Author: Stephen Johnson / Source: Big Think
- SpaceX is providing the rocket for the mission, while a Seattle-based company organized the payload.
- The mission will deploy satellites from various providers, including startups and government agencies.
- Most of these providers hope to be the first to build a new kind of network to support the Internet of Things.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch 64 satellites into orbit on Wednesday, the largest number deployed in a single mission from U.S. soil.
The mission—dubbed “Spaceflight SSO-A: SmallSat Express”—will deploy satellites from multiple providers, including six startups that seek to revolutionize the Internet of Things by sending tiny, centimeters-long satellites into low Earth orbit.
The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the interconnection of computing devices embedded in everyday appliances and devices, which enables them to send and receive data via the internet. Some technologies that rely on this network include smart meters, agricultural and fishery sensors, and pipeline and environmental monitors, all of which require relatively tiny amounts of bandwidth to operate, compared to, say, an online video game.
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