Swiss nanosatellite IoT network operator Astrocast, launched four 3U spacecraft this month.

The launch is a milestone for Astrocast’s nanosatellite IoT network, and enables the company to increase its commercial constellation to 18 satellites making it one of the top three LEO satellite operators in Europe, based on the number of commercial satellites in low Earth orbit.

These satellites should improve the capacity and reliability of Astrocast’s network, and will play a part in providing direct-to-satellite connectivity across the globe. This recent launch took place at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, with D-Orbit’s Ion satellite carrier on the Transporter 6 mission, with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

“This is another major achievement for our team, and our clients will continue to benefit from the growth and innovation taking place across our nanosatellite IoT network,” said Fabien Jordan, CEO of Astrocast. “We are diligently growing our reliable network, improving the overall performance of our global IoT services. We feel great about the progress to date and are on track to meet our goals for 2023 and beyond. This successful launch is a true credit to our team of engineers and IoT experts, and our partnership with D-Orbit.”

Astrocast launched its satellite IoT service in February 2022. It offers systems integrators and end users access to a cost-effective, bidirectional satellite IoT service, and enables organisations to deal with global IoT connectivity in remote locations of the world. For example, use cases include tracking shipping containers across the globe to monitor supply chains, or enabling farmers to command silos to release food, open gates or manage irrigation systems, without any need for expensive and often hard-to-source human interaction. Utility companies can remotely control water management systems in line with flood prevention strategies. 

The Astrocast network enables companies to monitor, track and communicate with remote assets from anywhere in the world. It relies on L-band spectrum through an alliance with Thuraya. In partnership with Airbus, CEA/Lete and the ESA, Astrocast developed Astronode S, a low-power small module compatible with L-band patch antennas.

Founded in 2014, Astrocast develops and tests all its products in-house, from the satellites to the modules.