Geely’s aerospace arm bolstered its IoT constellation with the launch of 11 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, advancing an ambition to achieve global coverage for connected vehicles, maritime vessels and other machines.

The batch of birds were launched on a single rocket from near Rizhao, in the Shandong province of China, on 9 August and have subsequently entered their designated orbits.

It brings the number in Geespace’s GeeSatCom network to 41. In the next two months, Geely expects to expand the number of operational satellites to 64, achieving “comprehensive global satellite IoT coverage” apart from in the polar regions.

The company is targeting a constellation of 72 birds in the first phase of its project, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Geely credited LEO communications with “rapidly transforming strategic industries including connected vehicles, urban air mobility, emergency response, maritime operations and energy infrastructure”.

In the parent company’s core business of vehicles, it noted satellite IoT is being used to enhance automation and connectivity, providing “critical data support for advanced driver assistance systems” and other platforms to improve “travel safety and convenience”.

The company highlighted it is also pioneering integrated applications across many other sectors including sea vessels, low-altitude aircraft and construction equipment.

Geespace has deals in place for GeeSatCom with mobile operators across 20 markets in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.