Focus: Ground Systems

Two different working groups of satellite companies have put out calls for an interoperability standard for space and ground system networks.  The Digital Interface Standards (DIS) working group, representing Communications & Power Industries (CPI), Datum Systems, Gilat Satellite Networks, SES, ST Engineering iDirect, Wavestream, and Data Path, published an open letter on Wednesday calling for...

Intelsat has certified ThinKom Solutions‘ land-mobile ThinSat 300 phased-array antenna for use on the operator’s FlexMove government satellite network. ThinKom completed a series of over-the-air tests at Intelsat’s Mountainside Teleport in Maryland with Intelsat General. As a result, the operator fully authorized ThinSat 300 for use with Intelsat’s FlexMove — a tiered-service offering built around...

Lockheed Martin unveiled a new type of satellite dish technology on Aug. 23 that the company says is applicable for a wide range of use cases on satellites and ground terminals, including space-based 5G. The new dish, called a Wide Angle ESA Fed Reflector (WAEFR) antenna, is a hybrid of a phased array Electronically Steerable...

Kymeta and Comtech Telecommunications have integrated their technologies in a new business development partnership. The companies announced Aug. 25 that Comtech’s UHP-200 Universal Satellite Router and the Kymeta u8 terminal are compatible.  Comtech completed the acquisition of UHP Networks and its product line in March 2021, strengthening its Very Small Aperture Terminal (VSAT) offerings. As...

Inmarsat has approved the Paradigm HORNET 100GX terminal for use over the Global Xpress (GX) network for commercial and military Ka-band. The approval was announced Aug. 26. The HORNET 100GX flyaway terminal is a compact-sized mobile multi-band solution supplied with the PIM (Paradigm Interface Module). Paradigm says this module is designed to simplify operation, reduce operating...

Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation operator OneWeb unveiled a new user terminal on Tuesday that it developed with partners Intellian Technologies and Collins Aerospace. The new terminal, OW1, is a low-power, compact, and electronically steered antenna designed to receive OneWeb’s high-speed internet connectivity for global businesses, governments, and communities in both populated and remote locations....

Smallsats, new orbits, and mega-constellations have revolutionized the satellite industry space segment in recent years. The pace of technological change has led some to question whether the ground segment can keep up. But away from the spotlight, a series of innovations in antenna technology, waveform processing and system design have been quietly starting a revolution...

Spacecom and Get SAT have demonstrated the Get SAT Micro Sling Blade Electronically Steered Antenna (ESA) on the AMOS-17 satellite, reporting 5 Mbps forward and 25 Mbps return rate. The test was hosted at the SMS Teleport in Rugby, United Kingdom, the companies reported on Wednesday  The Micro Sling Blade is Get SAT’s new low...

SES has selected Gilat Satellite Network’s global mobility platform to serve cruise lines and maritime service providers. Under the agreement announced Tuesday, customers will be able to access satellite-enabled services delivered by SES’s O3b mPOWER and Geostationary (GEO) fleet through Gilat’s multi-orbit platform. Gilat described the agreement as a multi-million dollar order.  Gilat said the network...

Inmarsat will use the Santander Teleport to host and maintain a new Satellite Access Station (SAS) for its new Inmarsat-6 satellites, the two companies announced July 28. The first of which is scheduled to launch before the end of this year. The SAS will consist of a dedicated area for a 13-meter Ka-band antenna and...