AN OXFORDSHIRE space company is set to launch its revolutionary Internet of Things technology onboard a SpaceX rocket this week.
Lacuna Space, based at the Harwell Space Cluster near Didcot, is revolutionising the cost and simplicity of connecting sensors to the internet, reaching every corner on Earth using small satellites to support the Internet of Things (IoT).
The IoT is made up of connected 'things', such as machines, animals or people that have sensors connected to the internet that collect and share data.
The smart devices collect, send and act on data they acquire from their environments. An IoT device could be heating you turn on with an app, a person with a heart monitor implant or a driverless car.
Lacuna sensors, which fit in the palm of your hand and run for years off a single battery charge, can be used to monitor the environment, track wildlife and help farmers by providing data on the health of cattle and crops and for water and soil management.
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Lacuna Space’s ground-breaking satellite IoT service has received £800,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency through the European Space Agency’s Pioneer Partnership Programme.
The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket is due to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8pm BST on Friday June 25.
Rob Spurrett, Lacuna’s CEO, said: “Much like the early days of the internet, when it was hard to imagine the impact of having everybody connected, it seems there is an endless world of possibilities from now connecting physical objects or 'things'. In cities there are many possible ways to do that, but our service ensures that rural parts of the UK and even the most remote locations in the world are part of this data revolution.”
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