TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Rapidtek said Thursday its Black Kite-1 satellite has completed its first cross-regional communications with overseas ground stations.
Commissioned by the Taiwan Space Agency, the 8U Internet of Things CubeSat connected with stations across Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania, and South America, per CNA. These include sites in Iceland, Chile, and New Zealand.
Rapidtek said the satellite conducted about five communications sessions per day, each lasting eight to 10 minutes. Stable performance across multiple time zones, it said, demonstrates system integration and reliability.
The current mission phase focuses on tracking and command functions to confirm communications and control between the satellite and ground systems. Rapidtek said this step is critical before advancing to more complex tasks.
Unlike traditional IoT satellites that rely on lower-speed bands, Black Kite-1 uses S-band for data transmission to support more efficient operations. Rapidtek said this allows for smaller antennas and improved real-time monitoring.
Rapidtek Chair Wang Yi-hsiang (王奕翔) said the test validates the team’s system integration and satellite-control capabilities. He said the company plans to launch three more 8U IoT CubeSats this year to expand its global low-Earth-orbit communications.
