ThinKom phased array antennas.
Photo: ThinKom

ThinKom Solutions revealed a new solution for land-based gateways, designed to accommodate current and next generation Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite constellations.

The new gateway concept, which ThinKom describes as an “array of arrays,” provides an alternative to the large “antenna farms” of parabolic dishes currently used for support of Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites. It is based on ThinKom’s phased-array antenna technology, which is currently in use on over 1,300 commercial aircraft installations worldwide.

“The proliferation of cubesats, nanosats, microsats and other miniaturized satellites will require a new way of thinking when it comes to gateway antenna technology,” said Bill Milroy, Chairman and Chief Technology Officer of ThinKom Solutions. “The answer is not to deploy more and larger dish farms. Instead, we’re proposing an entirely new paradigm that’s designed for the future yet employs currently available proven phased array technology.”