The first virtual operator for satellites is being established in Slovakia

The Slovak company M2M Solutions is preparing project, which was received by the PECS (Program for European Cooperating States) program, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA - European Space Agency). This software can monitor the movement of satellites in the sky and control their connection with ground monitoring stations. The name of the project is Ground Station as a Service. "I would compare it to mobile phone calls on the highway while driving, when the mobile phone is taken over by individual BTS stations according to distance and other parameters," explains Martin Jančo, CEO of the M2M Solutions company.

Launching own satellite was very expensive few years ago and only some countries could afford it. At present, however, the prices for launching a satellite into orbit are lower, so private companies are starting to do so. But what about the data that satellites send to Earth? These can be, for example, weather information, various photographs etc. It is not often a problem to process this data for large organizations such as NASA or ESA using their own infrastructure, but smaller players who don’t own ground infrastructure may have a problem. The service from M2M Solutions will enable data reception even for satellite owners with a limited budget. "It will be a kind of service of a virtual ground infrastructure operator for satellites. In addition, the satellites will also be able to provide their services to those interested using our Ground Station as a Service, ”explains Martin Jančo.

The idea is based on the Transport Logistics System, developed by M2M Solutions, which enables the processing of requirements for component orders, design of optimal transport, securing orders and managing the unloading of incoming trucks at the receipt of material. It is already used by many companies. People at M2M Solutions thought they could use it in space as well. "We are a technology company, we want to develop further and here we see an opportunity for synergy and entry into a completely new market with the help of existing knowledge. In addition, it is still logistics, "smiles Martin Jančo. According to him, it is also a certain way of diversifying business, which is still being talked about in Slovakia. "This is basically a concrete example of diversification, where we have adapted a product for one industry to the possibilities of a completely different use. It could also be a guide for other Slovak companies, "notes Martin Jančo.