Lisa Rich, a space commercialization expert, founder, and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore, coined the name of the Redmond Space District. The city has become a leading global satelite hub, with more satellites made in Redmond, WA than anywhere else in the world.
Learn more about Xplore and the Redmond Space District below.
How did the Redmond Space District (RSD) name come to be?
Lisa Rich, a space commercialization expert, founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xplore, coined the name The Redmond Space District. The phrase has a two-fold purpose: it describes Xplore’s location, it also serves to communicate that Xplore is among the cadre of high-quality satellite companies in Redmond growing the emerging space economy. Ms. Rich started using the term in press appearances – and when she shared the fact that more satellites than anywhere in the world are produced in Redmond, Washington, the significance of the term gained traction. The Redmond Space District resonated with Kristina Hudson, CEO at OneRedmond whose collaboration with Xplore and neighboring space companies resulted in Redmond Mayor Angela Birney’s proclamation, and Representative (WA-01) Suzan DelBene’s resolution (H.Res. 646) which was introduced into the Congressional record.
Tell us about your company's work. What brought Xplore to Redmond?
Xplore's satellite constellation is engineered to provide data products, sensors, data fusion and edge computing from our XCRAFT® satellites. This powerful platform delivers video, optical and hyperspectral imagery to solve global economic, security, climate, education and science challenges.
Xplore’s decision to move to Redmond in 2021 was based on criteria such as local access to professional talent from space and non-space companies, specialized testing and manufacturing businesses, its proximity to Seattle and other Eastside communities, and the ability to secure a high-quality, purpose-built, 22,000 sq ft satellite assembly facility.
Xplore is a thought-leader in the space sector – and the first to introduce the concept of Space as a Service to the industry. Our innovative focus on services helped drive the evolution of an industry focused on selling hardware in exchange for government cost-plus contracts to a commercial model where space companies sell services to government and an array of commercial customers.
Xplore’s range of services include providing data products, sensors, data fusion and edge computing from our XCRAFT® satellites. Our powerful platform of advanced sensors and data products expand the use of remote sensing data to solve global challenges and achieve societal benefits among commercial, government, national security, education, science and environmental customers.
Today’s small satellites typically carry one or two instruments and acquire data at a high cost. Xplore is disrupting the quantity, quality and cost of data it can acquire from space with a multi-sensor satellite that is the equivalent of 8 satellites in 1, and is uniquely engineered to deliver high quantities of data at a low cost. The XCRAFT platform also supports on-board compute and edge processing - a next-generation capability that processes data to deliver insights from space.
To date, Xplore has won over $5M in government and commercial contracts, most recently with the National Reconnaissance Office for high quality hyperspectral imagery. Xplore is listed on the Silicon Valley Defense Group NatSec100 list as a top venture-backed dual-use company whose capabilities have high value to national security.
Xplore is building its XCRAFT satellites at our 22,000 sq ft facility in Redmond, WA and is preparing for its first launch with SpaceX.
