Kineis

​​​​​​Kinéis is a French satellite IoT operator spin-off from the Centre National d'études Spatiales (CNES). It provides global connectivity for the IoT through its constellation of nanosatellites. ​​​​Kinéis' technology enables precise connectivity and location tracking of objects anywhere on the planet, including areas not covered by terrestrial networks, which account for about 85% of the Earth's surface.

The company's core offering is a constellation of 25 nanosatellites, weighing 30 kg each, in low-Earth orbit (LEO) at an altitude of 650 kilometers. As of September 2024, ​​​​Kinéis had successfully launched 10 of these satellites aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket, with plans to complete the full constellation by 2025 and begin providing initial services with its first 10 satellites in January 2025. 

The company operates the constellation from 20 ground stations, providing near real-time data transmission and connectivity for various applications. ​​​​Kinéis' satellite IoT technology serves multiple industries, including transportation and logistics, oil and gas, agriculture, environmental monitoring, and energy and utilities.

The company's solutions allow tracking assets, monitoring activities, and receiving alerts, even in remote or inaccessible areas. These solutions can be used for locating rail cars, monitoring herds, detecting forest fires, or tracking ships at sea.

In addition to its new proprietary constellation, ​​​​Kinéis has been managing the ARGOS satellite monitoring system since 2018, which consists of seven satellites in LEO. The ARGOS system started in 1978 as a collaboration between CNES and the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Key customers and partnerships 

​​​​Kinéis partnered with Dhruva Space in January 2023 to provide space-based IoT connectivity in India, with plans to launch ​​​​Kinéis payloads on the P30 satellite. The company also collaborated with Unabiz in March 2023 to provide satellite IoT connectivity for logistics and transportation applications.

In April 2023, ​​​​Kinéis teamed up with Dryad Networks to develop satellite-based solutions for wildfire early detection, addressing environmental challenges. ​​​​Kinéis also partnered with Semtech in May 2024 to revolutionize access to satellite connectivity with a new terrestrial IoT chip, expanding the potential applications of their technology.