News and Products of Note in SATCOM

News and Products of Note in SATCOM

News and Products of Note in SATCOM

Constellations consisting of tens, hundreds, and even thousands of satellites in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO), sometimes referred to as mega-constellations, are now being proposed and developed to bring affordable broadband internet and other satellite services to the world. Hundreds of launches may be required to deploy and maintain these satellites.

Sourcing Delays, Launch Site Delays, Flight Anomalies

Years from now, space historians will reminisce that this era was a watershed moment within the global competition for the development of space and the success or failure of subsequent business endeavors.

In late 2018, Amazon shook up the entire satellite communications industry when the company announced their partnership with defense industry veteran Lockheed Martin to create the new AWS Ground Station Service. The company’s goal is to install 12 antenna ground stations all across the globe, which will connect customers with satellites through ground antennas.

The smallsats defined as CubeSats are now enjoying a golden age in the NewSpace industry; however, the smallsats that are considered microsats that weigh in around 100 kg. are on the rise because of their viable balance between high performance and low cost.

Smallsats. They are delivering affordable agility and flexibility for the space and satellite industry, but there are countless hurdles to overcome to be viable, long-lasting, and robust solutions to the problems that customized large and expensive systems face.

In the SATCOM world, most of the focus is on outer space; however, what occurs on the ground is just as important and can be challenging as every satellite, no matter how advanced, is still only a part of a larger system. Ground infrastructure is critical to providing the reliability people expect and is not something to be taken lightly.

2019 is the year of the smallsat. Of course, 2018 was also the year of the smallsat. As was 2017 and 2016. The most common occurrence in the smallsat business is that schedules always shift to the right. Historically, there are several reasons that contribute to this schedule shift.

Investments in smallsat driven missions and platforms continue to grow at a significant pace, as commercial, governments and academic markets recognize their advents and potential.

The Kratos Constellations podcast connects listeners to the innovators, entrepreneurs, policy makers and disruptors who are making and remaking today’s satellite and space industries.

The industry is undergoing profound change — a paradigm shift is occurring with satellite capabilities and this new era is going to fundamentally affect all as we move forward into the future.

For more than 20 years, there have been implementations of remote monitoring via satellite; therefore, satellite IoT cannot be described as a new technology.

In this TechTalk feature, a novel approach for remote sensing, communications, and tracking via satellite is presented. Vulcan Wireless (VW) has developed a system that allows low-cost low-power tags to communicate via satellite. This approach is most appealing for low data rate applications in areas where infrastructure is limited — that is, rural environments. It is also highly appealing to coexist with tags that work in more urban environments.

What’s next for satellite-based Earth Observation? Driven by technology and competition, the business has grown quickly in recent years. From imagery to insights, from single satellites to constellations, players along the value chain have pushed hard to offer unique services, and the market has diversified and expanded.

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