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Russian private firm to create satellite cluster for Internet of things

The radio module intended to provide communications is currently being tested on the Norby satellite launched from the Plesetsk spaceport on September 28

MOSCOW, November 2. /TASS/. The Design Bureau Fifth Generation (a resident of the Skolkovo hi-tech hub in Moscow and the Academpark technology park in Novosibirsk) plans to launch a group of small satellites for the Internet of things, the design bureau’s press office told TASS on Monday.

"Our future plans envisage launching a cluster of small satellites for establishing communications in the M2M (machine-to-machine) segment," the design bureau said, without specifying the timeframe of creating the orbital constellation.

The radio module intended to provide communications is currently being tested on the Norby satellite launched from the Plesetsk spaceport on September 28. The satellite is in orbit and all the communications sessions with it are proceeding normally. The Norby satellite will not make part of the cluster as it was launched for the platform’s flight tests and the testing of its functional capability in real conditions, the design bureau said.

The Design Bureau Fifth Generation is engaged in designing small satellites and onboard satellite equipment. As its major project, the Design Bureau is developing its own CubeSat modular satellite platform with a set of all necessary sub-systems. The Design Bureau is carrying out this work jointly with Novosibirsk State University and the University’s Aerospace Research Department.