A display of Lockheed Martin’s 400-series satellite buses, ranging from 400 kg to 800 kg.
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin’s space division on Tuesday announced a strategic interest agreement with satellite startup Omnispace, “to jointly develop the 5G capability from space.”
‘It really stems from a general vision of a global 5G network, enabling users to seamlessly switch between satellites [and the] terrestrial network, ”Omnispace CEO Ram Viswanathan told CNBC.
Viswanathan emphasized Lockheed Martin’s ‘depth of expertise’ in a variety of markets, especially with a wide range of Department of Defense customers.
“Their appetite never runs out and the need for communication across the board,” Rick Ambrose, executive vice president of Lockheed Martin Space, told CNBC. “Omnispace has a very powerful vision on how to offer the service … [and] how to get it on a mobile device. ‘
Ambrose said the two companies have been interacting for about a year. The strategic interests agreement cements the pair working on a hybrid network that combines the reach of a global satellite network, known in the industry as a constellation, with the capacity of mobile wireless carrier networks.
The partnership places companies in the broader field of space-based data communications, with potential competitors including Elon Musk’s SpaceX consumer-focused Starlink broadband service, satellite-to-smartphone satellite AST & Science, and the enterprise-oriented networks of OneWeb and Telesat.
Viswanathan recognizes the other players developing low-lane satellite communications constellations, but distinguishes Omnispace as a “direct devices capability” – rather than the “expensive and bulky” ground terminals needed to connect users to other space- based networks.
“We are able to deliver the mobile communication capability to a standard 5G base phone or terminal, and as you can imagine, it is launching a variety of applications,” Viswanathan said.
Omnispace raised a new round of venture capital last month, with investors led by Fortress Investment Group investing $ 60 million. The Virginia company has raised $ 140 million so far since its inception in 2012, according to Pitchbook. Ambrose said it was too early to determine whether Lockheed Martin would invest in Omnispace himself, but noted that the companies would “explore various options” as the partnership expanded.
The next step for Omnispace will be to use a ‘proof concept’ of the technology in space. But although Omnispace has not yet completed the design of its complete system, Viswanathan said it would have a “dramatically lower cost than” other satellite communications constellations, estimated at between $ 5 billion and more than $ 10 billion to fully implement.