Lacuna Space device prototype. Photo: Maria Kalama/Lacuna Space
Lacuna Space completed in-orbit checks on Tuesday for an Internet of Things (IoT) small satellite launched on Sept. 28 by Roscosmos. The satellite payload and mission is a modified IoT gateway in space, and is built to connect Low-Power Wide Area Network protocol (LPWAN) sensors with the internet in remote, unconnected areas. This is Lacuna Space's second satellite – the first was launched in 2019.
Lacuna Space CEO Rob Spurrett said in a news release that this satellite will boost the Lacuna network capacity and extend customer trials to additional market segments such as predictive maintenance and tracking heavy machinery in remote areas.
"It is great to announce another successfully commissioned satellite on our path to the full constellation. Our plans have been somewhat delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but despite the challenging times, we were able to proceed and this latest mission entered the network in under 10 months from Lacuna Space placing the satellite order. Now, as the launch backlog is flowing again, we are expecting several additions to the demonstration network in the near future," Spurrett said.
Lacuna Space is part of the United Kingdom space industry and is located in the U.K. and the Netherlands. The satellite platform and initial operations were supplied by NanoAvionics and the antenna by Oxford Space Systems.