BeetleSat, the Israeli satellite startup formerly known as NSLComm, today announced the successful launch of its second nanosatellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard SpaceX's Falcon9 rocket. Now in sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 550 km, the NSLSat-2 nanosatellite will supply BeetleSat's public sector customers satellite communication services in storage and very high output. Today's launch is another step in the company's strategy to become one of the world's leading satellite service operators by creating a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation. The cluster of satellites is designed to enable secure and cost-effective cellular and internet communication anywhere on the planet.
Watch the launch:
In 2019, the company, with the supported of the Israel Space Agency at the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, launched the NSLSat-1 communications satellite aboard a Soyuz rocket. The satellite provided 1.5 gigabits per second, compared to 20 megabits for satellites of the same size. The relative advantage in the performance level of the data transfer rate, which is equal to that of a much larger satellite, is provided mainly by the antenna deployed in space. The satellite launched today, weighing about 9 kg, already transmits data at speeds of up to 2 gigabits per second (Gbps). This is therefore another stage in the proof of concept, as part of a plan to launch an entire constellation of hundreds of satellites, which will provide cellular and internet services with global coverage on Ka-Band frequencies to commercial and government satellite operators, cellular networks and internet service providers.
"Today's successful launch will provide important communication services to one of our public sector customers," said BeetleSat President Patricio Northland. "It marks a significant step in our mission to become a leading LEO constellation operator, providing the highest quality and most cost-effective satellite-based communications services. We are excited to explore new insights from the data that we will gather from this mission."