Swarm grows network to 72 satellites!
January 26, 2021
Swarm launched 36 new next-gen satellites into our Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation on Sunday! These newest satellites brought our total commercial satellites in orbit to 72, more than doubling the size of our previous network and reducing the network latency (time between satellite passes) by 30%. This network growth improves customer experience, making it easier to send data with more frequent passes every day over every point on Earth.
Our newly expanded network improves customer experience, making it easier to send data with more frequent passes every day over every point on Earth.
From their birthplace in our Mountain View lab to the Cape Canaveral launchpad, our satellites began the final stage of the journey to their new home at 10:00am EST aboard a SpaceX Falcon rocket. A record-breaking 107 other satellites accompanied the Swarm payload into orbit 525 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. The Swarm satellites were deployed about 90 minutes after launch, and we heard from them shortly afterward at one of our southern ground stations. They are operating well and have been moved into commercial service already. We’re excited to continue moving more customer data from devices all over the globe using our newly expanded network!
Swarm will continue to launch satellites over the coming months. In the meantime, over 4.3 million data packets have already been sent via the Swarm network. With the Swarm network commercially live and providing frequent coverage for every point on Earth everyday, we look forward to continuing to support our customers’ diverse, important, and inspiring use cases.
