When non‑space people hear “satellite internet”, they often imagine everything in orbit being permanently online, just like their phone. In reality, most low‑Earth orbit (LEO) satellites still live in an intermittent world. They gather data continuously, but can only send it home during short windows when they pass over a compatible ground station. Between those passes, they are effectively offline.​

PermaSat exists to change that. The team is developing a connectivity layer that lets small satellites plug into existing broadband constellations using the emerging 5G‑NTN standard, so user satellites can stay connected far more of the time and behave more like devices in a modern mobile network than isolated spacecraft.​

Plugging Satellites into Other Satellites

The technology foundation for PermaSat is 5G‑NTN (Non‑Terrestrial Networks). An extension of the 5G standard that supports satellite and high‑altitude platforms as part of the same global connectivity ecosystem. In simple terms, it allows:

• User terminals in space (small satellites) to behave like “devices” in a mobile network.
• Large LEO constellations to act as “cell towers” handling connectivity and backhaul.

Instead of building their own downlink infrastructure, satellite operators would:

1. Integrate PermaSat’s radio into their spacecraft.
2. Use PermaSat’s software stack to authenticate and connect to compatible 5G‑NTN constellations.
3. Treat connectivity as a service, focusing on payloads and data, not on maintaining ground stations.​

For non‑engineers, the team summarises it as: “we plug satellites into other satellites.”

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Where Always‑On Satellites Matter Most

One of the clearest use cases the team highlights is Earth observation for disaster monitoring. Consider:

• A wildfire spreading across a remote region.
• A flood event rapidly evolving over hours.
• A storm damaging coastal infrastructure.

Today, an Earth‑observation satellite may capture images of such events but cannot deliver them until it next passes over a ground station. That delay can be measured in hours. By the time the data is processed and distributed, conditions on the ground may have changed significantly.​

With a PermaSat‑style connectivity layer, satellites could push imagery and derived products as soon as they are generated. This provides near‑real‑time updates as a disaster evolves and enables responders to adjust tactics based on the latest information rather than on delayed snapshots.​

Beyond disaster response, more continuous connectivity could change what is possible in maritime communications, remote infrastructure monitoring, climate services and many other domains where latency and responsiveness matter.

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From Master’s Thesis to ESA BIC Denmark

PermaSat’s journey began in academia. The core concept grew out of a master’s thesis in electrical engineering, where the founders spent nearly two years exploring how 5G‑style connectivity could be extended to small satellites, followed by months of prototyping and testing to prove that the idea was technically feasible.​

PermaSat is now part of the ESA BIC Denmark incubation programme, which supports startups that apply space technologies and standards in new ways. This support allows the team to refine their hardware and software stack, validate it with potential customers and navigate the regulatory and interoperability challenges that come with any new communications technology.

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A Different “Normal” for LEO Missions

The founders sum up their ambition simply: they want PermaSat to be the default choice for new small‑satellite companies; the way to get “internet in orbit” without reinventing connectivity from scratch.

If that happens, LEO will not just be more accessible. It will be more responsive, more service‑oriented and more aligned with how people already expect connected devices to behave.