The second nanosatellite in Sateliot's 5G NB-IoT NTN constellation has successfully passed vibration and vacuum tests and is now ready to fly. SpaceX, the US space launch services company owned by Elon Musk, will launch in the first quarter of 2023 from its orbital launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA.
This is the first of five nanosatellites that Sateliot plans to put into orbit next year and with which it will enter the commercial phase of its constellation to provide global 5G coverage for NB-IoT NTN. The plan is to have 64 nanosatellites in the air by 2024 and 250 by 2025.
The new nanosatellite introduces a key novelty compared to the previous one that Sateliot put into orbit in March 2021, since unlike that one, this one allows roaming with terrestrial mobile operators providing connectivity under the latest June 2022 delivery of the 5G NB-IoT NTN standard from space. This means that at a cost starting from one euro per month it paves the way for widespread adoption of 5G NB-IoT NTN.
Sateliot will be the first satellite company to use this standard, which has also received significant contributions from leading technology companies such as Apple, Samsung and Sony. This means that any NB-IoT device will be able to connect either via satellite or cellular, paving the way for widespread use of the internet of things, even in the most remote areas.
The nanosatellite has successfully passed the vibration and vacuum tests it has been subjected to at its facilities by Endurosat, the aerospace manufacturer that has been manufacturing and operating nanosats for commercial and scientific exploration missions since 2015, and which has been responsible for designing, building and operating the nanosatellite on this occasion. Passing both tests on such a device is a prerequisite for moving on to the next launch phase.
The vibration test subjects the nanosatellite to the same conditions it will experience when the rocket is launched. In the same way that the resonance produced by an opera singer's voice can break a glass, the vibrations produced at that instant can affect the satellite's components.
In the vacuum test, the temperature, pressure and other circumstances under which the nanosatellite will operate when it is orbiting 600 kilometres from Earth are recreated in the laboratory for at least 24 hours.
The nanosatellite, built with an innovative technology based on 10x10 cm cubes, the size of a microwave oven and weighing approximately 12 kg, has not experienced any damage or alteration during the two tests.
Financing plan
In order to support its growth, Sateliot has opened the subscription of a convertible note for an amount of 10 million euros, which will be used to finance the deployment of its commercial constellation of low orbit satellites.
This operation will be followed by the opening of a B round of financing to raise 100 million euros. This is one of the largest 5G NB-IoT satellite investments in the European Union. With it, it expects to reach a turnover of EUR 1 billion and an Ebitda of EUR 370 million by 2026.
According to Jaume Sanpera, founder and CEO of Sateliot, "we are getting closer and closer to a new stage for Sateliot, in which we will demonstrate the profitability of our commitment with the opening of the commercial phase and the reality that it is possible to bring IoT connectivity to all parts of the world at unimaginable prices".