Skywalker IoT & AIS Constellation
HEAD Aerospace
48-satellite LEO constellation — AIS (2M messages/24h, 60,000 ships), ADS-B aviation, DCS IoT — 45 kg microsats, 700 km, 10 passes/day, served globally.
Technical specifications
- Planned constellation
- 48 satellites
- Satellite mass
- 45 kg
- Orbital altitude
- 700 km
- Inclination
- 50° (Walker-δ) + SSO
- AIS capacity
- 2 million messages/24 h; 60,000 ships
- Payloads
- AIS, VDES, DCS, ADS-B
- IoT daily coverage
- Up to 10 times per day
- Satellite lifetime
- 2–3 years
About
The Skywalker constellation is HEAD Aerospace’s proprietary LEO satellite network providing AIS maritime tracking, ADS-B aviation monitoring, and two-way IoT data collection. Forty-eight three-axis stabilized 45 kg microsatellites orbit at 700 km in a Walker-delta configuration (36 at 50° inclination) plus 12 sun-synchronous satellites. Each satellite carries high-performance AIS receivers processing 2 million messages per 24 hours and identifying 60,000 ships simultaneously, plus VDES, ADS-B, and DCS payloads. Typical IoT coverage of any global point is up to 10 times per day. Applications include asset tracking, vessel monitoring, oil and gas, mining, utilities, and environmental monitoring.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
