Ground Control Systems

11/03/2026

Building with the RockBLOCK 9704 on Zephyr? Scott Penrose has shared something you'll want to see.

To get the 9704 into WII6, his sixth generation Antarctic wave buoy, Scott built https://github.com/SH3D/rockblock9704-zephyr. It's a community-built, open source module that wraps our official 9704 library, exactly as published, for the Zephyr RTOS.

It gives you a devicetree binding on any UART and a thread-safe API, with one worker thread owning the library. Every request has a timeout and can be canceled. There's an rb9704 shell, including spy to log every JSPR line, plus a simulated modem and one pytest suite that runs across Python, native_sim and real hardware.

It's MIT licensed, runs on STM32U5 and ESP32-S3, and powers buoys built to survive months on Antarctic sea ice.

This is exactly what we hoped for when we open-sourced the 9704 library. Thank you, Scott!

Read how it all fits together: https://www.groundcontrol.com/case-studies/measuring-antarctic-sea-ice-waves-with-rockblock/

11/02/2026

When GNSS interference affects a vessel, the biggest risk may be the navigational information the crew continues to trust.

Modern bridge systems share navigation data to give crews a clearer picture of their surroundings, but when that data is compromised by jamming or spoofing, the consequences can extend beyond the chart display - influencing AIS, radar overlays, and other connected systems.

So how can vessel operators maintain confidence in their position when GNSS can no longer be trusted?

In our blog, we explore why genuine navigational resilience requires more than detecting GNSS interference, and how an independent Iridium PNT reference can help crews identify discrepancies and assess the integrity of their position data for reliable navigational resilience at sea: https://ow.ly/KFjX50ZXyIV

10/30/2026

LoRaWAN is a low cost and effective way to cover a remote reservoir or water site with sensors. But without cellular or fixed internet, how does the gateway get its data to the cloud?

Our latest blog compares three answers: satellite broadband, point-to-point radio, and low-power satellite messaging. Our guide covers the practical side, including whether you need IP or message-based backhaul, how to run a gateway on solar or battery power, and how to build kit that survives heat, water, dust, corrosion and vibration.

If you're in remote water site management, it's a must-read:

Blog: https://ow.ly/rhyR51012fu
Guide: https://ow.ly/2Fcw51012fw

If you're using LoRaWAN to connect sensors, we have satellite-enabled, low latency solutions for backhauling your gateway data.

10/29/2026

GNSS interference is creating real challenges for maritime operators, from unreliable position data to uncertainty over whether a vessel’s reported location can be trusted. For commercial shipping and maritime security, this has important implications for navigational safety, situational awareness and operational decision-making.

The October 2026 issue of Ocean News & Technology Magazine examines the threats facing GNSS-dependent navigation, positioning and communications, and the growing need for greater resilience across maritime operations. It makes for a thought-provoking read: https://ow.ly/YaOB50ZYUZP

10/28/2026

An icebreaker stops beside an Antarctic ice floe. A buoy is carried out by crane or helicopter and spiked into the snow. Then the ship leaves, and nobody ever goes back for it.

For months, that buoy drifts with the ice, measuring how ocean waves crack and break it apart. Every result has to come home by satellite while the buoy is still alive.

Since 2012, Scott Penrose of Digital Dimensions has built the Waves In Ice buoys that do this job, and every generation has used RockBLOCK. Their first array produced the first digital wave measurements from inside the Antarctic ice pack, published in Nature.

The 2026 season put them to the test. Ten buoys went onto the ice in January and reported until August, sending 21,415 messages over Iridium. Temperatures inside the cases dropped to -22.7°C, and one buoy kept reporting its position for 44 days on a nearly flat battery.

For the sixth generation, WII6, Scott has moved to the RockBLOCK 9704 and built an open-source Zephyr module for it, free for any developer to use.

Read the full story: https://www.groundcontrol.com/case-studies/measuring-antarctic-sea-ice-waves-with-rockblock/

10/26/2026

Early warning systems work only when they can reach the people who need to act. In remote forests, conservation areas, and wildfire-prone landscapes, unreliable cellular coverage can create a critical gap between detecting a change and responding.

Satellite IoT enables sensors to report environmental conditions and send alerts from locations where terrestrial networks cannot provide dependable coverage. This can help monitoring teams identify developing risks, prioritise field visits and make better use of limited resources.

Ground Control explored how satellite connectivity can support remote conservation and wildfire monitoring, where timely information can make a meaningful difference to operational decisions. Read the article: https://www.groundcontrol.com/blog/satellite-iot-wildfire-monitoring-remote-conservation

How satellite IoT closes the last mile gap in remote wildfire monitoring, delivering sensor alerts beyond cellular coverage

10/23/2026

Jammertest 2026, Andøya, Norway. The world’s largest GNSS resilience test bed, and the real conditions to match: full power jamming, live spoofing, and a jammer named Porcus Major sitting on the hill above the test site.

We took RockBLOCK APNT and RockFLEET Assured into it. Here’s what happened.

10/22/2026

Satellite IoT security depends on the whole data path: device to satellite, satellite to ground, and ground to your application.

The controls you check depend on the service. IP services (such as Iridium Certus 100): routing, segmentation, VPN handoff, firewalling and allowlisting.

Message-based services (such as Iridium SBD and IMT): payload encryption, message signing, anti-replay checks, device identity and restricted ingress.

They're the same security goals, but with different control points. Happily, our guide has a checklist for each: https://www.groundcontrol.com/guides/how-to-secure-satellite-iot-data-end-to-end/

10/21/2026

Can your data logger send an email? Then it can already send data over satellite.

One of the biggest hurdles in remote monitoring isn't usually the satellite link - it's integration: custom protocols, firmware changes, and stitching files back together at the other end.

RockREMOTE Mini runs a local SMTP server on its Ethernet port, so loggers that already support email delivery can point their existing output at it. From there, RockREMOTE Mini compresses each attachment (up to 165 KB) and sends it over the Iridium network, straight into Cloudloop Data.

What that means in practice:

No custom protocol to write
No firmware changes on the logger
Complete files arrive as files, ready for your existing systems

In our blog, Michael from our engineering team walks through real integrations with Campbell Scientific and NRG Systems loggers, including the settings you'll need to change. (Spoiler: it's not many.)

If you're running hydrology stations, met masts, environmental sensors or any remote site beyond reliable cellular coverage, this is worth a read: https://www.groundcontrol.com/blog/satellite-data-delivery-for-any-logger-rockremote-minis-smtp-server/

Use RockREMOTE Mini’s SMTP server to send complete data logger files over Iridium, without custom protocols, firmware changes or file reconstruction.

10/20/2026

SBD or IMT?

Short Burst Data (Iridium 9603) sends messages of up to 340 bytes at 2.4 kbps. It remains a cost effective option for very small payloads like asset tracking and simple sensor readings.

Iridium Messaging Transport (Iridium Certus 9704) handles up to 100 kB at 4.8 kbps, with 83% lower idle power than the 9603. It suits larger payloads such as data logger files, SCADA readings and machinery telemetry.

In this clip, we look at RockBLOCK 9704: production-ready IMT with sleep mode for solar and battery use, C, Python and Arduino libraries, and management through Cloudloop.

Full comparison: https://www.groundcontrol.com/blog/new-iridium-certus-9704-transceiver/