Apple’s top iPhone supplier goes to outer space with new satellites
The largest iPhone manufacturer in the world is taking a trip to space. Read More…
From Vandenberg Space Force Base in southern California, two prototype low-Earth orbit satellites manufactured by Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., popularly known as Foxconn, launched on a SpaceX rocket on Saturday.
The Taiwanese electronics firm is expanding into new industries, and the launch of the LEO satellites is a significant step in that direction. This move is becoming more urgent as some of its more established businesses, including laptops and smartphones, are having trouble. Foxconn wants to show off its satellite technology in order to meet the increasing demand for space-based connectivity.
Although Space Exploration Technologies Corp., led by Elon Musk, has produced and launched over 5,000 low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for its Starlink constellation, Foxconn is making a wager that it will be able to produce satellites mainly for commercial and public sector customers.
The satellites, which were created in collaboration with Taiwan’s National Central University, are roughly the size of a rucksack, weigh about 20 pounds apiece, and are equipped with cameras, radios, and other hardware. Their intended orbital period is 96 minutes, with a height of 520 kilometres (323 miles).
fresh development
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu sought diversification strategies after succeeding founder Terry Gou in 2019. He concentrated on robotics, digital health, and electric cars in addition to artificial intelligence, semiconductors, and communications satellite technology.
In an interview with Bloomberg Businessweek, Liu stated, “I needed to find some something so that the company is able to grow for the next 10, 15 years.”
According to projections published by Bloomberg News, revenue at Foxconn, the third-largest private employer in the world behind Walmart Inc. and Amazon.com Inc., is predicted to decline by roughly 6% this year to NT$6.2 trillion (US$192bil).
Purchase book
According to Tim Farrar, president of Telecom, Media and Finance Associates Inc., a consulting firm in Menlo Park, California, customers can wait a long time between orders for LEO satellites, making the business much less predictable than Apple Inc., which needs millions of iPhones every quarter and updates models frequently. Roughly two of every three iPhones produced worldwide are made by Foxconn.
According to him, “unless you can find another one that comes along at the right moment, your life can be very difficult” for an outsourcing manufacturer like Foxconn.
According to Farrar, government orders might offer Foxconn some security as it expands its satellite industry.
According to Foxconn, “that will be OK if the Taiwanese government gives us a baseline of orders every year.”
As part of a proposal to create space-based substitutes for the underwater cables that supply the majority of the island’s Internet connections, Taiwan is developing a plan to launch its first low-Earth orbit (LEO) communication satellite.
As they need real-time communication technology, Foxconn’s electric vehicle division will provide further support, according to Jason Wang, a Foxconn analyst at MasterLink Securities Corp. in Taipei.
According to him, “unless you can find another one that comes along at the right moment, your life can be very difficult” for an outsourcing manufacturer like Foxconn.
According to Farrar, government orders might offer Foxconn some security as it expands its satellite industry.
According to Foxconn, “that will be OK if the Taiwanese government gives us a baseline of orders every year.”
As part of a proposal to create space-based substitutes for the underwater cables that supply the majority of the island’s Internet connections, Taiwan is developing a plan to launch its first low-Earth orbit (LEO) communication satellite.
As they need real-time communication technology, Foxconn’s electric vehicle division will provide further support, according to Jason Wang, a Foxconn analyst at MasterLink Securities Corp. in Taipei.
