Astrocast

Astrocast SA is a Swiss satellite IoT company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Plan-les-Ouates, Geneva, operating a constellation of nanosatellites to provide global machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) connectivity for remote and maritime assets beyond cellular coverage. The company's network uses LoRaWAN-based protocols adapted for non-terrestrial networks (NTN), enabling ultra-low-power end devices to communicate with Astrocast satellites during orbital passes — a store-and-forward architecture suited for applications where data latency of hours is acceptable but coverage is paramount.

Astrocast's constellation launched initial pathfinder satellites aboard ESA's Vega-C rocket and subsequent platforms via SpaceX rideshare, targeting a 100+ satellite network at approximately 550 km LEO. The company's technology stack includes an Astrocast-developed chip module enabling sub-milliwatt average current draw for IoT sensor nodes, making solar-powered deployment viable for multi-year field deployments in the most remote locations on Earth.

Primary markets include maritime vessel tracking (shipping containers, fishing fleets), environmental monitoring (water level sensors, weather stations), precision agriculture (soil sensors across large farms), and cold chain logistics in regions without cellular infrastructure. The company competes with Lacuna Space (UK, similar LoRa satellite IoT approach), Semtech's NTN LoRa initiatives, and Globalstar's SPOT messaging services. Astrocast raised approximately $10M in Series A funding and partnered with Satcom Direct and other distribution partners to expand its global IoT service footprint.