Describe the Azure Space portfolio

  • 3 minutes

The Azure Space portfolio consists of products that fall under the Azure Orbital umbrella. There are three principles that are foundational to the Azure Orbital offerings:

  • Connect: Connect to the cloud anywhere and at any security level.
  • Analyze: Turn space data into knowledge and insights.
  • Develop: Enable rapid development.

Screenshot of the Azure Orbital overview.

Connect

Products that fall under this category help meet needs around space-based connectivity. Some of the key Azure capabilities are:

  • Access to connect through space to the Microsoft cloud, with access to Azure through satellite communications.
  • Multi-vendor, multi-orbit satellite connectivity.
  • A fully cloud-based ground segment to communicate with satellites.
  • Co-location services, networking services and a platform for virtualization.

Analyze

Products that fall under this category help end users create insights from space data. Some of the key Azure capabilities are:

  • Connect spacecraft to Azure with the ability to command satellites and downlink to the cloud.
  • A fully managed satellite ground network to provide global coverage for earth observation and remote-sensing satellites.
  • A single control plane to manage antennas from one powerful application.
  • Rapid data processing to derive insights and create clarity.
  • Use Azure to create analytics pipelines.

Develop

Products that fall under this category enable developers to do more with space data. Some of the key Azure capabilities are:

  • The ability to build applications in the cloud and then deploy on spacecraft.
  • A software architecture for hosting on-orbit applications, with common services that can be extended by satellite operators.

In the next unit, we'll examine some real-world examples of what Azure Orbital can look like in action.