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Microsoft’s plans to expand its cloud business to space are well underway, and the company recently announced new progress on its alien mission.
The last Announcement (opens in new tab) includes a preview of Azure Orbital Cloud Access, which the company says is a “step into the future of integrated 5G and satellite communications.”
Working in conjunction with SpaceX’s Starlink, the low-latency cloud access is designed to be available from “anywhere in the world,” which will be especially beneficial for businesses outside of major cities where standard cellular signal is limited.
Microsoft Azure Orbital Cloud
As part of the announcement, Microsoft announced the general availability of Azure Orbital Ground Station, a fully managed ground station-as-a-service.
“We are bringing together deep integration of ground station partner networks to enable our customers’ data delivery to an Azure region of their choice at no cost, reducing their overall operational costs and ensuring data is available in the Azure tenant of the company. customer for further processing,” Microsoft said in a statement.
The ground station became available to “all satellite operators” on September 14, 2022, including Pixxel, Muon Space and Loft Orbital.
Further announcements included that SES, the company’s Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) network partner for Microsoft Azure orbital, will work with Microsoft to create a virtualized ground network for satellite communications, which will apparently be a world first. Software-defined hubs, customer edge terminals, new virtual network features and edge cloud applications will be some of the key drivers behind the joint venture’s expansion.
Microsoft isn’t the only company looking to expand its cloud-based business beyond the physical clouds. Segment leader AWS has its own Aerospace and Satellite program, with Google following after reaching a deal with SpaceX last year, according to an article by The register (opens in new tab).
For now, the Azure Orbital Cloud Access preview is only available to Azure Government customers, but at least it provides insight into what could reach the consumer level in the coming years.