It appears that on 16 July SpaceX approached Swarm Technologies with a purchase offer that would see it become a “direct wholly-owned subsidiary” of SpaceX. The deal was revealed in a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) filing concerning the transfer of ownership of the Swarm space- and Earth-station licenses from Swarm to SpaceX. At this time Swarm has raised nearly US$28 million and over 100 of its 150 authorised satellites.
The purchase of Swarm will give SpaceX access to its 137–138 MHz and 148–150.05 MHz bands used for narrowband Satellite-IoT services.
Comment by Matt Wilson: This may eventually lead to Swarm transponders appearing on later versions of Starlink satellites. An additional potential benefit to SpaceX through the purchase may be Swarm IP and technology around its beacons and ground stations.
