Op-ed | IoT smallsats: Ready for launch?
In recent years, there has been a boom of announcements for satellite constellations comprising satellites weighing as little as 3 kilograms to address a growing market of machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) via satellite. Traditionally, this market has been serviced through combinations of Ku-band Very Small Aperture Terminals (VSATs), and mobile satellite services (MSS) including Orbcomm and Globalstar. NSR found that at end of 2017, there were approximately 3.5 million in-service MSS/ VSAT terminals addressing this need, and this total will grow to approximately 6.3 million in 2027.