India to launch spacecraft for IoT

On September 23, 2022, Seattle-based rocket launch service provider Spaceflight announced plans to launch four Astrocast 3U spacecraft aboard India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle under a partnership arrangement with New Space India Limited (NSIL). The mission, slated for next month, will lift off from Sriharikota at India’s Satish Dhawan Space Centre, transporting the Astrocast spacecraft and India’s main national satellite into sun-synchronous orbit as co-passengers ( SSO).

NSIL is a state-owned company under the Indian Space Ministry and the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). The company is involved in various space business activities and has launched satellites on ISRO’s launch vehicles. This latest mission represents Spaceflight’s eighth PSLV launch and fourth to support Astrocast’s Internet of Things (IoT)-based nanosatellite network and constellation, according to the companies. Once this mission is complete, Spaceflight will launch 16 of these spacecraft with Astrocast, enabling businesses to track assets in remote locations.

Astrocast operates an IoT network of nanosatellites ser industries such as agriculture, livestock, maritime, environment and utilities. Its network enables businesses to monitor and communicate with remote assets around the world, and the company also maintains partnerships with Airbus, CEA/LETI and ESA.

Spaceflight CEO Curt Blake said in a prepared statement, “PSLV has long been a reliable and valuable launch partner for Spaceflight, and we are delighted to be working with NSIL again after several years of COVID-19 restrictions. Collaboration”, “Through our experience working with many different launch providers around the world, we are able to deliver and meet our customers’ exact needs for missions, whether driven by schedule, cost or destination. As Astrocast builds out its network and constellation,We can provide them with a range of launch scenarios to support their long-term plans.

To date, Spaceflight has flown more than 50 launches, delivering more than 450 customer payloads into orbit. This year, the company debuted the Sherpa-AC and Sherpa-LTC
launch vehicles. Its next Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) mission is expected in mid-2023, launching Spaceflight’s Sherpa-ES dual-propulsion OTV on the GEO Pathfinder Moon Slingshot mission.

Astrocast CFO Kjell Karlsen said in a statement, “This launch brings us one step closer to completing our mission of building and operating the most advanced, sustainable satellite
IoT network.” “Our long-standing relationship with Spaceflight and their experience with access to and use of their various vehicles gives us the flexibility and specificity we need
to launch satellites. As our network grows, ensuring access to space is important to us Crucially, our partnership with Spaceflight allows us to build our satellite network efficiently.”