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Azure Orbital Ground Station

Rapidly ingest data from space into the cloud with a satellite ground station service.

Connect your satellites to Azure

Azure Orbital Ground Station provides low-latency connection between your satellites and Azure. Extend satellite communications coverage with a global partner ecosystem of ground station networks, cloud modems, and telemetry, tracking, and control functions.

Azure orbital ground station as a service

Operate faster

Select from a global network of Microsoft and partner antennas, and scale as you grow your satellite fleet.

Streamline satellite management

Access an extensive ecosystem of cloud-based services, ground stations, and virtual modems through the Azure platform.

Secure your network

Rely on resilient and security-enhanced ground stations for sending and receiving data from your satellite.

Connect on demand

Pay only for what you use with any antenna in the global network.

Speed up data processing with direct cloud connection

Downlink data from a satellite and quickly ingest it directly into Azure for seamless use with Azure services such as Azure Storage, Azure AI, and Azure Data Analytics.

Two people wearing protective masks walking outside of a data storage facility
A satellite antenna

Connect satellites through an extensive partner network

In addition to using Microsoft's ground stations, take advantage of a rich ecosystem of partner options from industry leaders such as KSAT and others to schedule contacts with your satellite systems.

Seamlessly process data with accelerated software modems

Process your signal using integrated high-speed software modems or leverage partner offerings for signal, image processing, and calibration through Azure Marketplace.

A satellite in space

Comprehensive security and compliance, built in

Get started with an Azure free account

1

Start free. Get $200 credit to use within 30 days. While you have your credit, get free amounts of many of our most popular services, plus free amounts of 55+ other services that are always free.

2

After your credit, move to pay as you go to keep building with the same free services. Pay only if you use more than your free monthly amounts.

3

After 12 months, you'll keep getting 55+ always-free services—and still pay only for what you use beyond your free monthly amounts.

Frequently asked questions about Azure Orbital Ground Station

  • Azure Orbital Ground Station colocates Microsoft ground stations in or near Azure datacenters. You're also able to use partner ground stations to ingest data in Azure. If you're interested in becoming a ground station partner, please contact us.

  • Azure Orbital Ground Station helps schedule contacts with Non-Geostationary Earth Orbit satellites (NGSO), which include Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites.

  • Azure Orbital Ground Station allows you to bring your satellite data into your cloud environment, where data is securely delivered to your virtual network. There you can leverage any Azure service such as Azure AI, Azure Machine Learning, Azure DevOps, and Azure Storage.

  • Azure Orbital Ground Station provides a 99.9% SLA. See SLA details.

Ready when you are—let's set up your Azure free account

Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms and Disclaimers

In addition to your agreement governing use of Microsoft Azure, including any service-specific terms for Azure Orbital Ground Station in our Product Terms, the following additional terms and disclaimers ("Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms") apply to your use of Azure Orbital Ground Station. If there is a conflict between these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms and any other in your agreement governing use of Microsoft Azure, then these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms will govern and control for purposes of your use of Azure Orbital Ground Station.

1. Satellite Earth Station Access Disclaimer. Microsoft will file any necessary application(s) required by the Federal Communications Commission or other regulatory authority to enable your eligible satellite to access our licensed satellite earth station, in each case as set forth in your request(s). Microsoft will charge you a regulatory fee to defray programmatic costs associated with such application(s). Such fees are currently a flat fee across all jurisdictions. However, whether and which expenses Microsoft passes through may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and is subject to change. Accordingly, Microsoft may adjust fee and fee structure from time to time. Any lawyers retained by Microsoft for the purpose of preparing and filing such application(s) solely work for and on behalf of Microsoft agents, and do not and will not provide you with legal advice or represent you in any legal capacity. You should consult with your own counsel with respect to any legal questions you may have regarding this service and any related application(s). Microsoft does not guarantee a successful application outcome or that a decision will be made by authorities in any particular timeline.

2. Limitation of the Use of Special Temporary Authority. To expedite your access to services through ground stations in the United States, Microsoft may seek special temporary authorization ("STA") from the Federal Communications Commission. If an STA is received, Microsoft will endeavor to convert such STA into a conventional modification of Microsoft's satellite earth station license over time. Note that operations under an STA will not have the same level of regulatory protection from harmful interference as would be available under a conventional authorization. Microsoft reserves the right to pursue similar regulatory options in other jurisdictions, where available, to expedite the provision of service, at its sole discretion. Microsoft doesn't guarantee the successful acquisition of conventional authorizations, temporary authorizations, or conversions of temporary authorizations to conventional authorizations. Microsoft isn't responsible for the scope or enforcement of any protection against harmful interference or other signal protection.

3. Azure Orbital Ground Station Eligibility/Application. Azure Orbital Ground Station is available only to qualified customers. Qualifications vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and may include (for example) documentation of space-station licensing, where applicable; documentation of market access or landing rights, where applicable; remote sensing authorization, where applicable; and/or documentation the eligible satellite has completed ITU coordination, notification, and recording in the ITU master registry. Azure Orbital Ground Station does not include assistance from Microsoft in attaining national market access or landing rights, except with respect to the provision of information regarding our satellite earth station. Depending on the jurisdiction, additional information may be required from you to enable Microsoft to complete any necessary application required to enable your satellite to downlink to Microsoft's licensed satellite earth station. You agree to cooperate with a Microsoft representative in collecting necessary information and in responding in a complete and timely manner to any follow-up information request from regulatory agencies or other stakeholders. By subscribing to Azure Orbital Ground Station, you represent to Microsoft that you meet the qualifications required in your jurisdiction.

4. Microsoft v. Partner Site Selection. Microsoft Azure Orbital Ground Station leverages a network of ground stations owned by Microsoft or its program partners. Microsoft may provide advice on the stations (or combination of Microsoft and partner stations) to provision your services depending on the specific geographic coverage and frequencies you request.

5. Compliance Responsibilities. Without limiting any legal or regulatory compliance obligations elsewhere in your agreement governing use of Microsoft Azure, you are fully responsible for:

a. Complying with any limitations, restrictions or conditions that may apply to your regulatory authorization in any country in which you use Azure Orbital Ground Station.

b. Obtaining and renewing any licenses or permissions in each relevant jurisdiction required for your use of the service, including underlying telecommunications authorization, notification, or registration; underlying authorization for earth observation; obtaining market access and the like.

6. Service Suspension/Termination. Without limiting any other right of suspension or termination under the your agreement governing use of Microsoft Azure, Microsoft reserves the right to terminate or suspend your access to Azure Orbital Ground Station if, in its sole discretion, Microsoft has reason to believe you breached any of these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms and or any of the licenses or permissions required to use this service, or failed to secure or renew necessary authorizations. If your access to Azure Orbital Ground Station is terminated, then all rights and access to Azure Orbital Ground Station will terminate unless otherwise described in these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms, and all fees owed are immediately due as stated in the final invoice.

7. Terms Unique to the US Federal Government. If any provision of these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms or, if any provision incorporated by reference herein (a) allows for the automatic renewal of services and/or fees; (b) requires the governing law to be anything other than US Federal law; or (c) otherwise violates applicable US Federal law, then, such provision(s) shall not apply. If any provision of these Azure Orbital Ground Station Supplemental Terms, or incorporated by reference herein, contains an indemnification provision, such provision shall not apply as to the United States indemnifying Microsoft or any other party.