SpaceX has entered into the Internet of Things. Reports of SpaceNews claim that SpaceX has acquired Swarm Technologies, which is known for smallsats that power IoT services. This will help Swarm with resources to compete with other smallsat operators and give the company an upper hand in its field because of the positives it will get from a co-operation with SpaceX which designs and launches satellites.
It was in February this year that Swarm’s commercial mini-satellite network went live. The company has managed to find enough funding for 150 satellites even though it is a small company and had only 30 employees in March.
SpaceX’s plans of changing strategies of Swarm are not out yet. But ab FCC filing had noted that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will surely benefit from Swarm’s “intellectual property and expertise”. So, it is better to call it an acquihire and is not just an addition to SpaceX’s strategy, as reported by Engadget.
There are more areas that Swarm could help SpaceX. SpaceX is currently launching a number of small Starlink internet satellites. It has also been launching rideshare missions full of CubeSats and other small payloads. Swarm could act as a customer for these rideshare missions. It could also help in the efforts of SpaceX in smallsat missions.
