Microsoft is launching its Azure Space initiative[1] on October 20. Azure Space is a set of products, plus newly announced partnerships designed to position Azure as a key player in the space- and satellite-related connectivity/compute part of the cloud market.
Azure Space isn't just for companies in the space industry. It's meant to appeal to companies in public and private industry customers in the agriculture, energy, telecommunications, and government markets. It's also meant for any customer with remote-access and bandwidth needs.
Microsoft's main cloud rival, AWS, announced its own space-industry strategy and space unit called Aerospace and Satellite Solutions[2], in June 2020. It also has created its own satellite connection service, AWS Ground Station, and a satellite venture called Project Kuiper[3] which competes with SpaceX's Starlink and other satellite networking providers.
As it has done in other areas where AWS has its own products and services that could potentially compete with those from customers, Microsoft is playing up the fact that it isn't trying to be a satellite provider itself. Instead, will continue to partner with satellite companies with its Azure Space effort.
To hammer home this message, Microsoft is touting Elon Musk's Space X as one of its marquee Azure Space partners. Microsoft is working with SpaceX to provide satellite-powered Internet connectivity on Azure. The pair plan to deliver the option to connect SpaceX's Starlink satellite broadband to Microsoft's new Azure Modular Datacenter. SpaceX just announced this week that it has launched 60 more Starlink satellites for low-Earth orbit deployment[4] as part of its gearing up for a public beta of its satellite-broadband service[5].
The Azure Modular Datacenter (MDC)[6], also announced today,