Microsoft invested heavily in its business cloud platform, Azure. The last thing we reported about it, the software giant was building on its security features.
The platform’s evolution was extremely fast culminating with getting two new big customers and a huge agreement with the U.S. Government.
Nevertheless, Microsoft still aims even higher by trying to implement Azure on a Spanish satellite system.
What does the cloud has to do with satellites?
For starters, Amazon has a similar service with their AWS Ground Station system. With this technology, Amazon gives their clients control over their satellite data by downlinking them straight to an AWS data center.
Microsoft filed an FCC request to test the connection between a Spanish imaging satellite named DEIMOS-2 to two ground stations at its data center from Quincy in Washington.
The software giant aims to demonstrate that they can download satellite data to the Azure Cloud for immediate processing.
The request was approved by FCC and now, Microsoft has a six-month license for communications and imagery data downloads through the satellite system.
If the demonstrations result in significant market interest, Microsoft will file an application for regular earth station authority with the International Bureau (IB) to support future commercial operations, and that application will include a request for U.S. market access for DEIMOS-2
, specifies Microsoft in its FCC application.
The demonstration is expected to run around the days preceding and during the Ignite conference starting on September 22.
This system reduces the time it takes to analyze satellite data from hours to minutes or even just seconds also saving customers a big percentage of the costs implied for the process.
If Microsoft‘s test will succeed, we will enter a new era of big data communication.
What do you think about the new Microsoft Azure move? Leave your thoughts in the Comments section below.
Oldtimer in the tech and science press, Claudiu is focused on whatever comes new from Microsoft.
His abrupt interest in computers started when he saw the first Home Computer as a kid. However, his passion for Windows and everything related became obvious when he became a sys admin in a computer science high school.
With 14 years of experience in writing about everything there is to know about science and technology, Claudiu also likes rock music, chilling in the garden, and Star Wars. May the force be with you, always!
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