Galileo IOV satellite assembly. Photo: Thales Alenia Space

[Via Satellite 06-16-2015] LeoSat and Thales Alenia Space anticipate completion of their feasibility study on LeoSat’s proposed Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband constellation this July. LeoSat expects to be ready to contract for its satellite constellation development within about a year, with the launch taking place in 2019 or 2020.
In the coming months, LeoSat and Thales Alenia Space will assess architecture and performance of the overall system, including both the ground and space segments. The study, which began nine months ago, has resulted in a preliminary system design for the LeoSat constellation.

The LeoSat constellation is initially planned to include 80 to 120 high-powered, Ka-band satellites in LEO, providing worldwide coverage specifically for large private corporations and government agencies. The satellites would fly in polar orbits at an altitude of approximately 1,400 kilometers, forming a global, private data network via high-speed inter-satellite links. Each satellite would carry a dozen steerable spot beams, providing an aggregate throughput of greater than 10 Gbps.