Left: Thales Alenia Space CEO Jean-Loic Galle; right: LeoSat CEO, Mark Rigolle. Photo: Business Wire

[Via Satellite 09-15-2016] Thales Alenia Space and LeoSat Enterprises have signed the phase B contract for the development of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. It will offer very-high-speed broadband, low latency and secure global connectivity. The contract follows the initial phase resulting in the preliminary definition of the LeoSat constellation, which validated the technical feasibility of the system and its compatibility with other Ka-band services. Phase B concerns the detailed definition of the overall system architecture and performance specifications, including both the ground and space segments. It will also provide the framework needed to set up an optimized organization for production and deployment.

“This latest phase will finalize the manufacturing plan, paving the way for the production and deployment of the entire constellation,” said Jean-Loic Galle, CEO of Thales Alenia Space.

The LeoSat constellation will comprise from 78 to 108 high-power Ka-band satellites in LEO, providing global service for large corporations and government agencies. Through the use of tracking spot beams and specific anti-interference techniques, the constellation is designed to prevent interference with Geostationary Satellite Orbiting Systems (GSO) and Non-Geostationary Satellite Orbiting Systems (NGSO) operating in the same frequency band. The system is also designed to support and coexist with anticipated terrestrial use of Ka frequencies.

LeoSat satellites will bring together a range of tried and tested systems, including optical inter-satellite links, gigabit class, onboard processors, flexible steerable antennas, and Radio Frequency (RF) over Printed Circuit Boards (PCB).

LeoSat will count on Thales Alenia Space’s industrial approach based on collaborative robotics (cobotics) to increase productivity of assembly integration and tests sequences. LeoSat will also benefit from efficient and safe use of Commercial off the Shelf (COTS) components for high integration and mass production technologies as well as for cost effective manufacturing and test to reach the optimum trade-off between performance, reliability and investment.