NorthStar Earth & Space will put optical sensors for tracking objects in orbit onto satellites operated by Kepler Communications, the two Canadian companies said last Thursday. The agreement is meant to get NorthStar’s next space-tracking sensors into orbit faster than building and launching its own spacecraft would allow.
The Spire dispute
NorthStar sells space domain awareness (SDA), tracking and identifying satellites, debris and other objects in orbit, to defence and commercial customers. Until now, NorthStar’s original four sensors flew on satellites Spire Global built and operated starting in 2024.
That first arrangement did not work so well. One of the four satellites failed in orbit, and the other three never met the image-quality standard NorthStar expected. NorthStar pursued an injunction against Spire to keep it from shutting down the satellites, and won it. The companies then went to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) for arbitration. A panel ruled against NorthStar’s claim in late July, awarding Spire roughly US$12 million on a counterclaim — NorthStar had sought nearly US$46 million.
NorthStar reached out after this story published to say the tribunal found that the Framework Agreement between the two companies has never been terminated — language NorthStar has also used in its own securities filings since the ruling. NorthStar maintains it is still entitled to four replacement satellites under that agreement. It’s difficult to reconcile NorthStar’s assertion with the fact that the ICC ruled in favour of Spire’s counterclaim and awarded roughly US$12 million. That, though, could still give NorthStar room to push Spire toward providing the replacement satellites through negotiation. A direct appeal isn’t really on the table — ICC rules have parties waive that right, and Ontario’s courts, which handled the injunction earlier in this same dispute, have upheld that kind of waiver in other cases.
In a statement provided after publication, NorthStar said: “NorthStar contracted with Spire pursuant to a Framework Agreement to provide four satellites in orbit during 2024. As disclosed in SEC filings, one satellite was lost in space, and the other three satellites did not function in accordance with the Framework Agreement’s requirements. The Framework Agreement requires Spire to replace all four satellites at no cost to NorthStar. The ICC Tribunal noted that the Framework Agreement has never been terminated in its recent decision, so it remains valid. Consequently, NorthStar is still contractually entitled to the four replacement satellites under the Framework Agreement. NorthStar is reviewing the award and continues to evaluate all available options with respect thereto, including as it concerns the four replacement satellites.”
NorthStar pivots to Kepler
The press release frames the agreement as a “foundation for a long-term relationship,” suggesting the possibility of more sensors on Kepler satellites as it builds out its own constellation.
NorthStar’s build-out has effectively restarted at zero, though it has been for some time sourcing data from partner sensors in orbit.
NorthStar is also trying to go public. It has agreed to merge with Viking Acquisition Corp. I, a blank-cheque acquisition company, in a deal that values NorthStar at $420 million (US$300 million) and is expected to close this quarter, ahead of a planned listing on the New York Stock Exchange.
“With a shared interest in serving the greater mission to ensure the security of space, these agreements represent an important step in expanding our sensor network,” Stewart Bain, NorthStar’s chief executive and founder, said in the release. “By combining our sensing capabilities with Kepler’s communications infrastructure, we can deploy faster, scale more efficiently, and deliver information when it matters most.”
Kepler turned on commercial service across its own network a few days earlier, saying its satellites can now relay data, including the kind NorthStar’s sensors would produce, from orbit to the ground in real time. The company has named space domain awareness, defence and intelligence work among the markets that network is built to serve.
Neither NorthStar nor Kepler disclosed what the arrangement is worth or when the first hosted sensors will fly.