Aurora Insight Commissions Satellite Charlie, Prepares for Next Launch

DENVER, C.O., April 22, 2021 — Aurora Insight, a business analytics company for the wireless industry, announced its second satellite, named CHARLIE, has completed preliminary testing and has begun functional data collection to map the RF environment from space. Charlie was launched in January 2021 with SpaceX’s Transporter-1 rideshare mission, and it carries Aurora Insight’s most advanced RF sensor technology to date. This satellite has drastically improved Aurora Insight’s capabilities, by collecting 15 times more data than the company’s first satellite, which was launched in 2018. 

Aurora Insight will also launch its third satellite–named “BRAVO”– later this month aboard ArianeSpace’s Vega, on the VV18 mission. In 2019, Aurora Insight contracted NanoAvionics, a leading nanosatellite bus manufacturer and mission integrator, to build and integrate both satellites. 

With satellites orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes and continuously collecting data, Aurora Insight will capture unprecedented information on the radio frequency spectrum and its utilization from a global perspective. The company’s satellite-based RF sensors characterize terrestrial network deployments from space, and indicate what frequencies and technologies are being used. The company’s newest satellites are also equipped to measure mmWave. The ability to detect and measure 5G deployments from space will be instrumental for Aurora Insight’s next generation of commercial solutions.

Through its satellites, Aurora can measure network deployment over vast regions for specific periods of time. The RF sensors can detect a range of signals including  5G, 4G, LTE, WiFi, and more. Network operators, regulators, cable and telecom equipment companies value this data as competitive intel for geographic network deployments.

Regarding satellite CHARLIE’s commissioning, Aurora Insight CEO Jennifer Alvarez said, “Receiving our first data set from Charlie is a huge step forward for our company, and for spectrum monitoring worldwide. As a finite, limited resource, wireless spectrum has never been more critical for our economy and the future of connectivity. We are particularly looking forward to using our newest satellites to capture valuable data on 5G network deployments across the globe. With this new layer of global spectrum data from our satellites, we are well equipped to provide the wireless industry with actionable data for investment decisions and long-term growth.” 

Featured below is a sample of of Aurora Insight’s space-based RF mapping capabilities. This coverage map shows how Aurora’s satellites monitored a network operator’s growth for a small portion of their network in the 3.5 GHz range from Q3 2020 to Q1 2021. The difference in coverage is indicated by the spread of the red hues, and it shows how the network operator increased deployment over a several month period.