The Hubble Network has achieved what many consider to be an impossible feat. The company has established a direct Bluetooth connection to space, becoming the first company in history to do so.
The Hubble Network has recently accomplished a feat that many consider impossible. It became the first company in history to establish a direct Bluetooth connection to space. This is an important step towards realizing the company’s ambitious goal of creating a global satellite network that can be accessed by any Bluetooth-enabled device.
Receiving a Bluetooth signal from 600 km away
Earlier this year, the Seattle-based startup launched its first two satellites into orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Since then, the company has been able to receive signals from a simple 3.5mm Bluetooth chip at a distance of 600 km.
According to the company, connecting any Bluetooth device to Hubble’s satellite network with a software update (even without a cellular signal) could potentially offer coverage on a global scale, with 20 times less battery consumption and 50 times lower operating costs. With existing low-power, low-cost sensors, countless applications can be developed without the need for expensive space hardware.
Hubble Network reports that it is already collaborating with pilot customers in a variety of industries, including consumer devices, construction, infrastructure, supply chain, logistics, oil and gas, and defense.
Hubble was founded in 2021 by Life360 co-founder Haro, Iotera founder Ben Wild and aerospace engineer John Kim. When the idea of connecting a Bluetooth chip to a satellite was first presented to Haro, he dismissed it as crazy. However, with existing terrestrial and satellite networks inadequate, coverage issues, especially in remote areas, excessive power consumption and high operating costs, the idea began to appeal.
A year ago, the company completed a $20 million Series A round led by the Transpose Platform, providing the capital needed to launch the first series of satellites and fulfill missions for its first pilot customers.
