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View From The Top

Editor - Amy Saunders

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock

Body modifications 2.0!Since humankind first walked the Earth, we have been modifying our bodies.Contrary to the argument parents might face with their children about why a nosering might be desired, tattoos, piercings, scarification and surgery have been used for millennia to differentiate ourselvesfrom others or identify with a particular group.

Today, we’re facing a new era of body modification, one with inarguably more practical applications than your standardtattoo or piercing. Towards the end of 2018, it emerged that a major UK employer with hundreds of thousands of employeesis contemplating implanting microchips into those employees to improve security. Similar to the microchips utilised in petcollars to activate a cat-flap or feeding device, one UK company plans to utilise microchips to allow employees access tooffices without the need for a swipe card or other external device.

This microchip technology has been on the rise in certain circles for a number of years now, somehow never becomingfully-mainstream. I can recall when I first heard about the concept of using microchips implanted under the skin to makecashless payments – there was an episode of CSI: Miami back in 2004 where a woman used a microchip implanted into hershoulder as a form of payment and identification when entering a nightclub. Like many things in the past (Smart phones,inflight connectivity, cloud storage), the concept of implanted microchips seemed like pure science fiction.

This sci-fi concept is, however, now entering mainstream reality. The technology, wherein a microchip the size of a grainof rice is implanted under the skin, is already in everyday use around the world; in the USA, Three Square Market’s employeeshave implanted microchips which allow staff to make contactless, cashless payments at on-site vending machines, whileSwedish rail company Statens Järnvägar allows passengers to use implanted microchips instead of physical tickets to travelon trains across the country. Other proposed future applications include the storage of medical information and replacing carand home keys.

There are several concerns with the technology, including the fact that some employees may be coerced into having amicrochip implanted – if it’s a minor surgical procedure versus job loss, what choice will some have? Other concerns includethe potential for tracking employee whereabouts, a massive invasion of privacy in a time where privacy concerns and humanrights are already teetering on the brink of indecency. And let’s not even begin to touch on hacking threats and the need forfool-proof cybersecurity.

We’re certainly entering an interesting era when it comes to the implementation of new technologies. Implanting microchipsinto employees is a slippery first step into the crazy new world where biohacking and cyborgs are ideas that some people arerealistically contemplating.

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Contents

No part of this publication may betransmitted, reproduced or electronicallystored without the written permissionfrom the publisher.

DS Air Publications does not give anywarranty as to the content of the materialappearing in the magazine, its accuracy,timeliness or fitness for any particularpurpose. DS Air Publications disclaims allresponsibility for any damages or losses inthe use and dissemination of theinformation.

All editorial contentsCopyright © 2019 DS Air PublicationsAll rights reservedISSN: 1745-5502

Printed by:Times PrintingSingapore

DS Air Publications1 Langhurstwood RoadHorshamWest Sussex, RH12 4QDUnited KingdomT: +44 1403 273973F: +44 1403 273972Email: [email protected]

EditorAmy [email protected]

News and Social Media EditorLaurence [email protected]

Contributing EditorsBert Sadtler, Mark Williamson

Marketing and Business DevelopmentManagerBelinda [email protected]

Sales ManagerSam [email protected]

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PublisherRichard [email protected]

Managing DirectorDavid [email protected]

1 EditorialBody modifications 2.0!

May/June 2019 - Vol.16. - No3.4 Satellite news

News and Views

Inflight Connectivity - page 10 Q&A Spacecom - page 14

Q&A Newtec - page 24

Satellite Servicing - page 28 Medium and Low Earth - page 32

NewSpace Race - page 18

Front cover photo courtesy ofShutterstock

Page 10

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News Review & Analysis

Photo courtesy of Business Wire

Thales acquires Psibernetix for decisive technologies inartificial intelligenceThales has acquired the artificial intelligence (AI) companyPsibernetix to help create Certifiable AI. Originally madefamous by its aerial combat application called ALPHA, whichconsistently defeated the world’s top pilots in simulated aircombat, Psibernetix is a pioneer in computationally efficientAI technologies.

For Thales, the acquisition will establish explainable AIprocesses for applications in safety-critical environments. Withexplainable AI-driven outcomes, AI applications can becertified and trusted. Together, this further enables thewidespread adoption of AI capabilities across Thales’markets.

Through a machine-learning algorithmic process inventedby Psibernetix, called Genetic Fuzzy Trees, AI decisions areable to be mathematically verified and validated through aunique constraint-breaking approach that applies fuzzy logic-based AI to large-scale problems. This process also createsAI applications that can be placed on edge processingdevices and be extremely resilient to digital noise,environmental uncertainties, and randomness.

This acquisition of Psibernetix continues to help Thalesbring truly unique and differentiating AI technologies to itscustomers for critical decisions – whatever it takes.

“Having certified, explainable AI is a game-changer forthe future of critical decisions in safety driven markets. Withthis new capability, Thales will create truly unique anddifferentiated AI technologies that will empower customersto make better, more informed decisions, more quickly,” saidGil Michielin, Thales Senior Vice President, Avionics.

Viasat CBM-400 modem certified as the only software-defined modem authorized to operate on wideband globalsatellite communications networkViasat Inc., a global communications company, hasannounced that its Commercial Broadband Modem (CBM)-400 has become the first-ever software-defined modem tosuccessfully complete the Army Forces Strategic Command(ARSTRAT) certification process. By successfully completingthe certification process, the Viasat CBM-400 modem is nowthe only software-defined modem authorized to operate onthe Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communicationsnetwork, which will significantly enhance air, land and seaperformance capabilities while reducing overall satellitecommunications (SATCOM) costs for US Department ofDefense (DoD) customers.

The Viasat CBM-400 combines the power of high-speedconnectivity with the flexibility to switch over to new satellitenetworks in near real-time in order to meet the needs of nearlyany mission and application. The CBM-400 delivers satellitebroadband performance whether at-the-halt or on-the-move.With the CBM-400, ground vehicles, sea vessels and aircraftwill have the ability to securely send and receive high-definition video, voice and cloud-based networking data fromnearly anywhere across the battlespace.

“Successful completion of the ARSTRAT certificationprocess validates the proactive business approach andforward leaning capabilities of the only US Government-validated software-defined modem,” said Ken Peterman,President, Government Systems, Viasat. “With our CBM-400,DoD customers now have access to the significantadvantages and flexibility of a software-defined architecture,which will allow customers to rapidly meet evolving

communications needs and emerging mission requirementsby utilizing modems and terminals that readily and affordablyadapt to embrace new waveforms and satellite networks.”

The CBM-400 currently supports three waveforms heavilyfielded throughout the DoD including the LinkWay waveform,the Enhanced Bandwidth Efficient Modem (EBEM) waveformand the ArcLight waveform. The software-defined nature ofthe CBM-400 also allows operators to easily switch betweenwaveforms to meet the unique demands of each mission.The CBM-400 running the LinkWay, EBEM, or ArcLightwaveform have all been certified by ARSTRAT for operationon the WGS constellation. The software-defined architectureenables the CBM-400 to readily embrace innovation due toits ability to keep pace with rapidly accelerating private sectorSATCOM technology trajectories.

Importantly, the Viasat CBM-400 is purposefully designedto fit into Viasat’s Hybrid Adaptive Network (HAN) architectureconcept, which would allow users to seamlessly operateacross both commercial and government purpose-builtSATCOM networks, such as WGS. The HAN concept createsan end-to-end network that provides mitigation againstcongestion situations, intentional and unintentionalinterference sources and cyber threats throughimplementation of layered resiliency in highly contestedenvironments. Terminal equipment like the CBM-400 supportsthe HAN architecture concept by readily and affordablyadapting to operate over new, innovative SATCOM networksas they become available.

The Viasat CBM-400 is available for purchase and useacross all branches of the US DoD. The modem’s hardwareplatform comes in both a standard 19-inch 1RU rackmountversion and a ruggedized, sealed enclosure, outdoor variant.Both CBM-400 variants are certified for operation on the WGSconstellation.

MACOM extends high-performance SATCOM portfoliowith the addition of a 4-watt ka-band power amplifierMACOM Technology Solutions, a leading supplier ofsemiconductor solutions, has announced an addition to its

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portfolio of high-linearity Ka-band power amplifiers with theintroduction of the MAAP-011250. Ideally suited for nextgeneration commercial VSAT outdoor units, the MAAP-011250 utilizes a balanced design, giving system designers’a consistent match regardless of their board impedance.

As the demand for high speed, broadband, dataconnectivity continues, MACOM is seeing changes in fixedwired networks, such as HFC and Fibre along with terrestrialwireless networks, and SATCOM, in order to meet thisdemand. As the requirements for increased data rates andbandwidth continue to drive higher power, higher frequencyand higher linearity MMICs, MACOM is well positioned toprovide both catalogue and custom SATCOM solutions.

With the addition of the 4Wamplifier, MACOM now offers 2, 2.3,3, 4 and 7W power output optionsspanning frequencies ranging from27 to 31.5GHz. These new GaAs-based Ka-band PAs can providestrong linear gain, which is expectedto enable customers to efficientlyincrease the power from the input tothe output port with minimal trade-offs.

The MAAP-011250 is a balanced4W, 4-stage power amplifierassembled in a lead-free 5mm 32-lead AQFN plastic package. Thispower amplifier operates from 27.5to 30GHz and provides 24dB oflinear gain, 4W saturated outputpower and output IP3 of 41dBmwhile biased at 6V. The MAAP-011250 can be used as a poweramplifier stage or as a driver stagein higher power applications. Theamplifier complements MACOM’sportfolio of Ka-band gain blockamplifiers, drivers, mixers and PAsto deliver a complete chipset forhigh-performance wireless broad-band data links.

Satellite data analytics savingdairy farmers valuable time withnew grass management serviceGrass SAT, an innovative, new grassmanagement service has beenlaunched by Rezatec, the geospatialdata analytics company, to providedairy farmers with automated dailyupdates of grass cover per paddock,and other features, to optimisegrazing management decisionsthroughout the year.

Increasingly, dairy farmers arelooking for new ways to save time,cuts costs and improve grassmanagement activities. Currently,many farmers rely on manualmethods, for example visualassessment or using a plate meter,which can be time intensive andrequire frequent manual updates to

provide current and accurate estimates of grass cover.Grass SAT, is an online grass management service for

dairy farmers to optimise rotational grazing across their farms.Using a comprehensive grass growth model fed with regularanalytics derived from satellite imagery, farmers arepresented with a daily update of grass cover per paddock.The metrics are visualised in a secure portal supported with

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a grazing wedge, sorting grass cover from highest to lowest,as well as valuable decision support information such asnumber of grazing days per paddock and a colour-coded mapof the farm presenting volumes and distribution of grassavailable.

The service is very easy to use and allows farmers toinitially draw their paddocks in a digital map and add herdinformation before they are presented with their wedge anddaily grass cover measurements. Farmers then update theportal with paddock activities, such as grazing or a cutting,and these feed into the model and revaluate the grass coveranalytics.

John Brocklehurst, Dairy Farmer, Hil ltop Farm,commented, “Utilising as much grazed grass as possible is atop priority KPI for our business and I hope by using GrassSAT it will provide me with more frequent grass measurementsof the whole farm without having to walk it. The data is alreadyinforming my day-to-day grazing management and movingforward I hope to identify areas of the farm that are lessproductive and improve them as well as allocating grass tothe cows more efficiently.”

Farmers can also pull out paddocks for silage productionas well as run multiple wedges if required and new features,including an App, will be available over the coming months.

Philip Briscoe, Chief Operating Officer, Rezatec explained,“We have been developing this product for a few years nowand are confident it will make farmers lives much easier. Withan initial discounted trial period of two months, farmers canalso be confident of the time the service can save them simplyby providing an automated daily update of grass cover.”

Grass SAT will also soon be available for beef and sheepfarmers as well as general forage producers.

Momentum builds for One Sea as Inmarsat, MTI and RoyalInstitution of Naval Architects join autonomous shippingallianceThree of the leading influencers in the international maritimesector have joined One Sea, the industry alliance that bringstogether leading exponents of autonomous ship technology.

Global satellite group Inmarsat and NYK Group researchsubsidiary MTI (Monohakobi Technology Institute) have joined

One Sea as full members, while the Royal Institution of NavalArchitects (RINA) has signed a Memorandum ofUnderstanding to become a One Sea associate member.

“We are delighted to welcome the largest global providerof ship-to-shore connectivity, the R&D arm of one of thelargest shipowners in the world and the industry’s leadingprofessional body for naval architects as members,” said PäiviHaikkola, One Sea Lead.

One Sea members ABB, Kongsberg Maritime andWärtsilä ran separate autonomous ship trials off the Finnishand Norwegian coasts at the end of 2018. Finnish regulatorshave authorized One Sea to oversee future trials inJaakonmeri off western Finland - the first dedicated test zoneworldwide.

“Members have complete freedom to innovate anddevelop their own cost-efficient autonomous ship solutionsinside an alliance which is nonetheless committed toharmonizing technical standards,” said Haikkola. “Ourexpectation is that, as member numbers grow, operatingsolutions will multiply but members will also work towardsintegration.” The new members would bring differentperspectives and insights to the One Sea ecosystem, sheadded.

NYK and its Group companies MTI Co., Ltd. and JapanMarine Science Inc. (JMS) have already been working withnautical instrument manufacturers to develop highlyautomated ship navigation technologies, with a tugboat testfor NYK company Wing Maritime Service Corporationscheduled for H2 2019. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,Transport and Tourism (MLIT) envisages autonomous shipsoperating in Japan by 2025. One Sea has also set 2025 asits target for an autonomous shipping infrastructure, includinga full set of safety rules and technology standards.

Inmarsat VP Business Development, Stefano Poli,commented: “Inmarsat is joining One Sea in recognition ofthe special value it sees in initiatives that adopt a targetedand goal-based approach to autonomous shipping and itsbeneficial technologies. One Sea is emerging as a strongvoice on interoperability and standards that the wider industryis listening to. As Inmarsat continues to roll out the high-speedmaritime broadband service that will enable and protect

Momentum builds for One Sea as Inmarsat, MTI and Royal Institution of Naval Architects join autonomous shipping alliance

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shipping’s digital future, it is critical we support the alliancesenabling integration.”

Haikkola said that the full research program beingdeveloped by One Sea continued to expand, with its mostrecent initiative focusing on autonomous ship pilotingarrangements between ports and ships. “As an area wherepublic and private interests converge, One Sea can play aspecial role in the different strands of research, funding, testcoordination and results dissemination,” she said.

She added that One Sea was “honoured” to sign the MoUwith RINA covering associate member status. “We lookforward to working with RINA and to the opportunity of drawingon the unique knowledgebase represented by itsmembership.”

IAI places US$1.8 million order for orbit’s airborne audiosolution for its “Heron TP” UAVOrbit Communications Systems Ltd., a leading global providerof airborne communications solutions, announced at theIsrael Defense & HLS Expo (ISDEF 2019) that IsraelAerospace Industries (IAI) placed a US$1.8 million order forOrbit’s Orion™ airborne audio management systems forintegration aboard its next-generation medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) Heron TP unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).Delivery of the systems is expected in 2019 and 2020.

Orbit’s Orion enables essential communications betweenthe UAV and civil Air Traffic Control (ATC) and other groundstations.

“All large UAVs are required to communicate directly withcivil airports via Air Traffic Control using their own on-board

systems,” explained Aharon Huberman, Senior ProgramManager in the MALAT division of IAI. “Orbit’s Orion is themost mature solution on the market, in terms of its capabilities,reliability and regulatory compliance.”

“We believe that our ability to adapt the system and deliverit under an extremely tight schedule were key considerationsin MALAT’s decision to select our audio managementsolution,” commented Ben Weinberger, CEO of Orbit. “Weare proud to provide readily integrated radio gateway solutionsto help simplify IAI’s development and operation on a systemlevel,” he added.

EVERYWHERE Communications and Global TelesatCommunications Partner to deliver always connectedsolutions to enterprise and government customersgloballyOrbital Tracking has announced a partnership between itsGlobal Telesat Communications subsidiary andEVERYWHERE Communications to deliver fully integrated,always connected solutions to enterprise and governmentglobally. The new par tnership enables GTC to offerEVERYWHERE’s suite of purpose-built solutions, includingthe EC-100 Satellite Communicator, companion smartphoneapp, and EVERYWHERE Hub, to its global customer base.

“We are excited to be partnering with EVERYWHERE,allowing us to bring its innovative range of communications,location and monitor ing systems to our customers.EVERYWHERE’s technology and proven industry experiencemakes them a leader in the market and the EC-100, app andHub fits perfectly into our current product portfolio while

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expanding our enterprise-level system offerings,” said DavidPhipps, Chief Executive Officer of Orbital Tracking.

EVERYWHERE’s solutions enable customers to globallyconnect through intelligent routing – whether on Wi-Fi, cellularor satellite networks. EVERYWHERE provides a vitalcommunication lifeline to meet duty-of-care obligations andcomply with lone-worker safety laws that are being adoptedin many countries.

Marlink unifies its extensive IT services and solutions toprovide fleet owners and ship operators with a newportfolio to fully manage the overall IT environment onboardMarlink has announced the launch of ITLink, a completeportfolio of IT solutions for standardising, simplifying andautomating IT operations at sea and delivering substantialtime and cost savings related to on board network ITadministration and management through advanceddashboard and intelligent applications.

The ITLink suite is designed to service the maritimeindustry as a standalone service with fleet widestandardisation and digitalisation for ship owners. This is moreimportant than ever to ensure all the advantages of remoteIT intervention onboard, 24/7 monitoring of onboard ITenvironment and increase the level of compliance withreference to upcoming regulations such as IMO2021 andTSMA version 3.

ITLink also provides deep transparency via an IT-specific


advanced online dashboard, which includes continuouslyupdated PC and server status information.

ITLink is available standalone or fully integrated withMarlink’s global multi-band Sealink network and the XChangecentralised communications management system. Crucially,it can also relieve Marlink customers of the time-consumingand stressful task of updating onboard networks andapplications. Automated updates can reduce the time tosecure, i.e., thousands of onboard PCs on a fleet with morethan 100 vessels to a few days, while manual updates areknown to be problematic and can take several months for asimilar number of PCs. More than 1,000 ships are alreadysaving time and money on IT updates using Marlink’s ITautomation services.

ITLink is offered in three levels; Design, Deliver andManage. In the initial Design phase, Marlink’s expert teamwill identify elements to standardise and automate to ensurethe highest levels of maritime IT compliance and work withthem to organise a scalable, adaptable, automated and cost-effective vessel IT environment. The Deliver phase,meanwhile, will ensure that clients take benefit of Marlink’sefficient large-scale delivery capabilities on both It andconnectivity. Finally, the Manage phase provides high-qualityfleet management which simultaneously protects clients’ ITenvironments with a range of maintenance services. Eachphase is ring-fenced with Marlink’s cyber security expertise,bolstered with a comprehensive suite of solutions from thecompany’s Cyber Guard portfolio.

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Inflight Connectivity


Inflight connectivity – A must haveservice for the 21st CenturyThe mobility market, and the inflight connectivity market in particular, is one of the hottest areasto be in right now, with strong demand enabling huge opportunities for service providers,equipment manufacturers and satellite operators across the board. The market is booming, butsuppliers are having to be smarter and make their money go further to deliver truly in-demand,cost-effective solutions; missing the mark, even by an inch, can be absolutely catastrophic.

Technologically-speaking, we’ve come a very long wayin recent years. In the past two decades, we’ve gone from aplace of dumb phones, slow dial-up Internet, coat-hangerTV aerials and remote controls that work less often than theydo, to an era of Smart wireless devices, homes, vehicles andcities and always-on high-speed broadband, on land, at sea,or in the air.

The mobility sector, accordingly, has seen some of thebiggest changes. Charging ports are becoming ubiquitousthroughout trains, planes and automobiles, as is wireless,often free-to-use, Internet connectivity, and other on-boardentertainment options. Even the local buses in my small towncome equipped with complementary USB charging ports andhigh-speed broadband connectivity, and I can pay for my ticketwith a simple tap of my credit card. We’re seeing the firststeps towards autonomous vehicles on land and in the air,and the Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling automatic fleetmonitoring to ensure vehicles are kept in the best possiblecondition without costly breaks of services for routine checksand emergency maintenance.

When it comes to the aeronautical world, these changes

are being felt more keenly than ever before. This is important,because airlines hold a captive audience – you can’t simplyget off a plane if you find it’s not suitable halfway throughyour journey. Passenger satisfaction is at an all-time premium,and, in a time of plummeting flight costs, even the smallestof differentiators between airlines is having a massive impacton business. Many of us take tens of flights each year forbusiness and/or pleasure, and our expectations havechanged accordingly. No longer are consumers satisfied withsimply getting from A to B safely, now demands have boomed;food must be high-quality (with gluten-free, dairy-free, lowsugar, vegetarian and vegan options, naturally), the latestmovies must be available even ahead of DVD release, andbroadband-level connectivity is a must for many.

Moving on upInflight connectivity (IFC) is nothing new, but strong globaldemand from business, government, military and leisuretravellers alike means the sector is one of the fastest-growingin satellite applications today.

MarketsandMarkets’ ‘In-fl ight Enter tainment &

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Connectivity (IFEC) Market by End User (OEM, Aftermarket),Aircraft Type (NBA, WBA, VLA, Business Jets), Product (IFEHardware, IFE Connectivity, IFE Content), and Region –Global Forecast to 2023,’ report states that the inflightentertainment and connectivity market is expected to growat a CAGR of 8.72 percent to US$7.65 billion by 2023. Theneed to enhance the passenger experience, technologicaldevelopments and an increase in aircraft deliveries are allexpected to help drive the market during the 2018-2023reporting period. Fleet upgrades to the newer narrow-bodyaircraft, including the A320neo and 737 Max are expected tolead IFEC installations during the reporting period.

Meanwhile, according to the ‘Sky High Economics:Quantifying the commercial opportunities of passenger

connectivity for the global airline industry’ report from theLondon School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) inassociation with Inmarsat, inflight broadband has the potentialto create a US$130 billion market within the next 20 years,resulting in US$30 billion of additional revenue for airlinesby 2035. The report predicts that broadband-enabled ancillaryrevenues for airlines will come from four main revenuestreams:

• Broadband access charges: Providing connectivity topassengers inflight;

• E-commerce and destination shopping: Makingpurchases onboard aircraft with expanded product rangesand real-time offers;

Broadband access E-commerce Advertising Premium content Total

2018 $822 million $36 million $26 million $39 million $1 billion

2028 $9 billion $3 billion $2.9 billion $731 million $15 billion

2035 $15.9 billion $6.8 billion $6 billion $1.4 billion $30 billion

Forecasted airline share of the US$30 billion broadband enabled ancillary revenue opportunity. Credit: ‘Sky HighEconomics: Quantifying the commercial opportunities of passenger connectivity for the global airline industry.’

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• Advertising: Pay per click, impressions, sponsorship dealswith advertisers; and

• Premium content: Providing live content, on demand videoand bundled W-IFEC access.

Despite strong demand and growth in recent years, theuptake of IFC systems is still quite low. According to the Sky-High Economics report, just 53 airlines of an estimated 5,000offer IFC, although the service is expected to be prettyubiquitous by 2035 thanks to passenger demand. Airlineswhich do currently offer IFC receive on average an additionalUS$17 per passenger from traditional ancillary services suchas duty-free purchases and inflight retail, food and drink sales;broadband-enabled connected ancillary revenues areexpected to add an extra US$4 by 2035.

Meanwhile, full service carriers are expected to generateUS$19 billion in revenues by 2035, or approximately 63percent of expected airline revenues during the period.Capitalising on longer flight times, additional revenue willcome from the ability to maximise e-commerce platforms andmaking deals with content providers to offer premiumpackages.

The report predicts that low cost carriers will generateUS$11 billion by 2035, the bulk of which will come from sellingconnectivity to passengers. The ‘Sky High Economics’ reportalso identified the greatest opportunity for broadband-enabledancillary services lies in the Asia-Pacific.

Airlines in that region are expected to gain US$10.3 billionof revenues through 2035, while airlines in Europe and NorthAmerica can anticipate US$8.2 billion and US$7.6 billionrespectively.

“The opportunity available to airlines is enormous. TheSky-High Economics study predicts the creation of a US$130billion market within the next two decades,” wrote DrAlexander Grous, Department of Media and Communications,LSE and Author of Sky-High Economics. “Globally, if airlinescan provide a reliable broadband connection, it will be thecatalyst for rolling out more creative advertising, content ande-commerce packages. We will see innovative deals struck,partnerships formed, and business models fundamentallychanged for new players to lay claim to the US$100 billionopportunity away from airlines. Broadband-enabled ancillaryrevenue has the potential to shape a whole new market andit’s something airlines need to be planning for right now.”

Forming alliancesThe inflight connectivity market is certainly booming right now.Service providers such as Gogo, Global Eagle Entertainment,Honeywell, Echostar Corporation, Panasonic Avionics, Viasatand Thales Group are all getting in on the action, while newtechnology companies such as Kymeta and Phasor arefocusing on technology developments to enable more efficientand cost-effective access to inflight connectivity. Newpartnerships and alliances are rife as companies competeto stay at the top.

The Seamless Air Alliance, for example, was formed in2018 by Airbus, Delta, OneWeb, Sprint and Bharti Airtel tousher in ‘a new era of innovation’ for airlines on all routes.The alliance, which hopes to expand with the addition of newmembers, also claims it will reduce costs for everyoneinvolved in the chain, eliminating the expenses and hurdlesassociated with acquisition, installation and operation of data


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access infrastructure by streamlining system integration andcertification.

Estimations of future inflight connectivity market size varydepending on who you ask, but most agree that we can expectbig things. According to The Insight Partners’ ‘In-Flight Wi-FiMarket to 2025 – Global Analysis and Forecasts,’ the IFCmarket is set to reach US$7.30 billion by 2025, aided byhigher expectations and an increased number of air travellers.Early adopter airlines that had installed inflight connectivitysystems throughout their fleets in the 2000s are radicallyupgrading their equipment to be able to utilise the vastly-improved services on offer today, at great expense.

The cost challengesEnabling inflight connectivity on even a single aircraft is anexpensive business, and this cost is one of the reasons thatIFC services are installed with less than half of airlines todate.

The equipment itself, while expensive, is not the biggestproblem; typical installations of the plane-based equipmenttakes days rather than hours, and although efforts to reducethis are ongoing, there’s still a long way to go. Taking justone plane out of operation for days costs tens-hundreds ofthousands in lost revenues for the airline, which for some, istoo steep a cost to bare. On top of the equipment costs andloss of operational revenues in an already-low profit sectorare compounded by system maintenance costs, increasedfuel costs due to the additional equipment weight, personnelcosts, satellite capacity costs – falling, but still significant –and associated ground technology and support costs.

For all this to be worth it, the airline must have anextremely well-thought-out plan for monetizing inflightconnectivity. Such on-board connectivity services arebecoming less of a luxury and more of a standard, andresearch has shown that consumers are starting to resentpaying for the service on top of their ticket price. As such, avariety of different models are in place; some airlines includethe cost of inflight connectivity in the ticket, while othersinclude a very basic package for free, often with a cap on

data use, with options to upgrade to a premium serviceoffering. On the other hand, some airlines don’t offer anyconnectivity for free, but allow passengers to log in via adedicated system to purchase a package to suit their needs.No single model is leading the charge in delivering inflightconnectivity - yet.

The next must-haveThe inflight connectivity market marches on, and demand isexpected to grow even further in the coming years, despitethe associated costs.

It’s hard to argue with the benefits on a consumer level.For business travellers, it’s an opportunity to catch up onwork during time that would otherwise be wasted. Respondingto emails, reading reports and preparing documents is thetype of activity many business travellers appreciate beingable to get on with during a flight that they may not evenwant to be taking, since it allows them more time to catch upwith family and loved ones once they arrive back home.Indeed, the ability to work pretty much as normal during aflight is an excellent opportunity, almost inventing time fromnowhere. Meanwhile, for leisure travellers, IFC might be evenmore important. Many younger consumers have a desire todocument their every move in real-time, so being able to sharephotos on social media from their seats is a great drawtowards airlines that can deliver. For other consumers, theability to stay in touch with loved ones, check on flight andhotel updates, do last-minute research on their destination,or maybe stream the latest episode of their favourite TV show,is priceless.

As inflight connectivity services become increasinglyubiquitous across airlines, with at least the opportunity topay for on-board connectivity, airlines will face increasingpressure to install such systems just to keep up with theircompetitors. Across Europe and North America, competitionis already heating up, with access to inflight connectivityservices and noted market differentiator. In the years to come,we can expect to see IFC follow the path of Smart phonesand 4G, moving on from a nice-to-have to a must-have.

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Q&A Spacecom

African expansionSpacecom is a multi-regional satellite operator and serviceprovider delivering end-to-end solutions to the media, telecomand data networks, and broadband sectors via its AMOSsatellite fleet. With vast experience in designing, operating andmarketing satellite services, Spacecom’s team of experts,together with its wide network of partners, including teleports,consultants, content and hardware providers, and deploymentexperts, allows the company to provide specific or turnkeysolutions as well as tailored packages. Jacob Keret, Senior VicePresident Sales & Marketing at Spacecom, outlines thecompany’s plans for the satellite sector.

Jacob Keret, Senior Vice PresidentSales & Marketing

Getting ready to launch a new satellite, AMOS-17

Q&A Spacecom

Q&

A Question: Spacecom providessatellite capabilities for a variety ofgeographic and end user markets.Could you walk us through whichones are key to Spacecom’sbusiness?Jacob Keret: In terms of satellitecapabilities, we are getting ready tolaunch a new satellite, AMOS-17. Thissatellite will have high throughputsatellite (HTS) C-band spot beams. Thenew satellite will continue our expansioninto African markets, specifically Sub-

Saharan Africa, joining AMOS-4 andAMOS-7 in providing services in Africa.With regards to our other geographicmarkets, we’re concentrating on Centraland Eastern Europe, the Middle East,Eastern Africa, as well as parts of Asia.

We see more opportunities in thecellular backhaul sector for mobilenetwork operators (MNOs) goingforward. It’s very much a growingsegment, especially in Africa whereSmartphones are the most popularcommunications platforms to consumeInternet. We also see growth in themobility market. Another sector that isheading upwards is that of regionalAfrican broadcasters and operators.These regional channels are seeking todeliver entertainment to larger areasand thus need the suppor t andbackbone that satellite provides.

On the other hand, the broadcastsector is pretty stable, with some growthin Asia. In Nepal, the nature of thecountry is such that they have to usesatellite in order to broadcast to theentire population. We have a DTHoperator partner there who is addingmore channels, more HD channels –they’re moving from 40 to 60 HDchannels.

Question: The satellite sector isundergoing a great deal of changeright now as high throughputsatellites (HTS) move on to extremethroughput satellites (XTS), andsmall satellites and mega-constellations are major trends.What’s your assessment of all thischange?Jacob Keret: I’d like to think we are part

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Q&A Spacecom

Photo courtesy of Spacecom

of these big changes. As I said, onAMOS-17 we’ll have HTS C-band spotbeams covering the entirety of Sub-Saharan Africa, so we’re already in theHTS segment.

In terms of the mega constellations,there are more questions than clearideas about how these are going todevelop. We are looking for cooperationwith partners. Spacecom is not a hugecompany, so we’re not going to launchour own low Ear th orbit (LEO) ormedium Ear th orbit (MEO)constellation, but we are looking to workwith other satellite operators. We areworking towards better understandinghow these new satellite market places

will create new opportunities for ourgrowth. This all is sorting itself out aswe work towards creating new andvarious platforms for our futuredevelopment.

Question: What are Spacecom’splans to continue to thrive in such afast-paced market?Jacob Keret: Our growth generator isAfrica. There are so many opportunitiesthere, particularly with MNOs, and weare taking part in this growth. Thebroadcast sector in some Sub-SaharanAfrican countries is also growing, so thisis something we’re addressing via C-band and Ku-band.

More and more, we’re seeingsatellite being utilised as back-upservices to fibre, which isn’t so reliablein some regions of Africa. We haveproducts that can be installed to providethis kind of back-up, particularly forbanks, hospitals and largeorganisations that cannot rely on thelocal fibre, which cuts off some days.These services take into account thata few users share the same hub andspace segment, and if one of them isexperiencing such a breakdown, weprovide them with satellite servicesinstantly. With several customerssharing this service, prices can bereduced for everyone.

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Q&A Spacecom

Question: The broadcast market inparticular is changing rapidly, withOTT and other IP-based servicesproviding major competition fortraditional satellite TV. What’s yourassessment of this trend, and whatit means for satellite operators?Jacob Keret: This trend has been goingon for some time now. Although somemarkets, North America in particular,have seen a decline in the number ofregular subscribers to multi-channeldistribution systems, most indicatorspoint to the fact that OTT services aremainly perceived as augmentedentertainment services and not asreplacement to the traditional servicesthat we have known for years. Whatwe’re also seeing now is some MNOslooking to provide OTT services,particularly in areas that aren’t well-connected, over satell ite. Thesecompanies are now providing IPTV via

satellite in places all around the world.This is good news for the satelliteindustry. Here at Spacecom, we’restarting to see demand for that.

Question: AMOS-17 is due for launchin the second half of 2019 and isdesigned to meet the growing needsof the African continent. How isprogress to date, and what marketdemands do you plan to meet?Jacob Keret: AMOS-17 is in the finalstages of construction. Boeing is themanufacturer, and it’s set for launch inthe second quarter of 2019. We’re righton schedule for launch and threemonths later, we’ll start commercialoperations. AMOS-17 is a multi-bandpayload; C-band HTS, Ku-band, andsome Ka-band capacity. The digitalpayload means it can connect Europe,the Middle East, India, China and Africa.We can uplink in Ku-band and downlink

in C-band, for example. We’ve workeda lot of flexibility into this satellite, whichwill enable us to provide value addedservices to customers.

Question: What are Spacecom’splans and expectations for 2019?Jacob Keret: Our big plan for 2019 isthe launch of AMOS-17 and to startproviding services over the Africancontinent. The company is very muchfocusing on this. We’ve already signedpre-launch agreements for AMOS-17,including one large agreement, andwe’re looking to sign more pre-launchcontracts.

Spacecom is also actively exploringoptions for developing and building theAMOS-8 satellite. The program for thisnew satell ite is not yet in place.Therefore it is premature to talk aboutspecifics or a time-table for building andlaunching this satellite.

Photo courtesy of Spacecom

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NewSpace Race

Blue Origin's orbital rocket New Glenn

NewSpace or Space 2.0 - the emerging private spaceflightindustry - is coming on in leaps and bounds and is alreadyhaving a major impact on the global satellite sector. The dayswhen the space domain was purely in the hands ofgovernments and defence groups around the world are gone;today, private companies dominate the sector, helpingspaceflight technologies to develop more quickly, moreefficiently, and more cost-effectively than ever before.

What is NewSpace?Here at Satellite Evolution, we’re often asked questions aboutNewSpace: What exactly is NewSpace? What does it meanfor me? How is it different from old space? There is no simpleanswer – although our dedicated NewSpace platform cankeep you up to date on all the latest news and developmentsat https://www.newspaceinternational.com/.

The NewSpace movement is incredibly varied and wide-reaching, encompassing a whole host of sub-sectors. Someof the more traditional satellite segments have been evolvingin recent years to accommodate the increased focus on thecommercial side of the industry and the myriad of newapplications coming into play:

The NewSpace raceNewSpace is the proverbial gold mine of the spaceflight industry right now. This hot topic israising eyebrows all over the world, and anyone who’s anyone wants to get in on the action. Theworld’s billionaires are getting in on the ground floor of what is expected to become a long-standing multi-billion-dollar industry, where there’s literally something for everyone withopportunities as diverse as off-world settlements, additive manufacturing and deep space mining.

Launch servicesLaunch services, something all of us in the satellite sectorare well-versed on, are seeing a revolution from within withthe NewSpace movement, with fantastic new ideas takinghold. There are the industry old-timers such as Arianespace,which is enabling a lot of NewSpace satellite launches throughrideshare models and more flexible payload options, as wellas the more recent ventures such as SpaceX and Blue Origin,arguably the most advanced in their effor ts towardsdeveloping reusable launch vehicles, with their Falcon 9,Falcon Heavy, BFR, New Shepard and New Glenn rockets.Virgin Galactic is exploring in-air launch capabilities for smallsatellites with its LauncherOne and SpaceShipTwo vehicles,while NanoRacks is launching CubeSat missions from onboard the International Space Station (ISS). Rocket Lab, theowner of the world’s first private orbital launch complex,completed the first commercial flight of its small satellitelaunch vehicle, Electron, at the end of 2018, while fellow smallsatellite launch start-up Orbex is preparing for its first launch.

Satellite manufacturingGoing hand-in-hand with next-generation launch capabilities

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NewSpace Race

is the production of an entirely new generation of satellites;small satellites (including mini, micro, nano, pico, femto, andof course, CubeSats) are enabling a whole host of new space-enabled applications, while the world’s first software definedsatellites are improving existing satellite applications withenhanced cost-efficiency, lead time, and on-orbit flexibility.Satellite manufacturing is becoming more specialized thanever before; Clyde Space, Boeing, Surrey Satellite TechnologyLtd (SSTL), Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation,Orbital ATK, SSL and Thales Alenia Space are all heavilyinvested in small satellite manufacturing, while AirbusDefence and Space has made spectacular progress with theinauguration of several serial production lines in France andthe USA for the assembly, integration and testing of OneWeb’ssmall satellites. Meanwhile, production of the world’s firstsoftware-defined satellite, Eutelsat QUANTUM, has beencompleted by Airbus Defence and Space.

3D printing3D printing or additive manufacturing has becomeincreasingly advanced in the last ten years, with newtechnological developments rendering it a cost-effectivealternative to traditional manufacturing methods, enabling lowlead times and incredible flexibility. 3D printing is being utilisedin a number of industries, including the space sector, whereit is being utilized to create ground equipment, satellites andtheir components, launch vehicles and their components. BlueOrigin’s BE-4 engine is being developed with 3D printed OxBoost Pump (OBP) components, while CRP Group haslaunched several small satellites utilising 3D printedcomponents.

Relativity Space has developed the world’s largest metal3D printer, Stargate, to produce its all-3D-printed Aeon 1engine, which will power its all-3D-printed Terran 1 launchvehicle. Aerojet Rocketdyne now has a line of 3D printedengines and propulsion systems, while Lockheed Martin iscreating 3D printed satellite fuel tanks and is exploring the

integration of ar tificial intelligence (AI) and additivemanufacturing technologies.

Satellite constellationsSatellite constellations have been big news in recent years,with existing systems such as the Iridium network, Globalstarand O3b Networks demonstrating the possibilities. MediumEarth orbit (MEO) and low Earth orbit (LEO) have remainedlargely unused to date, with the majority of satellites launchedthroughout history being placed into geostationary orbit. Allthat is about to change with the planned Iridium NEXT, O3bmPOWER, OneWeb, LeoSat, Telesat, Boeing, Fleet,Samsung, Kepler Communications, SpaceX and Facebookconstellations edging closer to becoming reality. It’s broadlyexpected that around 2,000 new commercial small satelliteswill be launched by 2026, including almost 1,000 for OneWeb.Most of the planned constellations will target the globalconnectivity market, delivering low-cost high-speed Internet

Mission to Mars SpaceX

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NewSpace Race

services, and are expected to help bridge the digital divide.Earth observation is the next biggest market for these satelliteconstellations.

Moving on from the evolution of the traditional space andtechnology sectors, the NewSpace movement is also openingup doors to entirely new industries:

On-orbit satellite servicingWe’ve been hearing about on-orbit satellite servicing for afew years now, and these services are set to remove thesingle biggest lifetime limiter of satellites today; fuel supplies.A typical geostationary telecommunications satellite is retiredafter 15-20 years, not because any of the components ceaseto operate, but because they no longer have enough fuel tomaintain station-keeping duties and attitude control. Now,several companies have announced upcoming services tomeet this niche market.

Possibly the biggest name in on-orbit satellite servicing,Orbital ATK (since absorbed by Northrop Grumman) hasplans for two Mission Extension Vehicles (MEVs) – one duefor launch this year, the other due for launch in 2020, both ofwhich will service Intelsat satellites – and Mission RoboticVehicles (MRVs) that will transport 10-12 Mission ExtensionPods (MEPs), which will offer on-orbit robotic servicingcapabilities – due for launch in 2021. Meanwhile, EffectiveSpace Solutions Ltd is developing the SPACE DRONE, asatellite servicing spacecraft which docks to a host satelliteto provide station-keeping and attitude control capabilities;the first two SPACE DRONE spacecraft are due for launch in

2020. In an example of the type of public-private partnershipthat is expected to become increasingly ubiquitous in theNewSpace era, the US Government’s DARPA has selectedSSL as its commercial partner for its own Robotic Servicingof Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) programme, which willdevelop technologies for cooperative inspection and servicingin GEO. NASA is working on its own robotic satellite servicingplan with the Restore-L mission – due for launch in 2022 -but with a focus on servicing satellites in LEO.

Off-world miningAs we edge closer to reusable launch technologies and cost-effective deep space travel, the prospect of off-world miningbecomes ever closer to reality. The extraction of valuable rawmaterials from planets, moons or asteroids can providerenewed access to elements depleted on Earth, as well assupporting deep space missions of the future.

Planetary Resources is refining its deep space miningtechnologies, starting with the 2018 launch of its Arkyd-6CubeSat, which will detect water resources in space; thecompany ultimately aims to identify, extract and refineresources from near-Earth asteroids. Meanwhile, Deep SpaceIndustries (DSI) is exploring deep space resource utilizationwith the development of cost-effective access to space vianew spaceship technologies, while Moon Express is focusingon the extraction of minerals and water from the Moon, forconversion into rocket fuel.

Asteroid Mining Corporation (AMC) has ambitious plansfor a prospector satell ite, a space-based additive

Axiom Station forward view

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NewSpace Race

manufacturing system, and an asteroid-mining probe, andTransAstra Corporation wants to see thousands of asteroidstransformed into refuelling stations and plans to supplyasteroid mining, space solar power, space tourism and space-based manufacturing processes.

Manufacturing in spaceHand in hand with deep space mining and 3D printing isspace-based manufacturing. There are several advantagesto manufacturing items outside a planetary atmosphere; theunique environment of space can enable industrial processesthat cannot be readily reproduced on Earth; potentiallyhazardous processes can be performed in space with minimalrisk to Earth’s environment; raw materials, mined off-Earth,can be used in space instead of being transported back toEarth at great expense; items too large to be launched intospace economically can be assembled there instead;equipment and tools can be rapidly and cost-effectively bemanufactured in space instead of being shipped from Earthat great expense and with delay.

The Made In Space (MIS) Additive Manufacturing Facility(AMF) was launched to the ISS in 2014, since when it hasbeen demonstrating closed-cycle manufacturing, carrying outrepairs, upgrades and installations, and exploring thepossibilities of 3D printed food, among other tasks.Meanwhile, Firmamentum, a division of Tethers Unlimited,Inc. (TUI), launched the Refabricator experiment, a 3D printerwhich will accept plastic materials of various shapes and sizes

and transform them into feedstock, at the end of 2018.

Space tourismOne of the most widely-discussed NewSpace applications isthe possibility of space tourism. What’s news to many peopleis that there was actually a space tourism programmeoperating in the 2000s – Space Adventures transported sevencommercial astronauts to the ISS before the means oftransportation became unavailable. Space Adventures plansto enable new space tourism opportunities within the nextten years, including orbital spaceflight missions to the ISS,zero gravity flights, cosmonaut training programmes,spaceflight qualification programmes, circumlunar missionsaround the Moon, and is taking reservations for futuresuborbital spacecraft.

Plans for commercial space stations are rife: Roscosmoshas started work on its own space tourism programme, withplans for a luxury space hotel module on the ISS in 2022, inpartnership with contractor RKK Energia. Similarly, BigelowAerospace, the only company commercializing NASAexpandable module technologies, aims to create a modularset of space habitats for creating standalone or expandingexisting space stations, for the realisation of commercialspace station habitats starting in 2022.

In competition with Bigelow is Axiom Space, which plansto manufacture the world’s first commercial space station,linking a module with the ISS in 2019, and expand it withadditional modules upon the retirement of the ISS in 2028.

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NewSpace Race

Orion Span, too, has announced plans for the Aurora SpaceStation, a six-person capacity private space station reportedlydue to accept its first guests in 2022.

On the non-space station space tourism front, Elon Muskhas been very vocal in his plans for SpaceX to enter thecommercial spaceflight sector by bringing humans to Mars;he plans to send the first cargo mission to Mars in 2022, witha crewed mission on the cards for 2024.

The lesser-known Blue Origin is also developing newlaunch vehicles to provide commercial access to space, andthe company plans to release tickets shortly for eight-minuteflights some 307,000ft above the Earth on board its sub-orbitalcrew capsule. Virgin Galactic, alongside sister companiesThe Spaceship Company and Virgin Orbit, is developing anew generation of reusable space vehicles to open space tothe masses and plans to run a regular schedule of spaceflightfor private individuals from its operational hub at New Mexico’sSpaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercialspaceport. KosmoKurs is another start-up with plans for areusable suborbital space complex (MSCC) consisting of areusable suborbital rocket (MSRN) and reusable suborbitalspacecraft (MSCA); commercial flights are expected to beginin 2025.

Off-world settlementAnother topic straight out of science fiction, off-worldsettlements is something several entities are actively workingtowards. The primary argument for colonisation is the long-term survival of human civilisation, although there are manychallenges to overcome before it becomes a reality;transportation, sustainable habitats, settler health and well-being, energy, resources, terraforming, communications withEarth, etc., the list goes on and on.

SpaceX’s Elon Musk has stated that one of his longer-term goals is the colonisation of Mars, while the Mars Oneproject, headed by Bas Lansdorp, is aiming for a permanentmanned Mars landing in 2032. Lockheed Martin has outlinedits Mars Base Camp concept, a crewed Mars laboratoryorbiter, for NASA; the company is also working with NASAon the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway (LOP-G), a plannedlunar-orbit space station. NASA is also targeting the Moonwith Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1), which will be the firstintegrated unmanned test of its SLS rocket, Orion spacecraftand ground systems in 2020 – manned missions will followsoon after.

In other news, Japan’s JAXA is working on a Smart Landerfor Investigating Moon (SLIM) project, which will essentiallyland wherever desired, rather than wherever is easy; the firstlaunch is expected in 2021. China, too, is getting in on theaction, with the 2018 launch of the Quegia relay satellite andthe Chang’e 4 rover, to the far side of the Moon. In othernews, PTScientists is also targeting lunar exploration withplans for the world’s first private mission in the second halfof 2019, while Moon Express plans to offer commercial lunarrobotic transportation and data services with a long-term goalof mining the Moon for resources.

A time for changeNewSpace is as varied a sector as any other, and more sothan many. The opportunities available today for traditionalspaceflight companies and start-ups alike are incredible, andprivate sector and venture capital investment is at an all-time high.

We’re at a time of great change, with new pressures andnew possibilities emerging after decades of industrystagnation. Now is the time to strike.

Mars Express. Photo courtesy of ESA/TG medialab

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Q&A Newtec

Opening up newmarketsNewtec has specialized in designing, developing andmanufacturing equipment and technologies for satellitecommunications since 1985. The company is dedicated tocreating new possibilities for the broadcast, consumer andenterprise VSAT, government and defence, cellular backhauland trunking, and mobility, offshore and maritime markets. JoDe Loor, VP Market Development at Newtec, opines on currentmarket trends and the growing government sector.

Jo De Loor, VP MarketDevelopment at Newtec

Newtec is enabling Communic- ations & Commerce (Com & Com) to launch amobile backhaul network for Mytel

Q&A Newtec

Q&

A Question: Newtec is highly active inthe satellite sector; what trends doyou see emerging that could provideopportunities for Newtec?Jo De Loor: There are a few elementsaround right now. On the technologyside of things, there’s a big evolution inhigh throughput satellites (HTS), whichis emerging all over the world. That’sgood for us and our customers.

We address a wide spectrum ofmarkets, and there’s big traction in allof them. There’s a lot of movement inthe mobility market, both aeronauticaland maritime, which are big growthareas for Newtec. The cellular backhaulmarket also holds a lot of opportunityfor us. There’s the evolution of thebroadcast market as well, where we’reevolving from traditional broadcast

towards IP satellite news gathering(SNG) and over the top (OTT) videodelivery; both are becomingincreasingly relevant in terms of growingmarkets for us. The government sector,too, is looking promising.

One of our biggest achievementswas the penetration of the mobilitymarket, particularly the aeronauticalsector. Panasonic is a great customerwith great capabilities, and if you takean international flight now and connectvia Panasonic’s In Flight Connectivityservice, there’s a good chance that willbe enabled by Newtec technology.

Question: Let’s talk more about thedevelopment of the governmentmarkets; what’s going on in thisarea?Jo De Loor: We have various initiativesand projects in the government marketright now. We have two EuropeanGovSatcom projects that we’re workingon, one with Airbus and one with SES.There are integrators integrating ourproducts into their specific terminals forthe government sector, and there’s a lotof traction in this area.

There are a lot of new things goingon in the humanitarian governmentmarkets, mainly in the disaster recoveryand emergency communications areas.We’ve been supplying some majorinternational organisations withequipment for these humanitarianprojects, covering Europe, the MiddleEast, Asia and Africa. There’s also a lotof interest from the USA. We’re seeingmore and more provisions in this fieldall over the wor ld, as floods,earthquakes and other natural disasters

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Q&A Newtec

Newtec Dialog Multiservice Platform is being utilized by Milano Teleport

are becoming increasingly common.A lot of our technologies are used

across all markets, commercial andgovernment. It’s more about how thattechnology is used, and it comes backto integration into specific terminals.When a disaster happens, the initialinfrastructure to providecommunications must be deployedquickly. That equipment must thereforebe small, easy to install, flyaway or auto-pointing terminals. Integrating ourproducts into those terminals is one ofthe things we have to stay on top of.Overall, there’s a little adaptationrequired to make our commercialproducts suitable for governmentapplications, and sometimes we haveto add certain capabilities for thesecustomers.

Question: The satellite sector ischanging rapidly right now, with XTS,small satellites and constellationsmaking significant headway. Whatare the main challenges forequipment suppliers like Newtec insuch an environment?Jo De Loor: The drive behind all thesenew constellations, HTS, and soon XTS

or VHTS, is to provide better servicesto the customer, which better fit theirdemands, and are more cost-effective.Of course, the constellations bringadditional value from their low latency,because the round-trip time to low Earthorbit (LEO) is much lower; that’s animportant driver for some applications.

For us, it’s a good opportunity to bepart of something new. The industry isin a state of change, and we’re aninnovative company. We have a lot ofprojects in the HTS domain withcustomers in a variety of markets,including mobility, backhaul andconsumer broadband.

We’ve taken a good look atNewSpace, because there are a lot ofthings happening. Beyond the LEOconstellations, there’s new trends inCubeSats, high altitude platforms(HAPs), and a lot of new players comingto the market.

There’s an evolution to smaller andmore flexible satellites which fits verywell to our capabilities. We’re taking agood look at our potential role in thisarea, we need to ensure any new areasfit our DNA as a company and meet ourcustomers’ needs.

Question: In June 2018, it emergedthat Newtec is enabling Communic-ations & Commerce (Com & Com) tolaunch a mobile backhaul network forMytel, Myanmar’s newest mobileoperator. What can you tell us aboutthe deal, and the opportunitiesavailable in Myanmar today?Jo De Loor: We delivered this solutiontogether with Com & Com – our long-term par tner and a joint venturecompany established between TerabitWave (Myanmar) and OSB JSC(Vietnam). Com & Com was awardedthe tender for this project due to its highperformance, low operationalexpenditure (OpEx) and its support ofour dynamic bandwidth allocationtechnology, Mx-DMA®. A number ofNewtec MDM3100 Satellite Modemshave already been installed,empowering Mytel to deliver 2G, 3G and4G services across Myanmar andincreasing its coverage as it preparesfor the expected growth in mobile traffic.Com & Com is responsible for fullymanaging the Newtec Dialog®-basednetwork, supported by the platform’snetwork management system. This isMyanmar’s first all-4G network and the

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Q&A Newtec

project really emphasises the rolesatellite has to play in delivering fastmobile Internet access at affordablerates.

Myanmar is an interesting marketbecause it really opened up for VSAT afew years ago. There’s a lot of potentialthere, and that potential is starting toemerge now as the first projects arebeing realised.

There’s a big drive to roll out mobilenetworks throughout the country, andthere’s the opening of the VSAT market;these are nicely linked together todeliver 3G and 4G services to the endusers, who cannot be served otherwise.We see more opportunity in the VSATmarket out of Myanmar movingforwards.

Question: In August 2018, it wasannounced that the Newtec DialogMultiservice Platform is beingutilized by Milano Teleport to enrichits maritime services. Can yououtline what benefits Newtec’stechnology will deliver in thismaritime environment?Jo De Loor: Milano Teleport had a

challenge to serve the most demandingcustomers. It has customers withsuperyachts and cruise ships, and withthe technology that it had in place, itwasn’t capable of delivering therequired services, and it wasn’t capableof delivering in an affordable way. Thereason Milano introduced our NewtecDialog technology for those two mobilitymarkets, and other additional marketsin the future, was because we were ableto solve this challenge.

We were able to deliver thecapability to serve Milano Teleport’smost demanding customers, and at thesame time, do it very efficiently so thatit becomes an affordable service. On topof that, the technology allows MilanoTeleport to extend into other markets,including other maritime and fixedsatellite services.

Question: In September 2018, Newtecand Arabsat signed a new multi-million Euro contract to enable thelaunch of new HTS services in theMiddle East and Africa. Can yououtline the applications that will beenabled, and how Newtec’s

technology will deliver market-leading results?Jo De Loor: Our latest contract withArabsat is an extension of our long-termpartnership and will provide the basefor Arabsat’s new HTS services in theMiddle East and Africa. These includeEnterprise and VNO services, IPTrunking and mobile backhaul for 3Gand 4G services. Under thepartnership, Arabsat will deploy aNewtec Dialog platform with a varietyof Newtec’s DVB-S2X Widebandmodems. The specific modem used foreach customer will depend on themarket being served, with Newtec’spor tfolio providing vertical-specificsolutions to deliver the best connectivityexperience for any satellite application.

For Arabsat, the deployment will helpit meet rising market demand for high-throughput and high-performanceservices, pushing the boundaries of whatis available today. It chose to partner withNewtec again due to our provenexpertise in enlarging addressablemarkets and maximising the benefits ofHTS systems to achieve the highestefficiency and throughput.

In September 2018, Newtec and Arabsat signed a new multi-million Euro contract to enable the launch of new HTSservices in the Middle East and Africa.

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On-orbit Satellite Servicing

Photo courtesy of Northrop Grumman

Extending operations with spacerobotsOn-orbit satellite servicing became major newsin 2018 with ground-breaking announcementsfrom Orbital ATK (now Northrop Grumman),Effective Space, DARPA and NASA. The ideamakes sense – satellites are on the of the fewtechnologies that are rendered obsolete bylack of simple maintenance and fuel – but untilnow, we haven’t had the capabilities to bring itto fruition. All that is about to change as thesenext-generation technologies bring satelliteservicing front and centre.

The lifespan of a typical satellite is currently largelydependent upon the amount of fuel on board. Of course, smallerrors can also occur during the lifetime of the satellite thathalt a satellite’s operations. In both situations, the ability torefuel or carry out minor repairs, perhaps replacing parts hereor there, could drastically change the economics of today’ssatellite sector.

The satellite industry is a very expensive game to be in,especially for operators. Every stage of a satellite’s lifetimehas a multitude of associated costs; design, manufacturing,insurance, launch, operations, etc. It all costs a great deal ofmoney. For traditional geostationary satellites, the expected15-year lifetime is imposed purely because of fuel supplies,and once that fuel is depleted, that US$100 million asset is

rendered useless. Much of the technology on board thesesatellites can outlast the satellite’s lifetime two or three timesover, so good are manufacturing techniques today. Indeed,all it would take to add an extra five, ten, maybe even 15years of life onto a satellite is a fresh supply of fuel, which iswhere today’s ambitious on-orbit satellite servicing planscome in.

Developing the technologyThe difficulties in on-orbit satellite servicing are not by anymeans insurmountable; the costs for developing technologythat can be remotely operated from here on Earth; designingan interface that will be compatible with the majority of fuelvalves used on satellites already in orbit; the costs to launchand deploy on-orbit satellite robots; and training personnelto safely operate the equipment without causing acatastrophic chain reaction of satellite destruction with oneminiscule bump. All these issues can, and are being, solved.The costs of developing these services pale in comparisonto the amounts invested in existing operational satellites.

There are also the implications for space debris toconsider; the European Space Agency (ESA) estimates thatthere are around 30,000 debris objects larger than 10cm,60,000 objects larger than 5cm, and around 750,000 objectslarger than 1cm, currently floating around in orbit above theEarth. The time to act on this debris is now, and with on-orbitsatellite servicing coming to fruition, fewer satellites will belaunched, and the exponential growth of debris could beslowed. In addition, currently-proposed debris-removaltechnologies tie in nicely with on-orbit servicing vehicles; bothvehicles must be remotely operated with absolute precisionto achieve their goal. In a remarkable leap forwards,

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September 2018 saw the first example of space debriscapture by the RemoveDEBRIS technology demonstrator,which captured a piece of debris with a net.

Truly, we stand on the edge of a whole new era of space-based capabilities for the satellite sector. Indeed, accordingto research from MarketsandMarkets, the space roboticssegment is expected to grow at a CAGR of 8.64 percent fromUS$2.88 billion in 2018 to US$4.36 billion in 2023. Increasinginvestments in space exploration, demand for on-orbit satelliteservicing, manufacturing and assembly, debris removal, andadvancements in autonomous systems are all fuelling thegrowth of the space robotics sector. While growth is strongamong the commercial and government markets,organisations, space agencies, defence forces and satelliteoperators, the commercial markets are expected to dominate,particularly in North America.

So, what can we expect to see in the next few years? Aform of ‘space tug’ is the most popular idea floating aroundright now. These tugs would be able to dock with existingsatellites and overtake station-keeping duties and attitudecontrol once the satellite’s fuel is depleted. No fuel would betransferred, making in-space operations more facile, althoughit would be less energy-efficient than re-fuelling, becausethe tug would have to keep both the satellite and its ownmass in position. Industry experts have pointed out thatutilising electric thrusters on the space tug would improveefficiency. While most entities involved in the satellite lifeextension area are focusing on these space tugs, refuellingmissions are also on the agenda.

Effective Space moves forwards with SPACE DRONEFounded in 2013, UK-based Effective Space Solutions Ltdis currently developing the SPACE DRONE. The satelliteservicing spacecraft docks to a host satellite with a patent-pending universal non-intrusive docking system in order toprovide station-keeping and attitude control capabilities toextend the lifetime of a satellite by several years.

The sub-400kg SPACE DRONE design features electricthrusters and can dock with almost all of the 400+ satellitescurrently in GEO. The spacecraft, which can be launched onrideshare vehicles, can complete multiple satellite servicingmissions during its 15-year lifetimes. Effective Space’s initialfocus for the SPACE DRONE is on station-keeping andattitude control, relocation, deorbiting, orbit and inclinationcorrection and ‘bringing into use’ (BIU), however, thespacecraft could be deployed in the future for active debrisremoval, the suppor t of low or medium Ear th orbitconstellations and in-space explorations, mining andmanufacturing logistics.

Effective Space has signed several Memorandum of

RSGS GEO Robotic Servicing Vehicle (RSV)

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Understanding (MoU) deals with satellite operators in the lastfew years, including a January 2018, US$100 million multi-year contract with an unnamed major regional satelliteoperator which will see two SPACE DRONE spacecraftlaunched by ILS in 2020 to provide station-keeping andattitude-control capabilities to significantly extend the life oftwo communication satellites.

The technology took a step forwards in April 2018, whenEffective Space announced a partnership with ArianeGroupfor the provision of electric propulsion systems. ArianeGroup’sArclight Radio Frequency Ion Thruster technology will propelthe SPACE DRONE to geostationary orbit and providecomplete station-keeping and attitude control services. FourArclight electric propulsion thrusters per SPACE DRONE willdeliver the highest efficiency propulsion in its size class, in acompact, lightweight package, as well as providing severalon-orbit service modes which can be tailored in accordancewith the SPACE DRONE service mission phases.

Later in July 2018, Maxar Technologies’ Neptec UK Ltdsubsidiary signed a contract to supply a spaceflight LIDARand infrared camera for the SPACE DRONE. The equipmentwill enable the SPACE DRONE to safely approach and dockwith satellites in orbit, generating a 3D picture of the targetspacecraft and critical information on distances anddimensions.

Meanwhile, September 2018 saw the announcement thatEffective Space had partnered with Israel AerospaceIndustries (IAI) technologically and financially, with IAI named

as the prime contractor for the SPACE DRONE project.

Northrop Grumman strides ahead with MEVs, MEPs andMRVsOrbital ATK and its subsidiary company, Space Logistics LLC,made some of the biggest news in 2018 with its on-orbitsatellite servicing plans. The company has since beenacquired by Northrop Grumman and now goes by NorthropGrumman Innovation Systems.

The initial announcement featured the Mission ExtensionVehicle (MEV), a cooperative on-orbit satellite life extensionand manoeuvring services vehicle for geostationary satellitesthat will deliver flexible, scalable, capital-efficient and low-risk solutions. Northrop Grumman’s MEV docks with up to80 percent of existing satellites, providing the propulsion andattitude control needed to extend their lifetimes. A suite ofintegrated proximity sensors is used to safely rendezvouswith the satellite, and a mechanical docking system createsa firm connection between the MEV and the satellite. Oncethe customer no longer requires the life extension service,the MEV, which has an expected 15-year lifetime, can undockand move away to serve its next customer.

Intelsat placed the first order for an MEV, currently dubbedMEV-1, in 2016, to add an additional five years of life onto anexisting satellite asset. This was followed by a second order,for a second MEV (MEV-2), in January 2018, which is duefor launch in the middle of 2020.

In March 2018, the next step in Northrop Grumman’s on-

Artist's concept of Restore-L

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orbit satellite servicing plans was announced: A new roboticservicing system that provides additional options forcustomers to enhance the value of their satellites. The newsystem consists of two products, Mission Robotic Vehicles(MRVs) and Mission Extension Pods (MEPs), which willprovide customers with more flexibility to extend the life andeffect repairs to satellites in-orbit. The MEP is an externalpropulsion module that attaches to and provides up to fiveyears of orbital life extension for satellites which are runninglow on fuel. While the primary application of the MRV is totransport and install 10-12 identical MEPs or other payloadson customer satellites, it will also offer on-orbit roboticcapabilities for in-orbit repairs and similar functions. One ofthe new features of the MRV is the ability it brings to capturethose remaining 20 percent of satellites for servicing thatcan’t be targeted by the MEV, utilizing robotic arms. NorthropGrumman expects to launch the first MRV and MEPs in 2021.

DARPA meets major milestone review for RSGSprogrammeNever one to be left behind, the US Government’s DefenseAdvanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has alsolaunched a Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites(RSGS) programme to develop technologies that wouldenable cooperative inspection and servicing in geostationaryorbit.

Early in 2017, DARPA selected Space Systems Loral(SSL) as its commercial partner for the RSGS programme.DARPA will develop a robotic module, including hardwareand software, and provide technical expertise and agovernment-funded launch, while SSL will provide aspacecraft, integrate the robotic module onto the spacecraftto create a robotic servicing vehicle (RSV), install the RSVonto the launch vehicle, and provide a mission operationcentre and staff. After a successful on-orbit demonstration ofthe RSV, SSL will operate the vehicle and make cooperativeservicing available to both military and commercial satelliteoperators on a fee-for-service basis. In exchange for providingproperty to SSL, the US Government will obtain reduced-priced servicing of its satellites and access to commercialsatellite servicing data throughout the operational life of theRSV.

The RSGS project aims to enable high resolutioninspection; correction of mechanical anomalies such asantenna and solar array deployment malfunctions; refuelling;assistance with relocation and orbital manoeuvres; and theinstallation of attachable payloads for upgrading existingassets. DARPA intends to provide the space roboticstechnology to other interested US space corporations -qualified companies will be able to obtain and license thetechnology through cooperative research and developmentagreements. SES will reportedly be the first commercialcustomer to benefit from the DARPA/SSL satellite refuellingservice and will be able to activate the service wheneverrequired. The satellite servicing spacecraft vehicle is plannedfor launch in 2021.

In August 2018, DARPA completed a major reviewmilestone for the RSGS programme, which showed that therobotic payload design – assigned to the US Naval ResearchLaboratory (NRL) by DARPA – and the SSL-built spacecraftbus are on track to fulfil a multi-year mission to service at

least 20 commercial and government spacecraft. Accordingto DARPA, several elements have advanced beyond thepreliminary design review stage, and flight versions of twodexterous robotic manipulator arms, which will allow up-closeinspection, repair, and installation of technical packages onthe exterior of satellites, are in production and are expectedto deliver in 2019.

NASA targets LEO for on-orbit satellite servicingNASA is another major organisation working on its ownrobotic satellite servicing plan, but unlike the other projectsgoing on right now, NASA is focusing on low Earth orbit (LEO).The Restore-L mission will feature a carefully-curated suiteof satellite-servicing technologies for on-orbit rendezvous andgrasping, refuelling and repositioning. The technologyincludes an autonomous navigation system with supportingavionics, dextrous robotic arms and software. Restore-L isdue for launch in 2022.

According to NASA, future candidate applications forindividual Restore-L technologies include on-orbitmanufacturing and assembly, propellant depots, observatoryservicing, and orbital debris management. NASA is alsodirectly applying several Restore-L technologies to theAsteroid Redirect Mission. The robotic vehicle of NASA’sAsteroid Redirect Mission directly leverages Restore-L’sautonomous rendezvous system, avionics, dexterous roboticsand software, and tool drive and other systems. This missionis being designed to be refuellable.

In October 2018, NASA selected Orbit Logic’s STKScheduler software for the Restore-L technologydemonstrator. The software, which includes timing and eventconstraint checking and auto-sequencing features, willprovide NASA with an adaptable, invaluable tool to performRestore-L’s highly complex mission timeline and sequencing.Since Restore-L is being executed in LEO, schedule visibilityfor radio frequency (RF) communications is critical to missionsuccess.

Strict rulesets and mission constraints, coupled with RFcommunications, must be cross-referenced for specificservicing tasks and approach sequences. STK Schedulersupports the configuration and implementation of all Restore-L scheduling constraints out-of-the-box, allowing for quickinitial deployment, testing, and use in prelaunch planning,simulations, and on-orbit mission execution at a fraction ofthe cost of custom software development.

During the same month, NASA selected SSL to developa vital ‘Tipping Point’ technology related to its on-orbit satelliteservicing plans. NASA’s Tipping Point awards are designedto foster the development of commercial space capabilitiesand benefit future NASA missions; a technology is consideredto be at a tipping point by NASA if an investment in ademonstration is likely to be infused into a commercial spaceapplication and deliver significant improvement in the abilityto successfully bring the technology to market. SSL’s In-SpaceXenon Transfer for Satellite, Servicing and Exploration VehicleReplenishment and Life Extension project will unlock newpossibilit ies for on-orbit servicing and refuelling bydemonstrating that fuel transfer can be performed reliably inspace. According to NASA, the incremental and reliableaddition of xenon transfer to existing robotic refuelling payloadopens new refuelling opportunities.

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LEO and MEO

Photo courtesy of LeoSat

Living up to expectations in NGSOThe satellite sector has come on in leaps andbounds in recent years, and nowhere is thistruer than when we look at the satellitesthemselves. Shrinking in size, weight and cost,and with more power and flexibility than everbefore, this new era of satellites is set toenable a whole new world of applications fromthe lesser-used medium and low Earth orbits(LEO and MEO).

Satellite technology has been enabling globalcommunications capabilities since back in the 1960s. Thegeostationary orbit (GEO) has become the gold standard insatellite technology, enabling applications as diverse ascommunications, consumer Internet, environmentalmonitor ing, banking, e-health, distance learning,broadcasting, etc. While that gold standard remains in placetoday, a noticeable shift towards non-geostationary orbits(NGSO) is underway.

Why move beyond GEO?The majority of satellites throughout history have beenlaunched into geostationary orbit, with NGSO selected foronly a small number of very niche applications until now.

The new NGSO satellite networks are expected to offer aunique set of attributes. Latency is one of the key sellingpoints; for GEO satellites, latencies are usually in the regionof 270ms, compared with less than 200ms for MEO, andaround 25ms (in theory) for LEO. While NGSO advocates

argue that this low latency will be absolutely vital for certainservices going forwards, including military applications,consumer gaming and banking, others claim that latency isrelatively unimportant for the majority of applications.

The distances involved also raise some interesting points.Three GEO satellites orbiting some 35,786km above the Earthcan cover the entire globe, while for MEO, some 20,200kmabove the Earth, and LEO at around 2,000km, many moresatellites are required to deliver global coverage. With moresatellites involved, mobile satellite users are required to makemany more handovers between satellite beams, requiringhighly-advanced antennas and tracking capabilities, andmuch more costly ground architecture.

Launch capabilities are also more complex. While cost-effective launch opportunities are available, either withdedicated launches or on rideshares, it seems unlikely thatthere is adequate launch capacity for the more than 5,000satellites due for launch to MEO and LEO in the next fewyears.

While this opens up the launch markets to new entrants,and indeed we’re seeing a lot of start-ups dedicated todeveloping unique small satellite launch systems, demandremains unmet. These upcoming NGSO satellites also havemuch higher refresh rates than the standard 15-year GEOsatellite lifespan, requiring replacement in anywhere from 1-5 years.

We’re also only recently starting to discuss the ‘shieldingeffect’ as an industry. The impact of an additional 5,000satellites being launched into NGSO is currently unknown:Will these new satellites shield signals being transmittedbetween GEO and Earth? We just don’t know, and we’re stillwaiting for accurate modelling to determine the answers.

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LEO and MEO

Big money in NGSOAll the benefits that come with NGSO satellites, and the hugepotential market applications, have provided plenty of reasonfor governments, commercial organisations, venture capitalfunds and billionaires to get in on the ground floor.

According to NSR’s ‘Global Satellite Capacity Supply &Demand, 15th Edition’ report, NGSO annual capacity revenuesare expected to boom to US$4 billion by 2027. The new NGSOconstellations are expected to open up entirely new greenfieldmarkets, however, the report highlights that CAPEX exposurewill be massive and that ‘new revenue drivers may not beenough to pay back initial investments.’ The risk of pricedisruption for the entire satellite industry is considerableshould these new constellations find the need to offloadcapacity at rock-bottom prices.

“According to their schedule, LEOs need to start offeringconcrete examples of progress, but results are still mixed,”said Lluc Palerm, NSR Senior Analyst and report author.“Funding is still far from resolved and even the ones thathave already attracted billions in investment still do not havea clear path to service. Delays and cost overruns plague manyprograms. Regulatory challenges are coming to light with firstdenials of access to key markets. Technology wise, there arestill many questions to answer, beginning with user terminals.On the other side, progress continues in the form of testingsatellites, new rounds of funding and establishment ofbaseband networks.”

The report states that, to date, technology developmenthas consumed most of the attention as far as NGSOconstellations are concerned; however, as the constellationsnear service entry, more attention must be paid tocommercialisation options. According, many upcomingoperators are trying to strike out a niche vertical market forthemselves, and others are linking up with well-establishedGEO satellite operators.

The state of playThe NGSO market is absolutely booming right now.

In the MEO segment, the market is still limited to a smallnumber of players. To date, most satellite constellations inthis orbit have been the reserve of government organisations,

including the Global Positioning System (GPS), GlobalNavigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Compass andGalileo (completion expected by 2020).

O3b Networks, part of SES Networks since 2016, is oneof the biggest players in the private NGSO sector, and theonly NGSO constellation to date to merge MEO capabilitieswith a GEO fleet. The O3b (‘the Other 3 Billion) constellationdelivers voice and data communications to mobile operatorsand Internet service providers and is currently being refreshedwith new satellites; four were launched in March 2018, andan additional four in the first half of 2019. SES Networks isalso developing O3b mPOWER, a next-generationconstellation of seven ‘super-powered’ MEO satellites whichwill feature more than 30,000 dynamic electronically-generated, fully-shapeable and steerable beams that can beshifted and switched in real-time. Due for launch in 2021 andscalable to multiple terabits of throughput globally, O3bmPOWER will deliver coverage to more than 400 millionsquare kilometres.

Viasat, too, is getting in on the action, with a plannedconstellation of 20 satellites, namely five satellites in fourdifferent MEO orbital pathways. The company plans for Kaand V-band frequency satellites which will, like SES Networks,

Telesat constellation

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LEO and MEO

operate in combination with its GEO satellites to provide moreholistic capabilities.

In the LEO segment, meanwhile, there are significantlymore companies getting in on the action. Existingconstellations in this orbit are typically private sector, includingthe Iridium and Iridium NEXT constellations, Globalstar andORBCOMM.

OneWeb Satellites, a joint venture between OneWeb andAirbus Defence and Space, is a planned LEO constellationof 882 Ku-band satellites that will provide a global broadbandInternet service to consumers. The first satellites werelaunched in February 2019, with services expected tocommence later this year. OneWeb has made history withthe establishment of three satellite assembly lines, in Franceand the USA, which will validate, test, and integrate thecompany’s satellites.

Telesat, too, is developing a global LEO constellation of120 satellites which will accelerate 5G expansion and bridgethe digital divide by delivering fibre-like high speed servicesinto rural and remote communities by 2021. The companylaunched its Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite in January 2018to demonstrate the constellation’s system design, specificallythe capability of the satellite and customer terminals to delivera low-latency broadband experience.

LeoSat Enterprises is another start-up with a plannedLEO constellation; LeoSat’s satellites will feature a uniquearchitecture utilizing inter-satellite laser links to connect thesatellites, creating fibre-like symmetry at Gigabit speeds,while providing total security as the data is encrypted andsecured from end-to-end across the network, with noterrestrial touch points. The 78 satellites will be divided intosix polar orbits, 20 degrees apart, each with 12 active andone on-orbit spare.

Each satellite will have almost 30Gbps of full duplex data,providing a 2Tbps capacity constellation upon completion.Launches are expected to begin in 2021 and be completed

in 2022. Japan’s SKY Perfect JSAT and Spain’s Hispasat haveboth invested in the constellation.

Probably the world’s most famous space sector company,SpaceX has also outlined plans for a LEO constellation. Thecompany plans to launch almost 12,000 satellites by the mid-2020s, including 4,425 for the Starlink constellation, as wellas an additional 7,500 V-band satellites to orbit 340km abovethe Earth. Like LeoSat, the Starlink constellation will utiliseinter-satellite links between its Ka and Ku-band satellites andwill provide a low-cost global broadband network withlatencies of 25-35ms. Tintin A and B, two demonstrationsatellites for the Starlink constellation, were launched inFebruary 2018 to example the constellation’s capabilities.

Facebook is another house name with plans to launch itsown constellation of LEO satellites. The Athena constellationwill reportedly provide efficient broadband access to unservedand underserved areas parts of the world. We look forwardto hearing more about this project in due course.

The bottom lineNGSO is big money, both now and in the future. There arebillions of dollars being invested into these systems today,yet we won’t begin to see the fruits of these labours for sometime yet. Unlike MEO, which in the case of O3b Networks isa successfully-proven concept, it remains to be seen whetherLEO will yield the expected results, or whether it will be adisaster with major knock-on effects for the entire satellitesector. Indeed, industry experts have been pointedly vocalin their disbelief that all currently-planned LEO constellationswill be brought into reality.

The bottom line is that some of these constellations will nodoubt be built out and launched, and we’ll be able to establishwhether they live up to all that has been promised in the nexttwo to three years. With so many fantastical expectations, frombridging the digital divide to providing cheap, global, high-speed Internet, NGSO has a lot to deliver.

Photo courtesy of LeoSat

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