Open Cosmos, a company based at UPTEC – Science and Technology Park of the University of Porto, announced its new global space-based Internet of Things (IoT) service, which will combine global IoT connectivity with real-time Earth observation data to provide contextual intelligence to governments and institutions worldwide.

Open Cosmos simplifies access to space, offering a complete and integrated service for satellite missions, from design and manufacturing to launch and operations. One of the pillars of this mission is OpenConstellation, a shared satellite infrastructure that helps organisations across various sectors access real-time information about the Earth.

Across the entire Open Cosmos constellation, each satellite will now carry an integrated IoT payload. Typically, these systems are separate, with data being connected on the ground, but in the company’s case, the satellites can observe, communicate and trigger actions within a single integrated system.

Currently, operational insight into many IoT services remains limited. Although users may receive status data and alerts indicating a problem has occurred, they often lack the necessary visibility to understand the scale, context or urgency of the issue. “We won’t just provide sensor data; we’ll also provide imagery to explain changes in the data. As demand for global monitoring and infrastructure continues to grow, our integrated approach represents a new model of spatial intelligence,” notes Danielle Edwards, VP of IoT at Open Cosmos.

By combining data from ground-based IoT sensors with high-speed satellite imagery, governments and industries across different sectors will be able to detect events as they happen and quickly understand the real-world situation on the ground, whether managing widely distributed assets, overseeing critical infrastructure and operational sites such as energy grids, utilities and railways, tracking wildfires or monitoring conditions at sea.

27 March 2026