Skynopy recently partnered with Amazon Web Services (AWS), in a move that it expected to improve its service offerings for satellite operators and increase the number of ground stations in its network.
Offering ground stations as a service
Following the announcement of the partnership, Skynopy spoke to IoT Insider, on partnering with AWS, their value propositions, and as ground stations as a service.
Space is divided into “three pillars”: launchers, satellites and ground stations, according to Bertrand. “We saw that the first two pillars have been completely disrupted over the past 10 years,” he said. “The third pillar, being the ground station, hadn’t gone through many chances. We believed it was good timing to try and change that.”

By giving its customers access to its ground stations network, Skynopy is saving companies the time and money required to invest in purchasing new ground stations and antennas. “They are paying for antenna time when needed, rather than having to pay for the whole antenna,” Bertrand explained. “These types of operators are facing the question whether or not they should internalise the cost and expertise of a ground station.”
Their typical customers, subsequently, are small constellation players who have to spend millions on purchasing satellites and launchers and are looking to save money on paying for antennas.
“We have three types of customers,” Bertrand detailed. “The first type is a company operating a constellation for Earth observation … The second type is IoT players … The third is operating in orbit services, wanting to sell orbital transfer vehicles [for example] … and they are focused on a very specific need in orbit.”
Partnering with Amazon Web Services
For Skynopy, who were founded 10 months ago, the partnership with AWS was acknowledged for the early point at which it came in their history – as well as providing an unofficial validation of Skynopy’s services.
“Firstly, it adds value to what we’re doing, because we can leverage 12 ground stations that would have taken roughly five years to install and access,” explained Bertrand. “Secondly, it provides technical credibility, because AWS engineers perform a technical due diligence and review on our service, stack, software and engineers.
“It’s really helped us to grow in technical maturity and be validated by one of the best software companies in the world,” he continued.
The partnership spells out what AWS and Skynopy will get out of the deal, but put simply, Skynopy will be given access to AWS’ 12 ground stations – to add to their existing network of 15.
Another advantage to come out of the partnership was the value provided to Skynopy, in the form of a “commercial certification”. “There were people who thought that AWS could have been a competitor … They saw that with us, they could seek out new customers and enable them to use their ground stations.”
Looking ahead, Bertrand said he hoped to become the “Airbnb” of offering ground stations as a service. “We’re going to continue having these partnerships with existing ground stations, to expand our network and expand our vision of offering the connectivity kit for satellites,” he concluded.
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