Microsoft and SpaceX Will Now Tie Up to Woo the Space Customers

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Microsoft Corp has decided to partner with SpaceX and others to expand its cloud-computing platform and launch it in space. This announcement was made by the software giant on Tuesday.

This partnership would be beneficial for Microsoft to connect its Azure cloud computing platform to SpaceX’s network to low-Earth orbiting satellites, which would offer the software company an edge especially over long-time rival Jeff Bezoz’s Amazon which also offers a cloud platform.

This year especially given the scenario and the pandemic, the demand for cloud computing has increased manifold. More and more companies want these services as they shift their work to home for safety purposes.

Only recently Microsoft tested its Azure cloud with satellites present in space and it was only in the month of September that the Azure Space venture was unveiled. This was a result of a surge in demand for data-heavy space services.

The services offered by Azure include:

1. Disaster prediction and tracking
2. Visibility of supply chains
3. Economic activity among others.

In a promotional video SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told Tom Keane who is Microsoft’s corporate vice president:

“Where it makes sense, we will work with you, co-selling to our mutual customers, co-selling to new enterprise and future customers, and basically bring the power of the Starlink connectivity to the Azure infrastructure.”

SpaceX is known primarily for its reusable rockets and astronaut capsules and the ever-growing constellation of hundreds of beaming satellites. Musk hopes that all of this would provide him and SpaceX enough funds for their interplanetary missions.

It was in this month only that SpaceX won its first ever government project of $149 million to build missile-tracking satellites for the Pentagon.

Blue origin which is Bezoz’s company is aiming to have its first rocket launch in the year 2021 which would prove to be a competition to the already existing SpaceX’s Starlink. This satellite would be called Project Kuiper which proposes to have a network of 3,236 satellites.

What Microsoft and SpaceX would do together is sure an interesting prospect to all space customers!