In 2005, COM DEV International first recognized that the AIS messages being transmitted by major ships could potentially be received from space. COM DEV validated its AIS detection capability through aircraft trials in 2007 and launched a nanosatellite (EV0) in April 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.sedar.com/DisplayCompanyDocuments.do?lang=EN&issuerNo=00037341|title=Preliminary long form prospectus|page=33|access-date=6 July 2015}}
exactEarth commenced commercial operations in June 2009. In September 2010, Hisdesat acquired a 27% equity interest in the company for a cash investment of approximately CA$15 million, with COM DEV retaining a 73% equity interest.
On 23 June 2015, exactEarth filed a Preliminary Prospectus with Canadian Securities Administrators, announcing their intentions to launch an Initial public offering (IPO). However, on 5 November 2015, exactEarth's largest shareholder, COM DEV, announced plans for an acquisition by Honeywell with exactEarth spinning out into its own publicly traded company.{{cite web|title=COM DEV announces acquisition by Honeywell and spinout of exactEarth|url=https://www.comdev.co.uk/images/CDV_Honeywell_release_2015-11-05.pdf}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} exactEarth's prospectus was abandoned. COM DEV shareholders approved the acquisition on 21 January 2016, with each COM DEV shareholder receiving 0.1977 exactEarth stock for every COM DEV stock held.{{cite web |title=COM DEV shareholders approve Arrangement with Honeywell |url=https://www.comdev.co.uk/images/financial-reports/CDV_Voting_results_release-2016-01-21_3.pdf }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Final court approval of the acquisition came on 25 January 2016.{{cite web|title=COM DEV receives final Court approval of Arrangement with Honeywell|url=https://www.comdev.co.uk/images/financial-reports/CDV_Court_Approval_release_2016-01-25.pdf}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
On 9 February 2016, exactEarth became a publicly traded company, trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange with the ticker symbol of XCT.{{cite web|title=exactEarth to Commence Trading Today on the Toronto Stock Exchange|url=http://investors.exactearth.com/recent-news?item=156|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-date=11 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611102940/http://investors.exactearth.com/recent-news?item=156|url-status=dead}} For a while, HISDESAT Servicios Estratégicos S.A.{{cite web|url=http://www.exactearth.com/media-centre/recent-news/161-com-dev-s-exactearth-and-spain-s-hisdesat-join-forces-to-tackle-the-space-based-ais-market|title=COM DEV's exactEarth and Spain's HISDESAT join forces to tackle the space-based AIS Market |access-date=20 May 2015}} was the largest stakeholder. However, in December 2021, the company was acquired by Spire Global and its stock were de-listed from the TSX.{{cite press release |url= https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211130006022/en/Spire-Global-Inc.-Completes-Acquisition-of-exactEarth-Ltd. |title=Spire Global, Inc. Completes Acquisition of exactEarth Ltd. |date=November 30, 2021 |agency=Business Wire}}
Satellites
On 8 June 2015, exactEarth announced a partnership with Harris Corporation to build 58 AIS detecting payloads to be launched on board the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation.{{cite web|title=exactEarth and Harris Corporation Form Strategic Alliance to Provide Real-Time Global Maritime Tracking and Information Solutions|url=http://investors.exactearth.com/2015-06-08-exactEarth-and-Harris-Corporation-Form-Strategic-Alliance-to-Provide-Real-Time-Global-Maritime-Tracking-and-Information-Solutions|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718234554/http://investors.exactearth.com/2015-06-08-exactEarth-and-Harris-Corporation-Form-Strategic-Alliance-to-Provide-Real-Time-Global-Maritime-Tracking-and-Information-Solutions|url-status=dead}} It is expected that this constellation will provide global average revisit times and customer data latency of less than one minute.{{cite web|title=The Next Generation Satellite AIS Constellation Provides Real-Time Global Ship Tracking |url=http://www.exactearth.com/technology/exactview-rt-powered-by-harris|access-date=1 June 2016}}
As of October 2015, exactEarth operates a satellite constellation consisting of 9 satellites.{{cite web|url=https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/183611/file-510655411-pdf/Collateral_for_Download/Rebranded_Collateral/exactView.pdf|title=The exactView™ Constellation|access-date=26 May 2015}}
| class="wikitable"
! Name ! Launch date ! Launch vehicle ! Constructor ! Notes |
| CANX 6 (EV0)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q48540}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q48540}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q48540}} | | Retired, used for R&D |
| ExactView-1 (EV1)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q2693582}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q2693582}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q2693582}} | Surrey Satellite Technology Limited{{cite news|title=Ahoy! Your ship is being tracked from orbit|work=BBC News |date=20 July 2012 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-18889594|publisher=Jonathan Amos|access-date=20 July 2012}} | |
| Resourcesat-2 (EV2)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q2145867}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q2145867}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q2145867}} | | |
| AprizeSat-6 (EV6)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q19986278}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q19986278}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q19986278}} | | |
| AprizeSat-7 (EV5R)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q19986312}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q19986312}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q19986312}} | | |
| AprizeSat-8 (EV12)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q19986402}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q19986402}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q19986402}} | | |
| AprizeSat-9 (EV11)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q19986420}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q19986420}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q19986420}} | | |
| AprizeSat-10 (EV13)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q19986438}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q19986438}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q19986438}} | | |
| ExactView-9 (EV9)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q21321109}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q21321109}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q21321109}} | | |
| M3MSat (EV7)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q1880955}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q1880955}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q1880955}} | | |
| PAZ (EV10)
| {{#property:P377|from=Q9053779}} | {{#property:P619|from=Q9053779}} | {{#property:P375|from=Q9053779}} | | |
Projects
exactEarth satellite AIS data was used in security efforts at the 2010 Olympics and Paralympics.{{cite web|title=exactEarth space-based AIS data makes contribution to security efforts for 2010 Olympics and Paralympics|url=http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/629403/exactearth-space-based-ais-data-makes-contribution-to-security-efforts-for-2010-olympics-and-paralympics|publisher=Canada News Wire (CNW)|access-date=9 June 2010}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
exactEarth satellite AIS data was used in the ship emission modelling project of the Finnish Meteorological Institute.{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/clima/events/docs/0064/jalkanen_en.pdf|title=Ship emission modeling|accessdate=19 May 2015}}
exactEarth satellite AIS data aids ScanEx RDC in identifying illegal shipping within marine protected natural areas.{{cite web|title=Satellites Detect Illegal Vessels in Komandorsky Nature Reserve |url=https://www.sensorsandsystems.com/news/top-stories/corporate-news/31853-satellites-detect-illegal-vessels-in-komandorsky-nature-reserve.html|publisher=Sensors & Systems|access-date=9 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150723061350/https://www.sensorsandsystems.com/news/top-stories/corporate-news/31853-satellites-detect-illegal-vessels-in-komandorsky-nature-reserve.html|archive-date=23 July 2015|url-status=dead}}
Awards
In 2009, exactEarth technology was recognized at the Ontario Premier's Innovation Awards for developing a satellite system for their work on satellite AIS.{{cite web|title=AIS Recognized at Ontario Premier's Innovation Awards|url=http://www.exactearth.com/news/exactearth-ais-recognized-at-ontario-premier-s-innovation-awards/|publisher=exactEarth}} {{Dead link|date=August 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}
References
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
{{Reflist}}