IoT Constellation Nanosatellites Set for June Launch

Satellite operator and IoT connectivity provider Kinéis is set to launch the first 10 nanosatellites of its planned IoT constellation between June and July this year.

The launch will take place between June 17 and July 15 in New Zealand, with three additional launches scheduled for the end of this year and a final one in the first quarter of 2025, taking a total of 25 satellites into orbit.

The constellation, established in collaboration with semiconductor developer Semtech, will connect to 20 ground stations to create a hybrid terrestrial-satellite network. This aims to make satellite connectivity more accessible for IoT devices by reusing standard terrestrial solutions. 

The network will offer new levels of connectivity for Kinéis’s IoT devices, currently used in Texas for oil and gas activities and in California for smart agriculture, including transportation, asset monitoring and construction. 

Additional use cases include monitoring fixed infrastructures and energy networks, monitoring transport and logistics, preventing natural hazards, traceability of wildlife and defense, according to Kinéis.

Users of Semtech’s chips will also be able to connect their devices to the satellite service.  

“This strategic collaboration answers the demand on the market to combine the best terrestrial and satellite networks available to offer our customers a continuous and complete global service,” said Alexandre Tisserant, Kinéis president. “The ability to use Kinéis’s technology on electronic components already available and well widespread on the market, such as those from Semtech, illustrates the interest in the rapid spread of uses linked to satellite IoT.”

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The partners said the service will be operational by 2025, with preliminary tests scheduled in the U.S. at the end of this year.