Lausanne, Switzerland, Jan. 25, 2021: Astrocast announced today that the Astrocast Nanosatellite IoT Network had officially gone live after the successful launch of five new satellites on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. With this launch, the Astrocast Network becomes one of the most advanced nanosatellite Internet of Things (IoT) networks available and the first Swiss telecom satellite operator.
“This is a critical milestone for both Astrocast and a long list of customers and partners,” said Fabien Jordan, CEO of Astrocast, in a press release. “With the Astrocast Network, our customers will have two-way communications with their IoT assets even into some of the world’s most remote and challenging regions. And these five satellites are just the beginning.”
The Astrocast IoT Nanosatellite Network
Since the successful launch of two pilot satellites in 2018 and 2019, Astrocast has increased the power and performance of its nanosatellites significantly. Today’s Astrocast nanosatellites have 100 times more communication speed and onboard storage, said the company. The Astrocast Network also features:
- low-latency communications from asset all the way back to headquarters
- global L-Band spectrum
- ultra-low power terminals with low-profile patch antennas
- two-way communications
- satellite propulsion to avoid debris in space
In addition, the Astronode S is two to three times less expensive than conventional bidirectional satellite IoT terminals.
In the future, Astrocast will continue to grow this constellation with an additional 15 satellites on two launches later this year.
“With this first commercial launch Astrocast is immediately expanding the capacity for IoT devices around the globe. Our initial focus is in solving the critical issues of IoT devices in remote areas for the AgTech, Livestock and Environmental markets,” Jordan explained.
Image credit: Astrocast