However, a lot remains unknown and unclear about the project. The iPhone maker apparently has hired a team of aerospace engineers and satellite designers, according to Bloomberg. The report also said that the project is still in its early stages and could be abandoned. Apple, although, didn't comment on it.
Can it be a giant leap for Apple?
It is still unclear if Apple wants to make its own satellites or just use others' satellite date that it intends to directly beam to the devices of the users. The report further says that Apple's project could well be aimed at developing only the transmission devices or its equipment on the ground to enable data transmission for orbital communication equipment.
That said, Apple in that case will becomes the latest entrant in the already-crowded but tempting aerospace market that also boasts names like Tesla and Amazon. The company has apparently hired a dozen of engineers from the satellite and aerospace industry that includes names like Michael Trela and John Fenwick.
Terla is the Google's former head of satellite engineering, while Fenwick is the former head of spacecraft operations at Google. Also, per the report, the tech giant has roped in Matt Ettus, founder of which wireless networking equipment company Ettus Research.
Aerospace market heats up
Although Apple's plans are not clear the race to capture a bigger pie in the lucrative aerospace industry is fast heating up. The space industry is projected to grow at a massive pace over the next three decades. This has seen a number of players joining the race.
In the 1990s, Bill Gates was one of the first to explore this market, when Microsoft helped in funding Teledesic, in a bid to create low-earth satellites to provide internet service. Although the company shut shop in 2002, a number of tech giants have entered the market in the past few years.
Last year, Elon Musk owned SpaceX launched the first two satellites of its Starlink network. Earlier this year Amazon said that it Project Kuiper plans to create 3,236 satellites that could provide global internet access. The R&D headquarters of the project will be at Washington. Given the new report, Apple isn't only the new entrant but could well change the entire ballgame.
