Astrocast satellite network. Photo: Astrocast

Rideshare launch provider Spaceflight will send 10 additional nanosatellites into orbit for Internet of Things (IoT) network developer Astrocast in late 2021, the companies announced Feb. 6. The new contract represents Astrocast’s sixth launch order from Spaceflight, which is now slated to launch 30 of the 100 planned satellites all in late 2021.

“Access to space is the number one challenge for this industry. Astrocast is at an accelerated phase in company growth where it is critical to have experienced partners deploying our constellation,” said Kjell Karlsen, CFO of Astrocast. “Spaceflight has proven to be a reliable partner from our very first launch. We couldn’t ask for a better launch and mission management service.”

Astrocast is currently engaged in a partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA), Airbus, and Thuraya to develop an advanced nanosatellite IoT network powered by a constellation of 100 cubesats designed to transmit and receive low bandwidth (L-band) data from IoT devices around the world. The constellation, however, will target mobile networks operating in remote regions.

The constellation will provide 256 bit encryption with multi-level security. Airbus helped Astrocast develop a low-cost Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) and data-protocol that provides the most power efficient satellite modem for IoT applications.