Google Cloud and space tech company SpaceX have partnered to deliver data, cloud services, and applications to customers at the network edge using SpaceX’s Starlink satellite network.
According to a May 13 news release from Google Cloud, it will install SpaceX ground stations in Google’s data centres to provide private internet and cloud access to businesses and consumers, broadening the areas in which they can access mission-critical services.
The tech giant says this new capability is expected to be available in the second half of 2021 for enterprise customers.
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“Combining Starlink’s high-speed, low-latency broadband with Google’s infrastructure and capabilities provides global organizations with the secure and fast connection that modern organizations expect,” said SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell. “We are proud to work with Google to deliver this access to businesses, public sector organizations, and many other groups operating around the world.”
SpaceX’s Starlink internet constellation currently consists of almost 1,500 satellites floating in low earth orbit. SpaceX is planning on launching more than 40,000 satellites into space to achieve its goal of beaming internet to anywhere on Earth. The latest launch took place on May 9 when the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent 60 more internet satellites into the sky.
“Applications and services running in the cloud can be transformative for organizations, whether they’re operating in a highly networked or remote environment,” said Urs Hölzle, senior vice-president of infrastructure at Google Cloud. “We are delighted to partner with SpaceX to ensure that organizations with distributed footprints have seamless, secure, and fast access to the critical applications and services they need to keep their teams up and running.”
In October 2020, Microsoft formed a similar partnership with SpaceX to connect Starlink’s satellite internet service with Azure’s new Modular Datacenter (MDC). The two companies had earlier also announced that they plan to further integrate Starlink with Microsoft’s global network – including Azure edge devices – integrating SpaceX’s ground stations with Azure networking capabilities.
