RockREMOTE UAV OEM
RockREMOTE UAV OEM is a compact, lightweight satellite gateway for UAV manufacturers building reliable BVLOS connectivity into fixed wing, VTOL and advanced RPAS platforms. It integrates into space and weight constrained airframes and provides Certus 100 IP and Iridium Messaging Transport for command, control, telemetry and aircraft status data beyond cellular or radio coverage.
Key Capabilities
RockREMOTE UAV OEM keeps unmanned aircraft connected for command, control and telemetry beyond cellular coverage.
Add Iridium Certus 100 connectivity to fixed-wing, VTOL and RPAS platforms
Use IP connectivity or IMT messaging for payloads up to 100,000 bytes
Connect flight controllers, companion computers, sensors and avionics
Support compact aircraft designs with a 10–30 V DC input
Configure locally and manage deployed terminals through Cloudloop
Build the Right Satellite Link Into Your UAV
RockREMOTE UAV OEM integrates inside the aircraft to provide satellite command, control and telemetry beyond cellular or radio coverage. Its compact format suits tightly enclosed fuselage spaces, with flexible mounting on standoffs, rails or within internal equipment bays.
Whether you’re building industrial BVLOS aircraft for inspection, delivery or environmental missions, or developing systems for controlled airspace and government programmes, you can choose the link architecture that fits the mission. Efficient IMT messaging supports smaller aircraft and lower power budgets, while optional Certus 100 IP meets more demanding data requirements.
The same platform can scale into advanced RPAS designs, including Class II and Group 4-5 architectures. Its suitability for EASA Specific and Certified RPAS provides a path from smaller UAV deployments to larger, regulated operations.

Plan Your UAV Integration
Connect RockREMOTE UAV OEM to your autopilot, companion computer or onboard controller through UART or Ethernet. It carries your telemetry or custom data packets unchanged, while MAVLink handling stays within your flight system.
Choose a UAV-suitable Certus antenna, provide a clear view of the sky, and mount the module securely inside the fuselage. You’ll also need suitable power protection and filtering for your aircraft.
Cloudloop supports setup, diagnostics and remote management as you move from development to deployment. We’ve more information here from the review on ArduPilot MAVLink telemetry tested over Iridium Certus 100, using the RockREMOTE UAV OEM .
Compare UAV Hardware Options
RockREMOTE UAV OEM
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RockREMOTE UAV
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RockBLOCK 9603
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RockBLOCK 9704
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| Best Fit | Embedded IP and IMT connectivity for production airframes. | Enclosed IP and IMT terminal for larger UAVs and retrofits. | Lightweight SBD messaging for small UAV telemetry and status data. | Low power IMT for larger telemetry payloads and two way messaging. |
| Form Factor | Integrator PCB assembly | Aluminum enclosure | Compact bare board SBD modem | OEM PCB assembly, available as ANT or SMA |
| Dimensions | 155.8 x 77.2 x 42.5 mm | 166.5 x 74.5 x 51.5mm | 45 x 45 x 16 mm | SMA: 48 x 52 x 16 mm / ANT: 72 x 72 x 16.5 mm |
| Weight | 288g | 646g | 39g | SMA: <35 g, excluding antenna / ANT: <50 g, including patch antenna |
| Environmental | None. Install within your airframe. | IP66 | None. Install within your airframe. | None. Install within your airframe. |
| Operating Temperature | –40°C to +70°C, ≤95% RH | –40°C to +70°C, ≤95% RH | –40°C to +85°C | –40°C to +70°C, <95% RH |
| Power Input | 10–30 V DC | 10–30 V DC or PoE+ | 5 V DC or 3.7 V Li-ion | 4.0–5.3 V DC, 3.6–4.5 V battery or 5 V USB-C |
| Power Consumption | Sleep: <36/75 mW at 12/24 V, Idle: 300 mW typical, Transmit: 7.25 W average | Sleep: <36/75 mW at 12/24 V, Idle: 300 mW typical, Transmit: 7.25 W average | Sleep: approx 73–100 µA, Idle: approx 40–50 mA, Initial charging: approx 500 mA | Sleep: <5 mW, Idle: approx 60 mW, Transmit: approx 1.4 W |
| Satellite Connectivity | Iridium Certus 100 IP and IMT | Iridium Certus 100 IP and IMT | Iridium Short Burst Data | Iridium Messaging Transport |
| Message Size | IMT messages from 1 to 100,000 bytes, plus IP traffic | IMT messages from 1 to 100,000 bytes, plus IP traffic | Up to 340 bytes sent and 270 bytes received | IMT messages from 10 to 100,000 bytes |
| Host Interface | 10/100 Ethernet and RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485 through the 30-way header | 10/100 Ethernet and configurable RS-232 or RS-485 | LVTTL UART, 3.3 V logic and 5 V tolerant, through a Molex PicoBlade header | TTL UART or USB-C serial bridge through the 16-way header |
| Additional I/O | Four GPIO channels, currently in development | Four GPIO channels, currently in development | Network Available, Ring Indicator and On/Off control signals | Five digital inputs and three digital outputs |
| Antenna Options | Customer integrated Certus and GNSS antennas through MMCX and U.FL connections | External Certus antenna through TNC and GNSS antenna through SMA | Integrated patch antenna or SMA connection for an external antenna | ANT version with integrated patch antenna, or SMA version for an approved external antenna |
| Host Controller Required | Yes. Connect to your autopilot, companion computer or onboard controller | Yes. Connect to your autopilot, companion computer or onboard controller | Yes. Your host controls the modem and prepares SBD messages | Yes. Your host prepares application data and controls communications |
| Developer Support | OEM integration guide, CAD files, developer interface board, APIs and technical documentation | Technical documentation, Bluetooth configuration and Cloudloop APIs | AT command set, integration documentation and RockBLOCK web services | C, Python and Arduino libraries, examples and Cloudloop Data integration |
| Remote Device Management | Cloudloop Device Manager (CDM) for remote configuration, diagnostics, logs and firmware updates | CDM for remote configuration, diagnostics, logs and firmware updates | No CDM | Cloudloop for activation, airtime and data routing; no CDM configuration or firmware control |
| Get In Touch | View Product | View Product | View Product |
Technical Essentials
Use these headline specifications to assess RockREMOTE UAV OEM’s fit with your product architecture, available space, power budget and data requirements.
Certus 100 IP and IMT
Use Certus 100 IP for network based applications or IMT for efficient two way telemetry, alerts, status reports, commands and files.
22 Kbps Up / 88 Kbps Down
Transfer standard IP traffic over Iridium Certus 100 through the customer integrated 10/100 Ethernet connection.
25 Bytes to 100 KB per IMT Message
Send small aircraft status messages or larger data packages, with payload size matched to the mission.
Single 30-Way Integration Header
Connect power, Ethernet, serial and GPIO through one 30-way, 2.0 mm-pitch header. (The customer’s interface hardware must provide the magnetics required to complete the Ethernet connection).
Your Data Format
Transport MAVLink, proprietary telemetry or custom packets over UART or IP. Protocol parsing, routing and telemetry shaping remain within your flight system.
Ethernet, Serial, GPIO and Bluetooth
Connect your autopilot, companion computer or onboard controller through 10/100 Ethernet or configurable RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485. Bluetooth 5.0 supports local setup.
10–30 V DC And Low Power Operation
Integrate with your aircraft power supply and reduce consumption between transmissions using sleep and receive modes.
Compact OEM Assembly
Plan for a 155.8 × 77.2 × 42.5 mm assembly weighing 288 g, designed for integration within your airframe or equipment bay.
Customer Integrated Antennas
Select and position suitable Certus and GNSS antennas with the clear sky view required for reliable satellite and positioning performance.
Local And Remote Device Management
Configure locally over Bluetooth, then use Cloudloop Device Manager for remote configuration, diagnostics, log retrieval and firmware updates.
Product Specifications
Aircraft Integration
- Product Format
- OEM PCBA with mounting chassis for integration inside your airframe
- Main Connector
- Single 30-way, 2.0 mm-pitch integration header
- Connections
- Power, Ethernet, serial and GPIO
- Serial Interface
- Configurable RS-232, RS-422 or RS-485
- GPIO
- Four software-selectable input or output channels
- Bluetooth
- Bluetooth 5.0 for local configuration through RockCONNECT IoT
- GNSS
- Integrated multi-constellation GNSS using an external antenna
- Telemetry Formats
- Carries MAVLink, proprietary telemetry or custom data without interpreting the protocol
- Local Configuration
- Bluetooth, serial AT commands or configuration file transfer
- Local APIs
- Access supported device information, including connection status and Iridium signal strength
- Remote Management
- Configuration, diagnostics, log retrieval and firmware updates through Cloudloop Device Manager
Power, Antennas and Cabling
- Input Voltage
- 10–30 V DC through the 30-way header
- Sleep Consumption
- Less than 36 mW at 12 V or 75 mW at 24 V
- Idle Consumption
- 300 mW typical in receive mode
- Average Transmit Consumption
- 7.25 W
- Peak Current Draw
- Less than 1.66 A at 12 V or 833 mA at 24 V, with a 10% duty cycle during Iridium transmission
- Power Integration
- You provide the power supply, filtering, protection and cabling for your aircraft
- Certus Antenna
- Approved external Iridium Certus 100 antenna required
- Certus Antenna Connection
- MMCX
- GNSS Antenna
- External GNSS antenna required for GNSS functionality
- GNSS Antenna Connection
- U.FL
- Antenna Integration
- You are responsible for antenna selection, positioning and RF cabling. Ground Control provides integration guidance
OEM Compliance
RockREMOTE UAV OEM is supplied for integration into your aircraft.
The customer is responsible for certification and compliance of the completed system, including the enclosure, power design, antenna installation, EMC performance and regional approvals.
Ground Control provides RF and EMC guidance and reviews the antenna, interface and power supply design against the essential requirements of Iridium certification, supporting the Iridium approval process.
Developer Support
Ground Control provides the developer documentation and technical support needed to move from evaluation to production integration, including:
- CAD models, mechanical drawings and connector pinouts
- Power, antenna and RF integration guidance
- Serial commands, local APIs and code examples
- An optional interface board for evaluation and prototyping
- Bluetooth configuration through RockCONNECT IoT
- Remote management through Cloudloop Device Manager
- IMT data delivery through Cloudloop Data
Communications
- Satellite Network
- Iridium
- Iridium Transceiver
- Iridium Certus 9770
- Satellite Services
- Iridium Certus 100 IP data and Iridium Messaging Transport
- Communication Type
- Two way IP or message based satellite communication
- Certus 100 Data Rate
- 22 Kbps upload and 88 Kbps download
- IMT Message Size
- Flexible payloads from 1 to 100,000 bytes
- Satellite SIM
- One standard 2FF Iridium satellite SIM slot
- IMT Data Delivery
- Messages can be delivered through Cloudloop Data to your application or chosen endpoint
Physical and Environmental
- Dimensions
- 155.8 × 77.2 × 42.5 mm
- Weight
- 288 g (0.635 lb)
- Ingress Protection
- Enclosed device is IP66 / OEM PCBA no rating
- Operating Temperature
- -40°C to +70°C, ≤95% relative humidity
- Mounting
- Four mounting points are provided on the assembly. The customer is responsible for the final mechanical installation and enclosure design
FAQs
It depends on the device selected. With the RockREMOTE UAV OEM, many small UAVs connect the module directly to the flight controller over UART, while larger RPAS or docking systems use a companion computer to manage packet formatting, logging or routing over IP. The ideal setup depends on how much control logic you want to run off-board.
For airborne use, integrators typically choose a lightweight, low profile Certus antenna mounted externally. The MMCX port supports these flight antennas. The stub antenna included with some developer kits is intended for bench use and is not recommended for flight, especially on SWaP-constrained airframes.
The unit includes pre-drilled mounting points for secure internal installation. Integrators commonly use vibration-resistant standoffs and ensure strain relief on power and RF cabling. Placement inside composite or carbon fuselages should consider antenna positioning (requires a clear view of the sky) and heat dissipation.
The module does not parse, generate or interpret MAVLink. It transports data via UART or IP exactly as received. MAVLink formatting, routing or telemetry shaping must be performed on the autopilot or companion computer.
Yes. The module passes through any custom format over UART or IP. For routine telemetry, many integrators choose IMT because it avoids continuous IP session overhead and provides more predictable, cost efficient message delivery. IP is typically used when working with companion computers or when larger payloads are required.
The module operates from 10-30 V DC and is designed for UAV electrical systems. UAVs with high-current propulsion or noisy ESCs may benefit from additional filtering or power conditioning to ensure clean supply under load.
Cloudloop Device Manager provides message logs, status information and diagnostics. Early testing is typically done using the developer kit interface board to validate wiring, message flow and power behaviour before installing the module inside the airframe.
For most UAV missions, IMT is the more cost efficient choice. It delivers message-based telemetry without the overhead of maintaining an IP session, making it ideal for routine BVLOS updates, position reporting and system health messages.
IP is typically used when working with a companion computer, sending larger or less frequent payloads, or when you need bidirectional IP-based interactions on the ground. Both interfaces are supported, but IMT generally offers predictable costs and simpler integration for flight telemetry.
Build Satellite Connectivity Into Your UAV
Integrate reliable satellite communications into your aircraft with a compact OEM gateway. Talk to our team about your interfaces, power budget, antenna design, data requirements and development plans to confirm the right integration approach.
Complete our online form or email hello@groundcontrol.com, and we’ll be in touch within one working day.