Photo: NASA

Gilat Satellite Networks’ subsidiary Wavestream has won a new amplifier contract in the Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) arena worth over $50 million, the company announced Feb. 1. Wavestream received an award from an unnamed leading satellite operator to support the gateways for a LEO broadband satellite constellation. Wavestream has been selected to supply Gateway Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs) for the project.

Wavestream’s Gateway-Class PowerStream 160Ka SSPAs is designed specifically for networks using wide bandwidth uplinks and high order modulation schemes. It aims to provide strong technical performance in harsh environments, addressing the stringent requirements of Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbit (NGSO) constellations.

“Wavestream has been selected as the vendor of choice to support the delivery of essential gateways for the LEO satellite program. Wavestream’s proven technological advantage, as well as our unmatched production capacity, make us a perfect supplier for the high volume of Ka-band gateway-class SSPAs required for this constellation,” Bob Huffman, Wavestream’s general manager said in a statement.

Gilat has been conducting speed tests for LEO technology for several years, including work with Telesat‘s LEO constellation. In November 2019, Gilat achieved the fastest ever modem speeds of 1.2 Gbps total throughput over Telesat‘s Phase 1 Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite.