xplore.com
Xplore.com is the official website of Xplore Inc., a U.S. space technology company that provides satellite data, computing, and spacecraft operations through its “Space as a Service” model.
What does Xplore.com offer?
The main idea behind Xplore.com is to make useful space technology available as a service instead of making every customer build a complete satellite system.
Xplore divides its main offer into Data as a Service, Compute as a Service, and Operations as a Service.
These services can help government agencies, businesses, researchers, and other satellite operators collect information from space and turn it into useful results.
The company is based in Bellevue, Washington, and describes itself as a dual-use space company serving both commercial and government needs.
How does Xplore collect data from space?
Xplore is developing a low Earth orbit satellite constellation with different sensors that can observe Earth and objects in space.
Its Data as a Service platform focuses first on hyperspectral imaging, which records many parts of the light spectrum instead of only normal red, green, and blue colors.
This extra spectral detail can help users study what materials, plants, soil, water, and other objects may contain.
Xplore lists possible markets such as agriculture, defense, intelligence, forestry, energy, insurance, maritime monitoring, infrastructure, environmental work, and natural resource protection.
The company also plans to use sensors for high-resolution images, video, short-wave infrared, ultraviolet, radio-frequency signals, and radiation measurements.
What is special about Xplore's hyperspectral satellite?
Xplore reached an important step when its first hyperspectral satellite, XCUBE-1, launched on December 21, 2024, during SpaceX's Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission.
The company later confirmed that it had established communication with the spacecraft and was controlling it from the ground.
In June 2025, Xplore released its first public hyperspectral images from XCUBE-1.
Xplore said the early images reached about 5-meter spatial resolution across a broad range of spectral bands.
This type of imagery can help detect small differences that may be hard or impossible to see in an ordinary satellite photo.
For example, spectral data can support crop health checks, vegetation studies, soil analysis, wildfire planning, maritime monitoring, and some defense applications.
What does Compute as a Service mean?
Xplore's Compute as a Service lets software process information on the satellite instead of sending every piece of raw data back to Earth first.
This approach is often called edge computing because the work happens close to where the data is collected.
Xplore says customers can run software containers on its onboard Linux and ARM computing environment.
Possible jobs include object detection, cloud detection, data compression, anomaly detection, encryption, data fusion, and custom artificial intelligence models.
Sending a small useful result instead of a huge raw file can reduce the amount of data that must travel through a satellite connection.
It can also help users receive important information sooner when fast decisions matter.
What is Major Tom?
Major Tom is Xplore's cloud-based platform for operating satellites from the ground.
The Major Tom operations service supports jobs such as spacecraft tracking, command sending, telemetry viewing, file transfers, pass scheduling, and automated scripts.
It is designed to work with one satellite or larger constellations and can connect operators with different ground station networks.
Xplore also uses Major Tom to operate its own spacecraft, which gives the software a practical role inside the company's satellite business.
The platform includes APIs so customers can connect satellite operations with their own software and mission systems.
Does Xplore work with the U.S. government?
Xplore has received government-related contracts and has positioned its technology for both civilian and national security uses.
In 2023, the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office awarded Xplore a contract to evaluate its commercial hyperspectral capabilities.
The NRO agreement was part of an effort to study how commercial hyperspectral satellite data could support government intelligence needs.
Xplore had also received a $2 million contract in 2021 from National Security Innovation Capital to help accelerate development of its XCRAFT spacecraft platform.
Who runs Xplore?
Xplore's leadership team includes Chief Executive Officer Jeff Rich and Chief Operating Officer Lisa Rich, who are also company founders.
The wider team covers satellite engineering, software, finance, operations, aerospace systems, and national security experience.
Xplore also lists advisers with backgrounds in business, science, space, and government work.
Why is Xplore.com worth watching?
Xplore.com is worth watching because the company is combining satellite sensors, onboard computing, and mission-control software in one connected service.
Its biggest test will be whether it can expand from one operating hyperspectral satellite into a reliable constellation that regularly delivers useful data to paying customers.
The successful XCUBE-1 launch and release of real hyperspectral imagery show that Xplore has moved beyond a plan on paper and into active space operations.
Readers who want to follow future satellites, contracts, imagery releases, and company milestones can check Xplore's official press page for new announcements.