TTP and SSTL to Launch New Data Relay Terminal

Photo: SSC

TTP is working with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to launch a new data relay terminal into space. The terminal can provide a constant link between Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) small satellites and Earth through a Geosynchronous satellite relay. The terminal will be launched shortly in the U.S. on Tyche, an Earth observation (EO) satellite for UK Space Command built by SSTL, and will be used for defense applications. TTP announced the upcoming launch on June 26.

The terminal is designed to offer a data rate of up to 200 kbps. In receive mode (Rx) it has a power consumption of 8W, with a peak consumption of 38W.

The terminal provides a data link between a LEO smallsat and GEO satellites using Viasat’s global L-band network. This enables constant on-demand ground contact for LEO satellites, rather than being restricted to the short windows that open when LEO satellites travel over ground stations. The terminal unlocks true intersatellite links and provides rapid response, near real-time Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C) communications, and data transfer.

“In this ‘New Space’ age, we’re proud that our terminal, which uses commercial-off-the-shelf hardware, is soon to be space-borne. It builds on TTP’s heritage in the development of satcom terminals for a wide range of applications and is manufactured in the UK, a member of the Five Eyes alliance. The terminal’s compact size makes it suitable for small satellites, so it can quickly be applied to a range of use cases such as EO, active debris removal and IoT connectivity,” Lewis Davies, Satellite and Space System Architect at TTP, said in a statement.