Skylo , an MIT alumni startup , is developing an antenna and communication protocol that enables data exchange with geostationary satellites already in orbit. The new technology promises to be 95% cheaper than the existing one on the market. At the moment, the startup sees itself as useful for farmers, fishermen, truckers - workers who need cheap satellite communications.
Prerequisites for the project
The new space economy implies a "green" use of spacecraft. Enough space debris has already accumulated in the Earth's orbit: parts of rockets, failed satellites, small parts of spacecraft. Therefore, the dogma "reuse, reduce, recycle" is gaining popularity in the space industry. So, Elon Musk launches rockets using reusable stages, which return to earth and are sent back into space. And this is becoming a general trend.
The startup Skylo is also for reusability. It uses satellites already launched into orbit to provide reliable communications to different parts of our planet. And this is the advantage of the new idea over high-profile projects to launch global satellite constellations.
In addition, Skylo's developers use narrowband communication protocols that send data over long distances more efficiently than broadband. The developers do not elaborate on which satellites they work through and using which "patented data transfer method", but they guarantee that their solution is significantly cheaper than existing ones. On average, costs are 5% of the current cost of satellite communications.
Skylo values
Cheapness and availability are one of the goals of a startup. As one of the founders of Skylo Part Triverdi notes, it is bad if an ordinary farmer wants to send a signal from his tractor, but pays the same as a huge cruise ship.
The availability of satellite communications "for the little ones" - fishermen, truckers, farmers - is a kind of social mission of the project. Fishermen using the Skylo antenna can receive weather alerts, send distress signals, find out what fish are in the market, and even sell them before returning to port. Farmers can also check the weather forecast and receive information such as crop prices. Truckers will always be in touch with logisticians at any point on their way.
How does it work
Skylo connects sensors, logistics equipment and other devices via satellites using the NarrowBand IoT (NB IoT) protocol. This is a communication standard for devices with small data transfer rates, which was introduced by the 3GPP consortium in 2016.
NB IoT was created specifically for the Internet of Things and has the following features:
- High sensitivity to signal modulation for connecting hundreds of thousands of devices;
- You don't need a SIM card to work;
- A low power transceiver is needed.
Skylo startup has developed its own compact satellite terminal Skylo Hub, which connects devices to the network. The terminal works as a wireless access point for neighboring sensors connected via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Skylo Hub runs on battery or mains power and is very easy to install - no specialized knowledge required. The device is roughly 8x8 inches in size and costs $ 100, and it only costs $ 1 per person.
In addition to the compact modem comes the Skylo Data Platform application that runs on mobile devices or PCs. It helps users customize dashboards that reflect the status of their business. For fishermen, for example, this could be the level of fuel in tanks, the location of the vessels, the fishing area, the weather, the availability of ports, and so on.
What are the prospects
Skylo's development has already been applied to trucks, boats and tractors in India and is showing its effectiveness. Last year, a small modem helped rescue the crew of three sinking ships in Maharashtra state. By the way, connecting water transport to satellites is only $ 10 per month. This is the price for life. In addition, the technology allows you to keep in touch even with remote settlements in India, access to which is difficult.
In 2021, the startup plans to launch Skylo sales on other continents. So far, everything shows that many are interested in the development of a startup. At the moment, the total number of attracted investments is up to $ 116 million. Within the framework of the last round, the company raised $ 103 million. Among the investors are Innovation Endeavors, SoftBank and the venture division of HorizonX from Boeing.
We add that the Skylo company was founded in 2017. The CEO was Part Trivedi, an MIT graduate in aerospace and astronautical engineering / CTO Andrew Nuttall - PhD in aeronautics at Stanford, and the chief architect of the Skylo Hub was Dr.Andrew Kalman, a Stanford University professor who previously founded the startup Pumpkin, Inc.
