OHB SE (OHB), its subsidiary LuxSpace and OQ Technology (OQ) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities in the Internet-of-Things (IoT) service sector.
The cooperation between LuxSpace, OHB and OQ will include satellite-based IoT upstream and downstream activities to enhance the portfolio of services available to customers in different markets, including, but not limited to, energy, agriculture, defense and the green economy.
Following the signature of a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) under the ARTES (Advanced Research in Telecommunications System) program, LuxSpace is developing a flexible microsatellite platform, Triton-X. With a launch mass of around 200 kg, high performing onboard processing and the optimization for rideshare missions, Triton-X is perfectly suited for accommodating OQ’s 5G IoT payload in low Earth orbit (LEO). At the completion of the development phase, the platform is expected to be ready for manufacturing and integration of payloads by mid-2023.
OQ’s “cell towers in space” and the company’s services are ideal for applications requiring fast and real-time data processing in remote and rural areas, particularly in industries such as oil and gas, logistics, mining, artificial intelligence, drone control, vehicle telematics and defense.
The agreement will also take into account the use of other OHB space systems for the benefit of OQ.
“OQ Technology is one of the most promising companies in the area of Satellite IoT we have talked to. I am very excited about the potential of their technology and looking forward to working together with the team on the upstream as well as the downstream,” Egbert Jan van der Veen, managing director of OHB Venture Capital, said.
Edgar Milic, CEO of LuxSpace, said: “These are amazing times in the commercial space sector. The roll-out of new applications from space is accelerating thanks to ground-breaking satellite technologies like Triton-X and the vision of satellite operators like OQ Technologies.”