How It Works

Your Bluetooth® device transmits directly to a Hubble satellite as it passes overhead, using the same 2.4 GHz radio that it already has.

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How the Satellite Network Works

A device beaconing on Satellite Network uses the same 2.4 GHz Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) radio it already has to transmit a small, encrypted packet directly to a passing low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellite — no dedicated satellite hardware required. The Hubble Device SDK manages pass timing: the device wakes when a satellite is overhead, transmits a custom payload using the Hubble protocol, then resumes normal operation, such as beaconing on Terrestrial Network. The satellite downlinks the packet to a ground station when in range. From there, Hubble's backend decrypts the device ID and delivers the payload through the same API and dashboard used for Terrestrial Network.

Your
Device

Beacons with encrypted custom payload during satellite pass

Hubble Protocol

Hubble Constellation

Hubble Satellite

Packet detected from orbit during pass (one or more opportunities per day)

Downlink

Hubble
Backend

Receives encrypted packet with custom payload and timestamp

API / Webhook

Customer
Application

Receives decrypted packet with custom payload and timestamp

Devices transmit based on satellite pass opportunities. Using satellite ephemeris data (orbital parameters for each satellite in the constellation), the Hubble Device SDK computes the next pass opportunity entirely on-device and schedules transmission for the start of that window. The constellation offers at least one transmit opportunity per day, with each pass window lasting 3–5 minutes. During a pass, the device transmits the same packet multiple times across the window to maximize the chance of a successful capture. Once a satellite receives the packet, it downlinks to a ground station when in range, with end-to-end delivery typically within 6 hours.