Technology

Swissto12 has signed a new ka-band solid-state power amplifiers (SSPAs) deal with Thales, the company announced Jan. 31. These amplifiers will be a key component of the antenna link between Earth and Swissto12’s HummingSat range of next generation, small-sized Geostationary telecommunications satellites. The SSPA amplifiers from Thales will be part of the array antenna of...

LeoLabs entered a new space radar into service, the West Australian Space Radar (WASR), giving the company coverage of the Southern Hemisphere in the Indo-Pacific region. The new site will enable better tracking and monitoring of median to high inclination resident space objects in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO), along with the Kiwi Space Radar in New...

In-Space Missions has signed a new partnership deal in Asia, as it looks to bounce back after the recent Virgin Orbit launch failure in the United Kingdom, which it had designed and built the two Prometheus-2 satellites for. The company announced Jan. 25 that it is teaming up with Singapore Space Technologies Ltd (SSTL) to...

When things just work, isn’t that really a thing of beauty? When things work, we’re able to do more, to achieve more. We progress. We improve. However, sometimes to get things to work, often means people and organizations collaborating and working together for the greater good. In the ground segment of the satellite industry, it...

Japanese space startup Warpspace has signed an order for a small number of Mynaric Condor Mk3 terminals. Warpspace plans to use the terminals to establish a commercial optical data relay network for Earth observation satellites. Product delivery is scheduled for 2023, 2024, and 2025.  “Warpspace is building a highly capable optical data relay network in...

Intellian and OneWeb recently demonstrated Intellian’s flat panel user terminal on OneWeb’s commercial network. The companies reported the terminal achieved the maximum download and upload speeds supported by the OneWeb system in full duplex mode operation, with seamless beam hand-overs and satellite hand-overs.  The companies announced this month that the over-the-air demonstration took place at...

CesiumAstro has acquired TXMission, a company based in the United Kingdom that develops software-defined radios and modems for satellites. CesiumAstro, which builds ​​active phased arrays, said the deal will help the company expand to Europe and improve its end-to-end communication solution.  CesiumAstro announced the deal Jan. 17, financial terms were not disclosed. TXMission’s office in...

Speedcast has won a key contract extension deal from the UK Ministry of Defence and Airbus, the company announced Jan. 10. Speedcast will provide gateway hosting services offering secure access to the SKYNET military satellite system from the Asia-Pacific region. Airbus is the trusted partner for the UK’s secure military satellite communications program. In 2016,...

Airbus and VDL Group are partnering to develop and manufacture a laser communication terminal for aircraft, to exchange data between aircraft, satellites, and ground terminals. The companies announced the UltraAir terminal on Tuesday, and expect to demonstrate a prototype with a first flight test in 2024. The technology is based on development led by Airbus...

Three European startups are working together to demonstrate a collision avoidance system in orbit, bringing together a manufacturer, space mobility provider and situational awareness company.  Neuraspace, Ienai Space, and EnduroSat announced plans on Monday for the demonstration. The mission combines the capabilities of Portuguese situational awareness company Neuraspace, Spanish propulsion/mobility company Ienai Space, and Bulgarian...