Jane Edwards
A 22-pound 5G satellite built by Barcelona, Spain-based startup Sateliot launched on April 15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Space.com reported Tuesday.
The Sateliot_0 orbital data relay, also known as the Groundbreaker, is the first of over 250 satellites that will make up a constellation in low Earth orbit designed to address gaps in data networks by establishing communications with terrestrial cell towers.
The startup said the satellite constellation could help accelerate the adoption of internet of things by allowing users to connect to terrestrial or satellite 5G networks without buying any hardware.
Sateliot noted that it expects the constellation to support use cases in both public and private segments and address gaps in mobile connectivity worldwide.
