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Northrop Grumman’s LEO Satellite Payload For DARPA’s PNT

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Northrop Grumman’s advanced, software-enabled positioning, navigation and timing payload has been developed to keep forces on target in difficult environments against advanced threats – even if the availability of existing satellite navigation systems are degraded or denied. Image is courtesy of the company.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Blackjack program has awarded Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) a contract for Phase 2 development of an advanced, software-defined positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) payload, with options to build units destined for space flight.

Artistic rendition of DARPA’s Blackjack constellation.

Northrop Grumman’s advanced, software-enabled PNT payload has been developed to keep forces on target in difficult environments against advanced threats – even if the availability of existing satellite navigation systems are degraded or denied. The PNT payload work is led by Northrop Grumman’s Future PNT Systems Operating Unit in Woodland Hills. The team supports the DARPA Tactical Technology Office’s goal of achieving capable, resilient and affordable national security space capabilities from LEO.

The PNT payload features Northrop Grumman’s Software Enabled Reconfigurable Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Embedded Architecture for Navigation and Timing (SERGEANT) capability. The Phase 2 development effort is valued at $13.3 million if all options are exercised through emulation, critical design and build.

“Northrop Grumman’s software-defined Positioning, Navigation and Timing technology will offer military users an agile new signal from LEO that is not dependent on existing satellite navigation systems,” said Dr. Nicholas Paraskevopoulos, chief technology officer and sector vice president, emerging capabilities development, Northrop Grumman. “Warfighters depend on assured PNT for traditional missions like force projection and joint operations, but also for emerging autonomous and distributed missions.”

Preeminent Speakers—In Person—At This Year’s Satellite Innovation… Knowledge Sharing = Success

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This is your opportunity to engage with preeminent speakers at this year’s Satellite Innovation symposium.

Whether your interest is in understanding the changing marketplace, or in connecting with peers, discovering new tech, the speakers at this year’s Satellite Innovation are willing and ready to share their knowledge.

Register today and make that commitment to strengthen and expand your business in today’s professional environment.

Halfway There… Arianespace Successfully Launches 34 OneWeb Constellation Satellites

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OneWeb has successfully launched 34 of their constellation satellites via Arianespace from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

This latest, successful launch brings OneWeb’s total on-orbit constellation to 322 satellites, nearly half of the company’s entire 648 LEO satellite fleet that will deliver high-speed, low-latency global connectivity.

The successful launch builds on the strategic distribution partnerships and agreements across a wide array of providers and businesses, including several earlier this month, including with AT&T, Hughes Network Systems and Peraton. These agreements, along with others struck earlier with partners including Alaska Communications, BT, and Northwestel, are aimed at bringing improved digital communication services to some of the hardest to reach parts of the world.

Liftoff occurred on September 14 at 7:07 p.m., BST. OneWeb’s satellites separated from the rocket and were dispensed in nine batches after 3 hours 45 minutes into the flight, with signal acquisition on all 34 satellites confirmed. With this launch, Arianespace also celebrates passing the mark of 1,000 satellites successfully launched to space.

OneWeb remains on track to start service this year at the 50th parallel and above with its constellation and to deliver global service in 2022. The company continues to see growing demand from telecommunications providers, ISPs, and governments worldwide to offer its low-latency, high-speed connectivity services to the hardest to reach places. OneWeb has raised $2.7 billion since November 2020, with no debt issuance.

Neil Masterson, OneWeb CEO, said, “The team continues to stay focused on execution and delivering our network. I am enormously grateful to the team and all our partners who are making these milestones possible. We continue to see a huge and growing demand for our services from global customers, and we are incredibly excited about both introducing commercial service and scaling our global network.”

With The 10th OneWeb Launch, RUAG Space Has Now Placed 1,000+ Satellites Into Orbit

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With the separation of the latest 34 OneWeb satellites, RUAG Space successfully placed more than 1,031 satellites into space.

On Tuesday, September 14, another 34 OneWeb internet satellites have been separated from the Soyuz launch vehicle and placed into orbit with a dispenser from RUAG Space. With this, the Swiss-based space supplier has successfully placed 1,031 satellites into orbit. The RUAG Space separation systems are being produced at the firm’s site in Linköping, Sweden, and the 34 OneWeb satellites were launched with a separation system on a dispenser that was manufactured by RUAG Space. The dispenser system makes it possible to separate multiple satellites at a time in a specific sequence in order to exactly attain the correct orbit.

“When it comes to satellite separations we are leading the market for commercial launch vehicles. Successfully deploying more than 1000 satellites in orbit underlines our leading position in this field and especially in the fast-growing New Space and constellation market,” said Holger Wentscher, Vice President Program Launchers at RUAG Space. “We can offer a 100% success rate and are able to meet customer expectations in the extreme environment of space. We meet customer expectations in extreme environments. Our separation systems ensure that satellite and rocket remain securely attached to one another during the tough journey into space, and then deliver the valuable payloads into orbit with precision.”

RUAG Space is a world leader for satellite separation systems for commercial launch vehicles. All of the more than 1,000 satellite separations have been carried out with a 100 percent success rate. They are the result of an advanced position in the commercial space industry and a long and trusted collaboration with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA).

RUAG Space is a leading supplier to the space industry in Europe and has a growing presence in the United States. Around 1,300 employees across six countries (Switzerland, Sweden, Austria, Germany, USA and Finland) develop and manufacture products for satellites and launch vehicles—for both the institutional and commercial space market. RUAG Space is part of RUAG International, a Swiss technology group, which is divided into four divisions: Space, Aerostructures, MRO International and Ammotec.

Kleos Space Expanding Luxembourg HQ

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Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1) is investing for future growth and is moving their Luxembourg headquarters to a new bespoke facility to incorporate the company’s key functions under the one roof starting on from November 1, 2021.

Located in the newly-built ParcLuxite Business Park in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg, Kleos’ new headquarters will be home to the company’s engineering and operations facilities, housing environmental test chambers and a dedicated clean room space for the assembly, integration and test of sensitive space hardware as well as its mission control center. It enables Kleos to scale its global geolocation data-as-a-service, and further support its additional engineering teams in the UK and the US.

ParcLuxite is a 65-hectare complex dedicated to innovation and high-tech companies on the historical site of the Poudrerie de Luxembourg. It is considered Luxembourg’s equivalent of a mini–Silicon Valley.

Kleos’ satellites detect and geolocate radio frequency signals to improve the detection of illegal and hidden activity such as piracy, drug and people smuggling, illegal fishing and border challenges. Its independent geolocation data complements existing datasets and enhances the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of governments and commercial entities.

Kleos is rapidly building its satellite constellation and currently has eight satellites in space, flown in clusters of four in close formation, with a third cluster in build for a launch in the coming months onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Each new cluster launched adds to the data products available to the customer base, with the target to launch up to twenty clusters for near-real time global observation.

Kleos’ COO, Heribert Kraemer, said, “Our new Luxite facility will enable us to be immersed in a tech environment. It will provide Kleos with the right framework to foster innovation and the capacity to support our growing operations. The office will host the mission operations team, global finance, and communications. As we continue to build our constellation and commercialize our data products, we are also increasing our team to support long-term growth. Our newly-built office will provide a great working environment for the team to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers.”

Kleos CEO, Andy Bowyer, said, “It’s an exciting period for Kleos as we transition from an R&D company into a commercial provider of geolocation intelligence data. Our new facility will support our constellation growth, enhancing our global coverage and providing our customers with access to specific areas of interest and multiple datasets. Our data is already being delivered to early adopter customers and we are currently in discussion with a number of potential European-based subscribers.”

Kleos Space Expanding Luxembourg HQ

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Kleos Space S.A. (ASX: KSS, Frankfurt: KS1) is investing for future growth and is moving their Luxembourg headquarters to a new bespoke facility to incorporate the company’s key functions under the one roof starting on from November 1, 2021.

Located in the newly-built ParcLuxite Business Park in Kockelscheuer, Luxembourg, Kleos’ new headquarters will be home to the company’s engineering and operations facilities, housing environmental test chambers and a dedicated clean room space for the assembly, integration and test of sensitive space hardware as well as its mission control center. It enables Kleos to scale its global geolocation data-as-a-service, and further support its additional engineering teams in the UK and the US.

ParcLuxite is a 65-hectare complex dedicated to innovation and high-tech companies on the historical site of the Poudrerie de Luxembourg. It is considered Luxembourg’s equivalent of a mini–Silicon Valley.

Kleos’ satellites detect and geolocate radio frequency signals to improve the detection of illegal and hidden activity such as piracy, drug and people smuggling, illegal fishing and border challenges. Its independent geolocation data complements existing datasets and enhances the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities of governments and commercial entities.

Kleos is rapidly building its satellite constellation and currently has eight satellites in space, flown in clusters of four in close formation, with a third cluster in build for a launch in the coming months onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Each new cluster launched adds to the data products available to the customer base, with the target to launch up to twenty clusters for near-real time global observation.

Kleos’ COO, Heribert Kraemer, said, “Our new Luxite facility will enable us to be immersed in a tech environment. It will provide Kleos with the right framework to foster innovation and the capacity to support our growing operations. The office will host the mission operations team, global finance, and communications. As we continue to build our constellation and commercialize our data products, we are also increasing our team to support long-term growth. Our newly-built office will provide a great working environment for the team to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our customers.”

Kleos CEO, Andy Bowyer, said, “It’s an exciting period for Kleos as we transition from an R&D company into a commercial provider of geolocation intelligence data. Our new facility will support our constellation growth, enhancing our global coverage and providing our customers with access to specific areas of interest and multiple datasets. Our data is already being delivered to early adopter customers and we are currently in discussion with a number of potential European-based subscribers.”

LEO Satellite Connectivity Means The Opportunities Are Out There, But How Do We Extract Maximum Value?

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I guess you know as well as I do that vast opportunities await in space right now. LEO (low earth orbit) connectivity is gaining momentum, propelled by reusable infrastructure solutions that have brought the launch cost of a satellite down to somewhere between one hundred thousand and a million dollars. The new layers of LEO connectivity promise a tantalizing array of public and enterprise services – but one big question looms large. How can we overcome the remaining challenges and seize maximum value from the sector?

In this article, I’m going to explore the three key emerging areas that I think represent high value for ambitious innovators in the space ecosystem. They are the provision of enhanced connectivity, the collection of novel data and the analysis of novel data sources. I’ll unpack the challenges associated with each and identify the key technologies that have the capabilities to overcome them.

But first, let’s set the scene in this new world of satellite launch economics, where you can even book your SpaceX rocket launch online. Once in low earth orbit, satellite connectivity has the potential to deliver fast, low latency connections anywhere on the globe. The opportunities are endless: from providing highly reliable broadband for truly remote working, to collecting large amounts of data from the earth’s most out-of-the-way places.

These new horizons are also allowing a range of start-ups to launch satellites into LEO for a range of use cases. Seraphim Capital, a VC led accelerator program focused on space, recently went public with its space investment fund that backs start-ups. Companies within the fund are building solutions across a range of fascinating areas – including the collection of new types of data and novel analytics solutions for data from space. 

Providing enhanced connectivity

A number of organizations are jostling to get ahead with the provision of enhanced connectivity. SpaceX and OneWeb both have established plans, but Amazon and Telesat are also entering the scene, the latter having recently secured Canadian government funding. While much of the focus of new LEO constellations is on providing broadband connectivity to rural areas, a significant amount of the potential value is likely to accrue to connectivity solutions which transport valuable commercial data. This will mean that LEO constellations will need to provide different connectivity characteristics depending on the use case.

The changes in launch infrastructure have transformed the economics of creating LEO broadband constellations, making these new connection types possible. Previously, operators were limited in the number of satellites they could launch due to the high costs. Now, they can launch significantly more satellites and – crucially – replace satellites more frequently. Low-cost satellite replacement is a powerful lever for operators to use when designing new networks. 

The ability to regularly update satellite hardware, by deorbiting satellites and launching new ones, means that the system can be constantly updated in the constellation, in addition to updating the ground-based gateways and terminal devices. This allows system level improvements to take place as technology advances, allowing systems to be optimized for particular connection types. 

Nevertheless, operators still face challenges in terms of cost, size, weight and power (CSWaP) constraints of terminal hardware. Currently, the terminal manufacturing costs for SpaceX’s Starlink constellation are high and ultimately passed on to consumers in a one-off charge for hardware and ongoing subscriptions. But what if terminals can be optimized to the size of a cellphone or small sensor, while still being able to connect to low earth orbit at a suitable cost point? This represents a significant opportunity for the satellite industry.

The key challenge is keeping the power level in the device suitably low, to ensure it is both safe for the user and can run on battery power for a suitable amount of time, but also powerful enough to connect to a satellite. Enhanced beamforming, as deployed in the antenna we recently designed to deliver 5G from a high-altitude platform in the stratosphere, is a potential solution to the problem. 

New antenna technologies that can transmit hundreds of beams simultaneously offer the opportunity to create very narrow beams which focus the available power in a specific direction. This can allow a connection to be optimized for a particular use case without greatly increasing the overall power level of the solution.

Additional challenges for LEO satellite connectivity include tracking moving satellites and correcting for the corresponding Doppler shift in RF. Unlike geo-stationary satellites, which are fixed relative to a point on earth, LEO satellites move very quickly relative to ground-based terminals and will regularly need to handover connections between satellites and user terminals due to the rapid movement. This creates significant challenges when attempting to offer reliable low latency communications. 

Constellation operators need to design the overall system in a way that creates good CSWaP trade-offs while providing reliable low latency communication links. This challenge is made even more difficult when mobile terminals have movement at both ends of the communication link. Innovation in terminal antennas may be the answer here. Small, flat panel electronically steered antennas can compensate for terminal pitch and roll, allowing terminals to track the satellites even in extreme conditions. To enable this, a combination of sophisticated RF and digital signal processing techniques, which go beyond what is currently commercially available, will be required – both active areas of R&D that we are engaged in.

Collecting novel data 

In the same way that Starlink and the other mega constellations are poised to revolutionize communications, a new generation of earth observation satellites are benefitting from the lower launch costs.  As new infrastructure allows an increasing number of satellites to be launched, companies are starting to consider what data can be collected from this entirely new perspective of planet earth. A significant amount of the new start-up activity is looking at what new data can be collected and what insights it can offer. 

For example, Satellite Vu, a company in Seraphim’s portfolio, is providing monitoring services using high resolution thermal imagery. This is being used to monitor assets such as building efficiency and oil pipeline flows. This type of sensing would not be possible without the new perspective provided by satellites. 

But significant innovation is still required in sensing technologies and connectivity solutions to ensure that data is collected at a suitable resolution and also can be transmitted in a useful timeframe (i.e., does the data need to be close to real-time?) This will require strong integration with the connectivity layer to ensure connections are appropriate for the use case. This then becomes a system engineering problem requiring expertise across a number of different areas to get right. 

We’ve seen through our own work in developing telecom and satellite systems that latency is not just impacted by the distance the data has to travel. The fundamentals of the transport layer including data packet frame size, data integrity techniques and of course security protocols all come into play. Intelligent data compression and optimization techniques, along with data processing at the edge, are all innovation opportunities that can deliver enhanced system performance. 

Analyzing novel data sources 

As is always the case, data is only as valuable as the analysis that is applied to it and the insights that are drawn. So, we can expect artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies to become increasingly valuable in the new space ecosystem. As companies use satellites to collect more and more data from the unique vantage point of space, there is an increased opportunity to drive new and enhanced insights. Using AI and ML to fuse outputs from a variety of sensors from different satellites has the potential to offer significant value for a range of different use cases. For example, ChAI offers a commodity price forecasting service by applying AI to data such as satellite imagery alongside other data inputs. Pixxel is also proposing to use hyperspectral imaging to unearth problems which it claims current satellites are unable to address, its data platform offers near real-time insights based on the data.

Additionally, Microsoft has recently partnered with SpaceX to connect the Starlink constellation to Azure’s new Modular Datacenter to allow data to be processed. The plan is to extend this to connect to Azure edge devices, which highlights the shift towards increasingly intelligent processing taking place at the edge on smaller, less expensive devices. Understanding what data is available and then creating algorithms that can draw insights from a range of different data sets is a key challenge. But it is one that promises to offer significant value to companies which are able to collect and analyze new data. 

Again, this will require a system engineering perspective across data collection to data transport and data analysis. Consideration to how the space network interacts with other network types and where data processing takes place are all key decisions for new emerging architectures which leverage the increased access to space.

The space opportunity is significant and extremely exciting. It is clear that the value of the sector will grow strongly as companies continue to evolve and leverage the new infrastructure layers to create new services and draw insights from data. It remains to be seen who will innovate quickest to derive the most value… but the race is on. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me if you’d like to hear more about our research and discuss the technologies that are emerging. It’ll be great to continue the conversation. 

About the author

Oli Matthews (oliver.matthews@cambridgeconsultants.com) is a consultant in the technology strategy group at Cambridge Consultants, part of Capgemini Invent. He works with clients to explore the impact of new technologies on their business strategy. Oli has experience across a range of sectors including automotive, artificial intelligence, semiconductor and telecoms. 

Collaboration On The Development Of Small GEO Satellites Initiated By Swissto12 + Saturn Satellite Networks

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Artistic rendition of the microGEO satellite, courtesy of Saturn Satellite Networks.

SWISSto12, a provider of payload systems for telecommunication satellites based on 3D printing technologies, and Saturn Satellite Networks, a developer of small GEO satellite missions, have signed a collaboration agreement whereby they join forces to build and market GEO telecom missions based on both MicroGEO, ISN and Nationsat satellites.

Artistic rendition of the Nationsat Standard satellite, courtesy of Saturn Satellite Networks.

These missions will deliver highly competitive connectivity from GEO orbit based on small and affordable satellites, thereby enabling new application cases for satellite connectivity that complement the offering of larger legacy satellites.

Artistic rendition of the Intelligent Space Node (ISN) satellite, courtesy of Saturn Satellite Networks.

In this collaboration, SWISSto12 will make its end-to-end advanced flexible payloads available to be matched with three different classes of smallsat platforms: the MicroGEO, the Intelligent Space Node (ISN), or the Nationsat which are all enabled by the cutting edge bus, with proven GEO heritage from Saturn’s affiliate company, NovaWurks and its HISat technology.

SWISSto12 will lead the marketing of turnkey GEO telecom satellites based on the MicroGEO platform of approximately 2kW payload power, while Saturn Satellite Networks will lead the marketing of turnkey GEO telecom and high throughput satellites (HTS) based on the ISN and Nationsat platforms of approximately 5kW payload power. These classes of satellites complement each other in the emerging segment of smaller GEO telecommunication satellites and offer a complete set of solutions to address specific requirements of satellite operators.

Missions addressed range from BSS and FSS spacecraft, which can provide a competitive replacement option for aging satellites, to HTS satellites for flexible global coverage or offering regional coverage for existing or emerging operators. Available frequencies range from C-band to Q/V-band.

The partnership capitalizes on the experience of spacecraft and payload engineering teams from both companies with workforce based both in Europe and the U.S.

“There is a lot of opportunity in MicroGEO satellites which is currently not addressed. Combining best of breed payload and platform solutions through this cooperation enables missions that can truly handle the performance and cost challenges of smaller missions in GEO while mitigating the risks of space,” said Dr. Emile de Rijk, CEO of SWISSto12. “We are extremely excited to enable new mission opportunities for the satellite communications industry together with Saturn.”

“This cooperation with SWISSto12 strengthens our mission to provide robust and affordable satellite platforms for nations lacking the resources for affordable space-based services using a national asset. Our innovative satellite platform designs, combined with SWISSto12’s payload technology and expertise improve our satellite products and provides nations, satellite operators, and most importantly, end users, an affordable, reliable service from GEO,” said Thomas Choi, CEO of Saturn Satellite Networks. “We are very pleased to work with SWISSto12 to bring novel designs using flight proven technologies and innovative solutions to our customers.”

Multi-Launch Deal For Rocket Lab To Deploy The Entire Kinéis IoT Satellite Constellation

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This multi-launch contract finds Rocket Lab contracted to deploy 25 Internet-of-Things (IoT) satellites across five dedicated missions via the company’s Electron launch vehicle for Kinéis, a global Internet-of-Things (IoT) connectivity provider.

Scheduled for launch beginning in the second quarter of 2023, the constellation will enable Kinéis, a company backed by private and public investors that include the French government’s space agency CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) and CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites) an international space-based solutions provider, to improve its global IoT connectivity.

The multi-launch contract with Kinéis, which is subject to standard termination and launch rescheduling provisions, follows a similar bulk buy of launches earlier this year to deploy nine satellites across five dedicated Electron missions as part of a constellation for BlackSky, a provider of real-time geospatial intelligence and global monitoring services.

The proven accuracy and reliability of Electron’s Kick Stage in successfully deploying 100+ satellites to date was a decisive factor in Kinéis selecting Rocket Lab as its launch partner. The Kick Stage will act as an orbital transfer vehicle to deliver each satellite in the Kinéis constellation to their precise orbital planes at a 650 km altitude, allowing Kinéis to avoid sacrificing spacecraft mass for propulsion and to begin a fully operational service as quickly as possible.

Kinéis currently operates the Argos system, an international scientific collaboration between CNES, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), to monitor wildlife, fisheries, and to collect data about Earth’s climate and environment through CLS. Kinéis’ new constellation will complete the current system with more powerful 30 kg-class smallsats that integrate IoT technology and a ship-tracking Automatic Identification System (AIS). Once deployed, this technology will allow Kinéis to expand across multiple industries and scale from 20,000 devices connected to millions.

In addition to these missions, Rocket Lab will further contribute to the international Argos system with another upcoming Electron launch. Rocket Lab is the launch provider for the Argos-4 mission for General Atomics, which is developing the satellite for the United States Space Force on behalf of NOAA. That mission is currently scheduled to launch early 2022.

Kinéis CEO, Alexandre Tisserant, said, “We are glad to entrust our constellation of 25 satellites to Rocket Lab. They are the leaders in small satellite launch and the obvious choice as launch partner to activate our constellation at such a pace. We designed and developed our 25 satellites in record time with the support of CNES, Thalès Alénia Space and HEMERIA in order to deliver a full new operational service to our existing and future customers – we are now eagerly counting down to first launch in 2023.”

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Peter Beck, said, “We’re thrilled to be Kinéis’ launch partner and look forward to delivering their constellation across five dedicated missions in quick succession. Deploying an entire constellation and having it operational quickly requires each satellite to be deployed to exactly the right orbit. Rocket Lab’s track record of exceptional orbital deployment accuracy provides Kinéis with that assurance. By taking care of in-space transport, the Kick Stage makes life much easier for satellite constellation operators, enabling them to maximize spacecraft mass for their payload.”

About the company…

Kinéis is a satellite operator and global connectivity provider. It inherited 40 years of expertise in the Argos system, founded by CNES (French space agency) and historically operated by CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites). Its mission is to develop reliable technology that provides easy access to useful satellite data. To make life easier for professionals and individuals and encourage them to use its products and services, Kinéis locates and connects objects wherever they are on the planet. Thanks to its technological innovation capabilities, Kinéis forges links between New Space and IoT and connects hundreds of customers with satellite IoT. In Q2 2021, Kinéis won two projects funded by the European program Eurostars: Forestens (forest fire prevention) and Catset (a decision support toolset eartag for extensive cattle farming). In 2020, Kinéis has raised €100 million in equity (CLS 32%, CNES 26%, Bpifrance 20%, Ifremer, Thalès, HEMERIA, CELAD, BNP Paribas Développement, ETHICS Group, MJKD, Consuls Développement, Invest Marel, and others) and generated €7 million revenues (a 40% increase compared to 2019). In 2021, Kinéis has been listed on the highly-selective French Tech Next40 company index.

Connectivity Strategic Agreement Signed Between AT&T + OneWeb

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AT&T has signed a strategic agreement with OneWeb to harness the capabilities of satellite technology to improve access for AT&T business customers into remote and challenging geographic locations — this new connectivity will complement existing AT&T access technologies.

AT&T’s business fiber network enables high-speed connections to more than 2.5 million U.S. business customer locations. Nationwide, more than 9 million business customer locations are within 1,000 feet of AT&T fiber.1 However, there are still remote areas that existing networks can’t reach with the high-speed, low-latency broadband essential to business operations.

AT&T will use this technology to enhance connectivity when connecting to its enterprise, small and medium-sized business and government customers as well as hard-to-reach cell towers.

The AT&T service will be supported by OneWeb’s network of satellites. OneWeb has launched 288 satellites and expects to attain global coverage with a total fleet of 648 satellites by the end of 2022. AT&T business and government customers in Alaska and northern U.S. states will be covered later this year.

“Working with OneWeb, we’ll be able to enhance high-speed connectivity in places that we don’t serve today and meet our customers wherever they are,” said Scott Mair, President, Network Engineering and Operations, AT&T. “We’re expanding our network with one more option to help ensure that our business customers have the high-speed, low-latency connectivity they need to thrive as the nation recovers from COVID-19.”

“OneWeb’s enterprise-grade network has a unique capability to serve hard-to-reach businesses and communities. Our work with AT&T will focus on how satellite technology can support improved capacity and coverage in remote, rural and challenging geographic locations,” said Neil Masterson, OneWeb Chief Executive Officer. “Today’s agreement with AT&T demonstrates OneWeb’s execution momentum and the confidence customers such as AT&T have in its services and offering.”

1 The over 2.5 million U.S. business customer locations, which AT&T provides high-speed fiber connections, is included within the >9M U.S. business customer locations on or within 1,000 feet of our fiber.