Foxconn announced plans to launch a Taiwan-made low earth orbit (LEO) satellite next year as the race to deploy the technology heats up globally.
The company’s research division made the announcement at a press event on Saturday (Feb. 18), per CNA. The satellite will weigh about 12 kilograms, look a bit “like a backpack”, and will be capable of completing a full earth orbit at an altitude of 550 kilometers 15 times each day, according to Foxconn researchers.
The initiative is a collaboration between Foxconn’s communications research center and Taoyuan’s National Central University. The researchers also said Foxconn will be collaborating with others on the initiative, but that details about this will be announced at a later date.
The race to deploy low earth orbit satellites for communications purposes has been heating up recently, as advances in technology bring the world closer to realizing connectivity for a third of the planet’s population that is still offline.
