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Sateliot, a Barcelona-based satellite company, has launched a 5G satellite into low Earth orbit (LEO). The satellite, which weighs 22 pounds (10 kg), was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX’s launch facility in California on April 15. Sateliot plans to use the technology to expand the Internet of Things (IoT) and provide mobile connectivity across the planet.
The satellite, known as “The GroundBreaker,” is the first of a planned constellation of more than 250 spacecraft designed to communicate with terrestrial cell towers and fill gaps in data networks around the world.
Sateliot_0 will help the company fill an 85% gap in mobile connectivity across the world, with applications for multiple public and private markets, including transportation by road, rail, air, and sea. By connecting the IoT to a cohesive network between ground and orbital cellular relays, Sateliot hopes to expand on the possibilities of connected devices. Sateliot already boasts sales of over $1.3 billion.
Each of the planned constellation’s satellites will orbit the Earth every 90 minutes, providing coverage areas three times the size of Texas. Sateliot has not yet announced a launch date for its next satellite, but it is expected to use a SpaceX Falcon Heavy liftoff.
Sateliot’s launch is part of a growing trend of planned or under-development mega constellations, including SpaceX’s Starlink broadband satellites, the European Union and China’s constellations, and Amazon’s Project Kuiper. Sateliot sees its technology as an opportunity for a global realization of access to the IoT and a revolution in mobile connectivity across the planet.
The launch of Sateliot_0 is a significant milestone in Sateliot’s journey towards connecting the world. The company aims to revolutionize mobile connectivity across the planet by creating a seamless network between terrestrial and non-terrestrial 5G networks.
According to Sateliot, users can switch between terrestrial and non-terrestrial 5G networks without any need for additional hardware, such as antennas or modems. The company also claims that users can keep using their current sim cards and mobile operators, thanks to standard roaming agreements carried out by Sateliot.
Sateliot’s ambitious plans are based on the idea that by connecting IoT devices to a cohesive network between ground and orbital cellular relays, the company can expand on the possibilities of connected devices. The company envisions applications for multiple public and private markets, including transportation by road, rail, air, and sea, with the potential to impact the efficiency of hundreds of industries.
Sateliot_0 is the first satellite in a constellation of more than 250 planned spacecraft. Sateliot hopes to fill what it says is an 85% gap in mobile connectivity across the planet, with coverage areas three times the size of Texas.
As Sateliot’s first satellite begins operation, the company has already generated sales of over $1.3 billion. Sateliot has not announced a launch date for its next satellite, but the company’s website hints that it may be launching soon.
