In collaboration with global aerospace company Lockheed Martin, AWS will integrate its network of ground station services with the former's new antenna network to give customers the ability to download data from multiple satellites at the same time.
mazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud computing arm of e-commerce giant Amazon, launched on Tuesday, offering a new service that will make it easier for satellite operators to get data to and from orbiting satellites.
In collaboration with global aerospace company Lockheed Martin, AWS will integrate its network of ground station services with the former's new antenna network to give customers the ability to download data from multiple satellites at the same time.
With the service, users can continue downloading data from satellites even during unplanned outages from weather-related events. Satellite operators use ground stations to send data back and forth into orbit and require a specialized array of antennas, computing infrastructure and networks.
"This is the world's first fully-managed ground station as a service," AWS CEO Andy Jassy told a press briefing at the AWS event in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
AWS will kick off the new service by opening its first two ground stations this week. AWS plans to have 12 stations in operation by the middle of 2019.
Executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Rick Ambrose said that his company would develop a network of low-cost ground-based antennas that could help deliver the new service.
The new antennas, known as virtual resilience ground (Verge), will help capture satellite data and connect into the AWS network.
Chief technical officer of commercial vendor of space imagery DigitalGlobe Walter Scott said the new system would make it easy for startup firms to get crucial information that could help their businesses.
"With this new system, the image will be crystal clear and this will be crucial for application in autonomous vehicles," Scott said.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.