By Nelly Sander, Dean’s Office, Technical Faculty of IT and Design. Translated by LeeAnn Iovanni, AAU Communication

Aalborg-based Sternula is behind the satellite which is the first of 60 satellites that the company plans to launch by 2029. The aim is to form the world's largest satellite-based communication network for the shipping industry.

In 2029, the satellites are scheduled to cover the entire world, while the first satellite launched today will focus on Arctic waters. This is according to AAU researcher Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen, Associate Professor in the Department of Electronic Systems and part of the project, in an article on DR.dk (in Danish):

- Every day, DMI produces ice maps so that ships can see where the ice is in the Arctic waters. With satellites like the one launched today, ships will be able to get information about the ice maps faster and where they should not sail, Jens Dalsgaard Nielsen explains.

Out of the 13 satellites that Denmark has launched over time, eight of them have North Jutland origins. The North Jutland satellites have previously come from Aalborg University and the company GomSpace.

The Sternula-1 satellite is part of the MARIOT project with project partners Sternula, Aalborg University, the Danish Meteorological Institute, GateHouse SatCom, Satlab A/S and Space Inventor. The project is supported by a Grand Solutions grant of DKK 20 million from Innovation Fund Denmark.

Watch or re-watch the launch at SpaceX 
Read the press release from Sternula here