Defense & Intelligence Policy, Business and Technology

Microsoft Positions Itself To Win Space Data Market With Azure Orbital

Breaking Defense: Azure Orbital, the space-connections wing of Microsoft’s cloud service Azure, launched last week. By offering Ground-Stations-as-a-Service, Microsoft wants to position itself as the bridge between the Pentagon and commercial satellites.

Ground stations are vital infrastructure for satellite communication, the physical node that makes all the images and information they collect useful. With the advent of lower-cost satellites, and the expansion of small satellite constellations in low earth orbit, the space industry is moving away from a locked-in model, where specific vendors only grant access to their satellites through their ground stations.

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