Microsoft has announced that they are providing new products as part of their Azure Space Connectivity offering to integrate their cloud technology with satellite efforts that will enhance Microsoft Cloud connectivity and support digital transformation.
The announcement highlighted a preview of the Azure Orbital Cloud Access, a new service to support connectivity from the cloud to more locations. Microsoft also took this opportunity to announce the general availability of Azure Orbital Ground Station and the company’s partner-oriented efforts to support the digital transformation of satellite communications networks.
Microsoft Expands Its Azure Space Satellite Connectivity Offering
Microsoft’s new solutions aim to leverage the space-based communications technology capabilities of Azure Spacelaunched in 2020, connecting cloud resources to any location worldwide via satellite usage.
An Azure Orbital Cloud Access Preview
Azure Orbital Cloud Access is Microsoft’s new service announced in preview. It will expand cloud connectivity to meet higher demands by enabling low-latency access to the cloud from anywhere and supporting satellite-based communications. In addition, the service will facilitate connectivity to their cloud experience by using a new approach that prioritizes traffic across communication network locations.
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The preview is currently available to Azure Government customers and can enable cloud access in areas with little or no connectivity or where a failover connectivity option is required. It leverages SpaceX’s Starlink connectivity and Azure edge devices to provide prioritized network traffic, allowing users to access Microsoft cloud services from anywhere that reaches Starlink.
Azure Orbital Cloud Access also integrates with Juniper Networks’ SD-WAN technology, allowing users to prioritize connectivity between fiber, cellular and satellite communications networks.
General availability of Azure Orbital Ground Station
In addition, Microsoft has announced the general availability of Azure Orbital Ground Station as a service for all customers. The product is a fully managed ground station-as-a-service offering that works with Microsoft’s partner ecosystem. It helps satellite operators operate from the cloud with improved reliability at lower cost and latency, enabling them to get to market faster and achieve a higher level of security. This integrated systems approach connects ground station partner networks to support customer data delivery to Azure regions for free and ensures their data is available.
The Azure Orbital Ground Station leverages partnerships with satellite operators Pixxel, Loft Orbital and Muon Space to enable data access and cloud connectivity.
Supporting digital transformation for satellite network operators
Microsoft’s new services aim to support digital transformation efforts through the power of the Azure Cloud and their Azure Space technologies, starting with the transition from satellite network operators and the communications they deliver to cloud technologies. Microsoft’s new Azure Space products can support non-virtualized networks and transition industries to exist within virtual environments.
The company announced the first demonstration of a high data rate iDirect modem running fully virtualized as software on Azure. Supporting their partnership with ground segment supplier ST Engineering iDirect, Azure Space has turned its custom hardware into standardized cloud software, providing a solution for satellite operators.
Microsoft’s partnership with SES has also expanded through the joint Satellite Communications Virtualization Program. The program will enable the companies to develop the first fully virtualized ground-based satellite communications network that aligns cloud and satellite network architectures and enables the use of 5G technology in commercial satellite networks. In addition, the program will focus on digitization and the virtualized architecture will enable standardization of system interfaces and promote automation, interoperability between sectors and API-based control.
The Satellite Communications Virtualization Program aims to establish a pre-production architecture for a fully virtual SES ground station and pave the way for the development of future fully virtualized ground station sites to support Azure’s Space ecosystem efforts. Microsoft and SES plan to release a proposal in Q4 2022 to seed this new fully virtual ecosystem initiative.
Rival Vendors in the Space Software Scene
Microsoft isn’t the only company developing space-focused technologies. While Azure has worked through partnerships with other technology companies, several rival vendors have implemented their own advancements in the growing space software scene.
Azure Space was introduced as a competitor to Amazon Web Services space data technology. Today, Amazon Web Services continues to make headway in the space software market. As the world’s largest public cloud service provider, Bezos’ company has established its Aerospace and Satellite program, which serves similar goals. It supports the development of satellites for processing communications, converting space collections into data, enabling data access for users around the world, and more.
Google Cloud is still in the process of setting up an official program for its space efforts, winning a deal with SpaceX in 2021 to provide internet service via Starlink satellites. Starlink will build ground stations in Google’s data centers and connect the Starlink satellite network to Google Cloud. Google Cloud is also partnering with Leaf Space to run their ground station-as-a-service offering by enabling their Network Cloud Engine to orchestrate communications with low Earth satellites.
What the dataspace dash could mean for the future of technology
Azure Space’s newly announced initiatives focus on leveraging space technology to enable cloud connectivity and data access for users around the world. As a result, the products aim to provide Microsoft Cloud users with greater reliability and capabilities through Azure’s space technologies. So what does this mean for the future of technology?
In the announcement of Azure Orbital Cloud Access, Microsoft described the use cases of the product for a wider range of customers and scenarios. The company expects to adopt its services to support various efforts with its newfound ability to meet greater connectivity demands.
The announcement of the new Azure Space products cited Microsoft’s partnership with the National Interagency Fire Center as a use case. The association tested whether the Azure Orbital Cloud Access capabilities integrated with SpaceX’s Starlink LEO satellite constellation can provide uninterrupted connectivity for firefighting operations in remote areas. Microsoft also has partnerships with Pegatron and SES to assess whether the Azure Space and 5G technology could be useful for disaster relief and scenarios where communications are needed to save lives.
These represent only a small fraction of the connectivity use cases fueled by space technology. The less hampered our connectivity is by reliance on local infrastructures, we can improve our digital resilience, extend our time to achieve technological advancements, and lower the cost of digital communications, all while taking the global internet to the next level.
It’s hard to say whether Microsoft’s space technology program will beat its competitors in the network satellite race. However, it’s safe to say that Azure Space’s partnerships with other network technology and satellite communications providers have enabled it to make recent strides in the emerging sector. It will be exciting to see how Microsoft chooses to move forward and bring greater global network reliability and how this new technology will digitally transform humanity’s efforts around the world.
