ThinKom Solutions, Inc. has announced the successful completion of the first ground test of its ThinAir Ka2517 Ka-band phased-array satellite antenna with the SES' O3b constellation of medium-Earth orbit (MEO) satellites.

The test was conducted in August 2018 at ThinKom's facility in Hawthorne, California, in collaboration with SES Networks.

For the ground test, a vehicle-mounted ThinKom Ka2517 aeronautical antenna acquired successive O3b MEO satellites at 13-degree elevation and successfully tracked them for 30-minute periods while the satellites traversed from west to east.

ThinKom said this test is a precursor to a flight test, expected to take place before the end of 2018. This will be the first in-flight demonstration of a ThinKom antenna communicating through a non-geostationary (NGSO) constellation and will demonstrate the ability of ThinKom's phased-array antenna to auto-track and perform seamless beam switching through aircraft roll, pitch, and yaw motions.

O3b is the first NGSO satellite constellation capable of delivering commercial broadband communication services. The constellation orbits the Earth at about 8,000 km altitude, along an equatorial path, allowing much larger visible Earth angles than low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellations currently being evaluated.

"ThinKom's unique patented low-profile phased-array antennas have been designed for interoperability on geostationary (GEO) and MEO satellites with the agility and switching speed to move seamlessly from beam-to-beam and constellation-to-constellation. Agility tests have proven that our antenna achieves switching speeds of less than one second, more than fast enough to support beam switching with no interruption in connectivity," said Bill Milroy, ThinKom Chief Technology Officer.

"The ground test, and the coming aero tests, are important steps in showing the ability of the ThinKom antenna to operate on the O3b MEO satellite network, and will pave the way to full commercialization," said Milroy.

"Innovation in terminal technology is key for scaling SES Networks' proven MEO system for mass connectivity. We're delighted to collaborate with ThinKom and to continue growing a partner ecosystem that will redefine the standard for our industry," said Stewart Sanders, Executive Vice President of Technology at SES Networks. "This development aligns with our aim to make it faster, easier and more affordable to expand service reach to our customers and their end users."

Related Links
ThinKom Solutions
VSAT News - Suppliers, Technology And Applications

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Over 60% of commercial aircraft to be connected by 2027
Montreal, Canada (SPX) Jun 20, 2018
According to Euroconsult's newly release report, Prospects for In-Flight Entertainment and Connectivity, over 23,000 commercial aircraft will offer connectivity to their passengers by 2027, up from 7,400 aircraft in 2017. "In January 2018, around 90 airlines had either installed or committed to install in-flight connectivity (IFC) solutions," said Pacome Revillon, CEO of Euroconsult. "Offering connectivity was first seen as a differentiating factor, however as more and more airlines provide connec ... read more