Kinéis, satellite operator and connectivity provider for the Internet of Things (IoT), is continuing the deployment of the 1st European constellation dedicated to the IoT, comprising 25 nanosatellites. 

Kinéis is keeping to its announced schedule: the second of the 5 launches is scheduled during a 14-day launch window that opens onTuesday 17 September 2024, from New Zealand, with Rocket  Lab’s Electron launcher.

Commenting on this 2nd launch, Alexandre Tisserant, Chairman of Kinéis, said, “The Kinéis teams are ready to build on the success of the 1st launch.”

“They have capitalised on this first and delicate technical experience of putting our first 5 satellites into position and are delivering a real technical performance in managing the 5 new satellites simultaneously, in addition to the 5 already in the air,”

“Rocket Lab’s Electron launcher made a major contribution to this success, thanks to the precision with which it injected our nanosatellites into their positions.”

“The IoT revolution is underway. Thanks to our space based connectivity, we’ll be able to connect any object anywhere in the world in near real time. Go Kinéis!” he said.

Five launches are required to deploy the Kinéis IoT constellation. They are scheduled to  take place between June 2024 and early 2025, a first in the new French space sector for the  deployment of a constellation.

They will be carried out from the Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1  base on the Māhia Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island.

With 5 satellites to be placed in orbit per launch, Kinéis has chosen to be the sole passenger on each of these 5 launches, enabling it to control its launch schedule and improve the operability of the  positioning of each satellite.

The first launch, on 20 June, successfully placed 5 nanosatellites  into orbit.