Image source: SpaceX

On Tuesday, January 3rd 2023, Astrocast launched four more Astrocast 3U nanosatellites aboard D’Orbit’s ION Satellite Carrier aboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off on Transporter-6 rideshare mission from the launch pad at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS). SpaceX’s Transporter-6 carried 114 payloads, making it the second-largest rideshare mission ever launched.

For D-Orbit, a space logistics and orbital transportation company, Second Star to the Right is the seventh commercial mission of ION Satellite Carrier (ION), D-Orbit’s proprietary orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), and the first mission carrying to space two IONs on a single launch.

This launch means yet another milestone accomplished for the Astrocast nanosatellite IoT network, now consisting of a commercial constellation of 18 satellites in space, making Astrocast one of the TOP 30 satellite operators by the number of satellites in orbit and one of the TOP 3 European low Earth orbit commercial satellite operators. These additional satellites also improve the capacity and reliability of our network, which provides direct-to-satellite and highly secured connectivity to customers around the globe. 

The Astrocast network went live in January 2021 with the launch of 5 nanosatellites that were commissioned to serve our commercial customers. Later in June 2021, another 5 satellites were successfully deployed on the SXRS-5 Spaceflight mission onboard SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and only last month, Astrocast launched four Astrocast 3U satellites aboard India’s PSLV-C54 mission with Spaceflight. 

Working towards deploying our full constellation by 2025, the Astrocast Satellite IoT Service was commercially announced in February 2022, and it offers a Cost-effective, Bidirectional, and Comprehensive service to tackle global IoT connectivity challenges in remote areas of the world. 

Did you know Transporter-6 rideshare mission is Astrocast’s 6^th launch mission? Or that our 1st satellite’s name is Kiwi? Learn more facts about the Astrocast journey in space on our Missions page. 

IoT solutions implemented in remote locations with no access to cellular networks can benefit from Astrocast’s Satellite IoT Service. With its proprietary Swiss nanosatellite constellation in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Astrocast offers affordable connectivity for all and supports applications in IoT asset tracking, telemetry and telematics; as it fosters innovation across sectors including agriculture & livestock, environment & utilities, land transport, maritime, mining, oil & gas – and more. 

Customers from diverse industries and geographical areas benefit from this throughout the Astropreneur Programs, a fully flexible program to assess the Astrocast Satellite service and develop an IoT solution 100% adapted to their needs.