The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is pictured during lift-off at Cape Canaveral, USA, on 30 June  carrying 88 satellite within a rideshare mission known as Transporter-2. Among those satellites is OQ Technology's Tiger-2 satellite OQ Technology

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is pictured during lift-off at Cape Canaveral, USA, on 30 June  carrying 88 satellite within a rideshare mission known as Transporter-2. Among those satellites is OQ Technology's Tiger-2 satellite OQ Technology

Luxembourg space startup its Tiger-2 satellite aboard the SpaceX Transporter-2 rideshare mission.

Tiger-2 is the firm’s first commercial 5G IoT nanosatellite providing basic commercial IoT and M2M services through 5G connectivity.

It is the first of a planned constellation of more than 60 spacecraft that will offer 5G IoT services in remote areas. OQ Technology will next deploy MACSAT, an ESA-supported nanosatellite, into low-earth orbit. Funded by the Luxembourg government through an ESA contract, the second satellite will be able to process 5G-enabled devices.

OQ Technology also recently won a competitive pan-European tender with ESA under the ARTES programme to provide technical design and development of a system to address advanced 5G network configurations over LEO, MEO and GEO satellites. For the programme, it will lead a consortium made of the SIGCOM research group in the Interdisciplinary Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust (SnT), University of Luxembourg, and Italian ground segment as-a-service company Leaf Space.

OQ Technology has already contracted Leaf Space to procure and install a satellite ground station and connect it to its LEO Constellation Control Centre in Leudelange, Luxembourg. The Leaf Space ground station, together with its satellite operations capabilities, is planned to be installed in Bascharage, Luxembourg, not far from its LEO CCC. The company has started furnishing the control centre with essential equipment needed to monitor and operate satellites.  “We have made immense progress this year towards solving the continued lack of terrestrial 5G networks and expensive VSAT satellite costs by growing our constellation and ground infrastructure,” said Omar Qaise, CEO of OQ Technology.

“The fourth ESA contract, following the two million Euro contract with ESA in March, shows the continued trust of our partners in our capabilities. And our LEO Constellation Control Centre together with the Leaf Space ground station will be the initial cornerstones for operating our future fleet of satellites as well as other third-party missions.”