Multinational technology company Microsoft has established a partnership with SpaceX to expand a Cloud-computing platform into space.

The partnership comes almost a month after Microsoft expanded into the space industry, with the launch of Azure Orbital, a new service to enable satellite operators to have a complete platform to communicate with their satellites and process data from them.

This partnership will see Microsoft connect its Azure Cloud computing platform to SpaceX’s network of low-Earth satellites.

It will also provide high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband for the new Azure Modular Datacentre (MDC), and support O3B Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation O3b MEO.

Azure Global corporate vice-president Tom Keane said: “We have brought together a team of renowned space industry veterans to work alongside our world-class product engineers and scientists to build cloud capabilities that meet the unique needs of space. Our innovation areas include simulating space missions, discovering insights from satellite data, and fuelling innovation both on the ground and in orbit.

“By partnering with leaders in the space community, we will extend the utility of our Azure capabilities with worldwide satellite connectivity, unblock Cloud computing in more scenarios, and empower our partners and customers to achieve more.”

SpaceX recently launched another batch of Starlink internet satellites onboard the reusable, two-stage Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.

As of now, the company has launched more than 800 Starlink satellites, which is a part of the total required for coverage across the globe.