Focus: Ground Systems

Gilat Satellite Networks received a follow-on order for gateways for a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation worth more than $8 million. Gilat’s subsidiary, Wavestream, was chosen as the sole provider to supply gateway solid state power amplifiers (SSPAs) to a leading satellite operator to support the LEO constellation gateways.  Gilat announced the award on Monday. The...

The Space Development Agency (SDA) resorted to a cost-plus contract, rather than SDA’s normal fixed price arrangement, in awarding General Dynamics $324.5 million on May 26 for the ground Operations and Integration (O&I) segment for Tranche 1 of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). For the O&I contract, General Dynamics is teamed with Iridium Communications, Raytheon Technologies, Kongsberg Satellite...

Senegalese telecommunications provider Free in Senegal will build and host a new satellite gateway for Avanti Communication’s Hylas 4 satellite under a new agreement announced Monday.  The new gateway will extend the coverage of the Ka-band Hylas 4 satellite to Senegal and the neighboring West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Gambia, and...

Wyld Networks is helping develop IoT terminals to support a new satellite IoT network in the UAE, the company announced May 19. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has launched its first satellite called DEWA-SAT1 and Wyld Networks has partnered with DEWA R&D Centre and Infra X, the telecoms arm of Digital DEWA to...

Ground systems technology company ViaLite Communications won an expanded order for ViaLiteHD L-band links from an unnamed teleport operator in the United Arab Emirates. In a May 19th announcement, ViaLite said the expanded agreement comes after 15 years of business with the customer through its regional distributor, Symbolise. The Emirates-based teleport operator will use the...

The Digital Intermediate Frequency Interoperability Consortium (DIFI), an independent group advocating for interoperability between satellite and ground system networks, is working toward commercial adoption of its standard in 2022. The organization released its goals for 2022 on May 15.  Last year, DIFI consolidated two separate standards groups into one group to extend, adapt, improve, and...

Comtech Telecommunications recently established two new business lines focused on satellite ground technologies in a bid to capitalize on multi-orbit and supply chain trends in the satellite industry, business unit leaders tell Via Satellite.  Comtech Satellite Network Technologies, Inc., a U.S. corporation, is led by Daniel Gizinski and will be based in a new Comtech’...

Intellian Technologies is opening a new factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea as part of an expansion of its headquarters. The new factory is expected to be operational in August and will increase the satellite hardware company’s production and warehouse capacity by three times.  The new factory is four kilometers away from the existing factory. Both...

The ground segment is experiencing tectonic shifts in the marketplace with emerging technology and new business models. These conversations were front and center at SATELLITE 2022. In this article, Shaun Waterman rounds up the top points from ground technology discussions at SATELLITE. As satellite operators have wrestled with the commoditization of bandwidth, they’ve sought to...

Measat is working with Reach Ten Communication on the new Measat-3d high throughput satellite (HTS) East Malaysia Gateway project, Measat announced April 21. The project is scheduled to be launched in June 2022. When operational, Measat-3d will enable cost-effective high-speed broadband in areas without any terrestrial network nationwide, with speeds of up to 100 Mbps....