Satellite company claims it can fill weather data gap.

• Author: Insinna, Valerie
• Position: WEATHER PREDICTION

* The United States is facing a gap in collecting data from polar-orbiting satellites that help predict the weather, according to the Government Accountability Office's 2013 high risk report.

The GAO projects a 17- to 53-month gap starting as early as 2014 between the time the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System's preparatory project satellite stops running and the Joint Polar Satellite System is sent into space.

Executives at PlanetIQ, a joint venture by several space companies, say they can solve the problem by launching a constellation of 12 low-Earth orbit satellites that use a method called GPS radio occultation (GPS-RO) to determine temperature, atmospheric pressure and humidity.

However, they need a first customer to help finance the launch and are eyeing the Air Force and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as possible buyers.

The biggest issue is getting government organizations used to the idea that they would be paying for data, said Anne Miglarese, PlanetIQ's president and chief executive officer.

"Space-based atmospheric data is collected entirely by governments around the globe who are used to designing, building, flying and owning all of their own systems, and then distributing that data for free around the globe," she said, adding she was confident that PlanetIQ would be able to design and operate its own system at equal or below what it would cost the government.

The company is currently meeting with the Air Force, NOAA and national weather prediction centers in Europe. If given the go ahead, Planet IQ...