Hubble Network Unveils Significant Satellite Upgrade for Worldwide Bluetooth Connectivity

Hubble Network is poised to significantly enhance its satellite-based Bluetooth network.

Located in Seattle, this startup aims to provide businesses with the same benefits that Apple’s Find My service offers to consumers. They have developed an advanced phased-array receiver, allowing Hubble CEO Alex Haro to describe it as a “true Bluetooth layer surrounding the Earth.”

This groundbreaking payload will be installed on two large new satellites from the four-year-old Muon Space, named MuSat XL, scheduled for launch in 2027. Hubble states that these first two MuSat XL spacecraft will offer a global revisit time of 12 hours and will be capable of detecting Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals at 30 times lower power than current technologies. If all goes well, this could greatly improve the battery life of tracking tags and sensors on Earth.

These satellites will underpin Hubble’s BLE Finding Network, focusing on enterprises in sectors such as logistics, infrastructure, and defense.

In 2024, Hubble gained attention as the first company to create a Bluetooth connection directly with a satellite. The startup’s proposal is attractive: clients will only need to update their devices’ chipsets with new firmware to link to the Hubble network, instead of acquiring specialized hardware.

Hubble emphasizes the notable benefits of a space-based network: it offers global visibility, connects to remote regions, and presents a developer-friendly solution for companies to track assets without needing additional infrastructure.

Currently, the firm operates seven spacecraft, with plans to have 60 satellites operational by 2028. The long-term strategy includes upgrading the entire constellation to larger platform buses to improve power and performance, as Haro noted.

Though the timeline is ambitious, Haro explained that Hubble chose to partner with Muon due to its fast manufacturing capabilities as a new company. A recent funding round of $146 million will support this initiative. Gregory Smirin, president of Muon Space, disclosed to TechCrunch that their San Jose production facility is being expanded to support the assembly of over 500 spacecraft annually by 2027.

Hubble is the first customer for the 500-kilogram-class MuSat XL satellite platform, which Muon claims can provide multi-kilowatt power to payloads, include optical crosslinks, high-volume downlinks, and enable “near real-time” communications for urgent missions. This collaboration also hints at a broader goal for Muon to secure more lucrative contracts with the Department of Defense.

Smirin emphasized that the XL platform is perfectly suited for SDA Tranche missions, a part of the Space Development Agency’s effort to establish a missile defense constellation in low Earth orbit. “XL showcases both our enhanced technical capabilities and our growing role in providing multi-mission spacecraft that initiatives like SDA increasingly rely on,” he remarked.

Muon operates on a space-as-a-service model, where the company designs, builds, and operates satellites through a vertically-integrated hardware and software stack. This setup, known as Halo, aims to facilitate space access for companies with innovative payloads that prefer not to develop their own satellite infrastructure. This allows Hubble to focus on expanding its BLE network while Muon manages the satellite platforms and mission operations.