SAN FRANCISCO – CesiumAstro demonstrated its latest Ka-band lively phased array terminal with the assistance of a Hughes software-defined modem and an SES geosynchronous satellite.
“We were in a position to make a connection within the June-July timeframe on each stationary and mobile platforms,” Shey Sabripour, CesiumAstro founder and CEO, told “We were in a position to livestream webcam footage, surf the web and stream full motion video – all of the things which can be required to supply high-throughput in-flight connectivity.”
For the newest demonstration, the CesiumAstro terminal was mounted on a truck. CesiumAstro also plans to supply terminals for in-flight connectivity. The most recent demonstration is a very important milestone on the option to qualifying terminals for industrial and military aircraft, Sabripour said.
The Austin, Texas-based firm won a U.S. Air Force contract in June to develop a phased array antenna for an MQ-9 Reaper drone. Working with Airbus, CesiumAstro also plans to reveal its satellite communications technology on helicopters and jets.
Multi-Beam, Multi-Orbit
Requirements for in-flight connectivity are difficult. Terminals have to be flat and in a position to track multiple satellites in numerous orbits from various constellations.
“Connecting with geosynchronous satellites may be very different than connecting with satellites in low-Earth orbit,” Sabripour said. “The terminal must be scalable and as software defined as possible.”
Through the recent demonstration, CesiumAstro provided communications for a truck with the assistance of Hughes’ HM400 modem and the SES AMC-15 satellite.
“It was quite an accomplishment for our team to go in 18 months from essentially a sketch to constructing a product that connected the primary time to a GEO satellite,” Sabripour said.
The terminals tested measure 61 centimeters by 61 centimeters and are roughly 10 centimeters thick. In the following iteration, terminals might be about half as thick, said Wayne Phelps, CesiumAstro business development director.
Milestones Ahead
Next, CesiumAstro phased terminals might be sent to SES for testing in Florida with O3b mPower satellites in medium-Earth orbit. Airbus plans to conduct tests in France with a satellite antenna radome mounted on top of CesiumAstro terminals. As well as, CesiumAstro will test terminals with an Airbus helicopter to make sure the motion of rotor blades doesn’t interfere with performance.
“By the center of next yr, Airbus will test this on a industrial aircraft,” Sabripour said. Testing on General Atomics MQ-9 can be scheduled for 2024.
Along with in-flight connectivity, CesiumAstro plans to supply phased array terminals for military ground vehicles and, ultimately perhaps, cars.
“This flat antenna might be built into the connected automobile of the longer term,” Sabripour said. “We’re a number of years away from that.”