Focus: Ground Systems

ThinKom Solutions recently completed a series of interoperability tests demonstrating its core antenna technology’s capability with a Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network. ThinKom used its Ku3030 phased-array antenna subsystem and a Gogo radome, adaptor plate and power amplifier that together comprise the “2Ku” aero satcom terminal. The tests took place during the first quarter of...

Thuraya and SCOTTY Group have secured line-fit offerability for the Thuraya Aero mobile connectivity solution on Airbus H145 and H135 helicopters, the companies announced Thursday. Thuraya Aero is an In-Flight Connectivity and data-sharing platform that uses mobile satellite communications to provide internet access, text messaging, phone calls, VOIP, video and audio conferencing as well as...

Two Cobham SATCOM land satellite terminals have received Inmarsat type approval, the companies announced Thursday. The low-profile vehicular Cobham Explorer 323 BGAN terminal and the auto-point “fly-away” Cobham Explorer 6075LX VSAT terminal are now fully operational on the Inmarsat network and commercial shipments for each have begun.  The new Explorer 323 terminal represents the first...

In a world where enterprises can rent not just additional computing power, but their entire IT network, Tokyo-based startup Infostellar is using that model by offering ground-station-as-a-service for the emerging Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite market. Satellite operators are only able to use their hugely expensive ground stations to communicate with a satellite when the bird...

  Viasat Inc. has shipped more than 200 production units of its advanced Move Out / Jump Off (MOJO) Link 16 expeditionary tactical gateway system to U.S. and international military forces. The company said in a Monday release that this 200th milestone shipment marks a threefold increase Year-Over-Year (YOY) in production capacity of the MOJO...

The U.S. Army has awarded L3Harris Technologies a $27 million contract for sustainment and support of satellite communication terminals, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) announced April 21.  The contract L3Harris received is worth $27,363,117, and is a cost-no-fee, cost-plus-fixed fee contract to provide sustainment and support for the fielded modernization of enterprise terminals and...

This year, Isotropic Systems is in its final stage of collaboration with SES on software-defined, multi-beam customer edge terminal antennas compatible with O3b mPOWER — ahead of the commercial launch of the terminals with the O3b mPOWER Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) system in 2022. Isotropic CEO John Finney spoke to Via Satellite and said this is...

Engility Services, LLC., a subsidiary of Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) was awarded a $655 million contract to modernize satellite ground systems for the U.S. Space Force (USSF).  The contract is for the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Innovation and Prototyping Directorate through the Engineering, Development, Integration, and Sustainment (EDIS) contract....

Inmarsat has approved Smiths Interconnect’s KaStream 5000 MK II antenna system for use over the Inmarsat Global Xpress network. The KaStream 5000 MK II antenna system supports commercial and military modems.  Smiths Interconnect said in a Tuesday release that when using a Global Xpress subscription, Satcom-a-a-Service (SaaS), the terminal provides always available access to high-throughput,...

A group within Comtech Telecommunications Corp. has received a $1.1 million order for Satcom antenna feeds from what it calls a major U.S. satellite communications manufacturer, the company announced April 8.  The order is for the Mission-Critical Technologies group, part of Comtech’s Government Solutions segment. The antenna feeds will support the manufacturer’s 1.3 meter Fly-Away...