Dec 2020 in the Press

Defense News Dec 2020 In the Press How $56 Million In Funding Will Help One Mobile Antenna “We want to select Connect With Thousands Of everything within the field of view, using Satellites every satellite in the sky, Can you imagine the Earth orbit. That ranges from the with a single piece of ancient Romans inspiring a behemoth GPS satellites far away technology” potential revolution in space to the ever-growing network of communications? satellites close to Earth built by In the fourth century, the Romans SpaceX and OneWeb and Telesat, created a cup that shows red light among others. when lit from behind, and green In five to 10 years, this means that when lit in front. The Lycurgus Cup a single device could connect with showed artists and innovators how satellites just about anywhere. It to play with and bend light, using could be just as helpful for fast glass embedded with tiny flecks Internet in a Congo community, of gold. And that was 1,600 years or getting information for soldiers ago, when the best long-distance deployed in remote Middle Eastern communication available was deserts. The system is still more through networks of fast horses than a year from readiness, but and nimble riders. with $56 million USD in backing to Nearly two millennia later, date, Isotropic now has a lucrative Isotropic Systems is building a contract in hand to test it with the satellite antenna to do the same U.S. military. thing as the cup: bend radio Read more waves, through the scientific field of transformational optics. Using minute alterations in its positioning, the hope is to make an antenna that can communicate with just about any satellite in any In the Press New high-speed Army satellites accelerate attacks on enemy tanks The Isotropic antenna will deliver high throughput, at low latency over a When an Air Force fighter jet or Given this, high-throughput, MEO constellation with bomber closes in on a high-value multi-frequency, multi-directional simultaneous resilient target area, poised for attack, antennas, coupled with secure GEO capacity. This is a or an Army ground unit moves to “meshed” networking between contact with an enemy, success or satellites, are considered crucial game changer for the failure of a given high-risk mission to war planners looking to favor U.S. Army can often hang in the balance success in missions by increasing of what can be described in two the strength and speed of space words – satellite networking. connectivity. Read more A sufficiently hardened, multi- directional signal can ensure that pilots quickly receive target coordinates, navigational details, or sensitive threat information of great relevance to the mission. Should target accuracy be compromised, signal fidelity jammed, or flight path compromised by threats from unanticipated directions, mission objectives can of course be destroyed and lives are put at risk. In the Press Isotropic Systems’ transformative to crack the code to develop new terminals are in milestone trials antenna technologies capable with the U.S. Army and U.S. Navy, of unlocking the full potential of Cracking The Connectivity aimed at delivering new LEO, new high throughput satellite GEO and MEO satellite-delivered capacity coming online in the 2022 Code For Defense connectivity to the battlespace. timeframe. And they are thrilled New high-powered satellites and that Isotropic Systems has cracked constellations in GEO, LEO, and the code. In fact, we’re in the latter MEO orbits are on the verge of phases of developing what has commercial launches over the recently been called the Holy Grail next two years. New-age capacity of terminals. in space, however, is only half of Our multi-beam antenna uses the equation to solve connectivity patented optical beamforming challenges that defense and lens technologies that allow the government agencies have government and armed forces struggled with for years across to arbitrage capacity from Scott Sprague battlefields around the world. commercial and military satellite Chief Commercial Officer There’s been a lot of focus on capacity over a single antenna to new high-powered satellite deliver data at the tactical edge constellations bringing a new era like never before. of connectivity to critical markets In a conversation with such as the military and defense. Read more MilsatMagazine, Scott Sprague, But the government can’t tap that CCO for Isotropic Systems, new age capacity without a new explains that high-throughput age antenna, correct? ground infrastructure is required to unleash new multi-orbit That’s absolutely right and connectivity across a broad range exactly why Isotropic Systems is of markets — especially mission so dedicated to redefining the critical defense initiatives. antenna market. Engineers with U.S. government and defense agencies have shared with our team how they’ve tried for years In the Press Scott Sprague of Isotropic Systems discusses a new generation of satellite antennas Our high-performance multi-beam terminals feature optical lens In March of this year, SES and The military has long hungered modules that are Isotropic Systems announced for a satellite terminal capable conformal to the fuselage that they were entering into a of conforming to small footprints of a plane, the deck of new phase of their collaborative – such as vehicles for mounted partnership to develop, “scalable, land operations, ships at sea and a ship, even a soldier’s cost-effective multi-beam customer aircraft – capable of connecting backpack. edge terminal antennas capable users to multiple satellites in of unlocking access to the multiple orbits. And that’s exactly groundbreaking O3b mPOWER what the partnership between system across government and Isotropic Systems and SES is defense, telco and cellular intended to deliver. backhaul, aerospace, maritime, and offshore markets.” Read more While many companies in the space and satellite industry treat every iteration and new development in their product catalog as a revolutionary step forward for the industry, as a whole, the collaboration between SES and Isotropic truly has the potential to deliver new, disruptive capabilities to end-users – especially for military users. In the Press Navy ships improve attack with new multi-beam satellite antenna “seamless make-before- break switching between satellites in multiple Targeting enemy ships, bouncing fleet, by arming ships for high- orbits, and continuous war data off of drones, detecting end massive warfare on the open connectivity during incoming ballistic missiles, seeing sea with a new generation of turbulent pitch-and-roll approaching small boat attacks advanced weapons. from over the horizon, intercepting conditions facing vessels The sea service plans to benefit traversing rough seas,” anti-ship missiles and ... perhaps from a recently awarded Defense most of all … networking surface, Innovation Unit evaluation air and undersea assets in real- and development contract time -- are all crucial elements with Isotropic Systems for new of the U.S. Navy’s emerging patented beam-forming antenna Distributed Maritime Operations technologies and circuits. The (DMO) tactical attack strategy. goal, according to Isotropic CEO John Finney, is to “fuse multi-band, Offensive attack maneuver, multi-orbit commercial and military fortified by advanced sensors capacity to deliver intelligence and dispersed across vast data at the tactical edge over a swaths of ocean, is one of the single platform.” tenets informing the Navy’s DMO Read more thinking. Surface ships will by design increasingly operate in a disaggregated fashion, armed with long-range weapons and sensors; it is part of a multi- year Navy pivot toward broadly increasing lethality and attack technology throughout the surface In the Press Despite multiple efforts and SMW: I understand that the millions of dollars invested Isotropic antenna has been in in development, success has development for around three The Isotropic Antenna: The remained elusive, and significant years. Is your first antenna Ku Perfect Solution for Aero? obstacles remain in place. or Ka-Band, and how far have Typically, flat panel phased you come in the development? arrays use large numbers of What is the initial target market, beam forming ICs, a requirement and when will the antennas be dictating an extensive array of commercially available? electronics that consumes vast Brian Billman: Our optical amounts of power, generates beam forming antenna is a new excessive heat, and is expensive to technology. So, in the beginning, manufacture. we didn?t have all the answers Isotropic Systems, a London-based and have been learning along the start-up, has designed, prototyped way. Throughout the development Brian Billman and tested a uniquely innovative process, we have been pushing VP of Product Development antenna that breaks through the envelope in terms of the these barriers. Using lenses that features we can offer. concentrate the RF signal, the Read more antenna design significantly reduces the number of electronic components, resulting in a terminal that uses considerably less power, With the coming of LEOs and achieves true time delay, duplex MEOs and the burgeoning operation, and can be produced demand for broadband on at a relatively low cost. commercial aircraft, satellite antenna developers are racing to To find out more about this unique develop a suitable phased array product and its potential in antenna. aero markets, we met with Brian Billman, Isotropic System’s V.P. of Product Management for Aero. In the Press Next generation antennas for NGSO satellites With small satellite constellations While a good number of ground becoming increasingly segment companies have already commonplace, the terrestrial exampled the use of traditional antennas used to track these parabolic antennas and VSATs, ‘fast-moving’ NGSO satellites which have been proven to are coming under increasing track ‘fast-moving’ satellites in scrutiny. Innovative new designs medium Earth orbit (MEO and far removed from traditional low Earth orbit (LEO) entirely parabolic antennas and VSATs satisfactorily, several innovative are coming to fruition.

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