WorldwideWorldwide SatelliteSatellite MagazineMagazine SatMagazineSatMagazine AprilApril 20212021

Cover image is courtesy of D-Orbit and is an artistic rendition of the company's ION Satellite Carrier delivering smallsats to orbit; the background picture of the Earth has been taken by D-Orbit’s D-Sense multi-sensor.

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www.cpii.com | [email protected] | +1 (669) 275-2744 Publishing Operations InfoBeam Features Silvano Payne, Publisher + Executive Writer SpaceX 4 Executive Spotlight: David Bettinger 8 Simon Payne, Chief Technical Officer CEO, SpaceLink Hartley G. Lesser, Editorial Director ORBCOMM 4 Industry Challenges… Easing In 2021 14 Author: Chris Forrester, Senior Columnist Pattie Lesser, Executive Editor OneWeb + The AST Group 5 Executive Spotlight: Colonel Terry Virts 22 Donald McGee, Production Manager Astronaut Teresa Sanderson, Operations Director C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. 25 Focus: Bridgecomm 28 Sean Payne, Business Development Director With Barry Matsumori, CEO Dan Makinster, Technical Advisor Inmarsat, Clearwater Seafood + Intellian 26 How SIG & SOMAP Are Working Together 32 Author: Helen Weedon, Satellite Innovation Group Teledyne e2v 27 SPACS In Space 34 Senior Contributors Author: Amanda L. Darling, K&L Gates Chris Forrester, Broadgate Publications SatNews Digital Editions 31 Focus: D-Orbit 40 Author: Jonathan Firth, COO Karl Fuchs, iDirect Government Services Amazon Web Services + USGIF 37 Finally Time For Optical SATCOM? 46 Bob Gough, Goonhilly Earth Station Author: Arthur Van Eeckhout, NSR Rebecca M. Cowen-Hirsch, Inmarsat L3Harris + NASA 37 Transforming Earth & Deep Space Missions 48 Ken Peterman, Viasat Author: Jörg Rockstroh, WORK Microwave Giles Peeters, Track24 Defence Thales Alenia Space 38 Going To Space To Stay — Better Satellite World 50 Author: SSPI Koen Willems, ST Engineering Newtec Tomorrow.io 39 Delivering SATCOM With LoRa® 52 Author: Remi Lorrain This Issue’s Authors TESAT + Lockheed Martin Space 39 How Does A Satellite Exceed Its Expected Lifespan? 54 Author: Swedish Space Corporation Wen Cheng Chong Euroconsult 43 Rapid Satellite Imaging 56 Author: Pratik Kirve, Allied Market Research Amanda L. Darling Knight Sky + Kratos Defense & Security Solutions 44 Focus: Kepler Communications & Kymeta 58 Author: Wen Cheng Chong, Kepler Communications Arthur Van Eeckhout Secure World Foundation 44 The State Of The Ground Segment 60 Author: Joakim Espeland, QuadSAT Joakim Espeland Maxar Technologies + Busek Company 45 A Conversation With Explorer Mike Horn 64 Changing The World Through Technology Jonathan Firth Microsoft Azure Orbital 67 Global Space Budgets: A Country-Level Analysis 70 Author: Space in Africa

Chris Forrester OQ Technology & NanoAvionics 68

Vinisha Josh Global Market Insights 69

Pratik Kirve

Remi Lorrain Advertisers Advantech Wireless Technologies, Inc. 13 Jörg Rockstroh AirBorn Inc. 7 AvL Technologies 3 Helen Weedon CPI Satcom & Antenna Technologies 25 CPI Satcom Products Cover + 5 MilSat Symposium 31 + 57 SpaceBridge 21 Terrasat Communications, Inc. 19

SatMagazine is published 11 times a year by Satnews Publishers, 800 Siesta Way, Sonoma, CA, 95476 — USA. Phone: (707) 939-9306 / Fax: (707) 939-9235 © 2020 Satnews Publishers We reserve the right to edit all submitted materials to meet publication content guidelines, as well as for grammar and spelling errors, or to move articles to an alternative issue to accommodate publication space requirements, or remove content due to space restrictions or unacceptable content. Submission of articles does not constitute acceptance of said material by Satnews Publishers. Edited materials may, or may not, be returned to author and/or company for review prior to publication. The views expressed in Satnews Publishers’ various publications do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Satnews Publishers. All rights reserved. All included imagery is courtesy of, and copyright to, the respective companies and/or named individuals.

SatMagazine Page 2 April 2021 CONNECTING YOU TO THE FUTURE

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SpaceX Sends Under the terms of the agreement, ORBCOMM stockholders will 60 Starlinks Skyward receive $11.50 in cash per outstanding share of common stock upon closing of the transaction, representing a premium of approximately 52% to ORBCOMM’s closing share price on April 7th and a 50% premium over the 90-day volume-weighted average share price through that date.

The investment by GI Partners will support ORBCOMM’s strong momentum in the industrial IoT as it increases its investment in sales, marketing and technology innovation to accelerate growth, execute on its long-term strategic plan and global market expansion, and provide added flexibility as a privately-held company.

“This transaction will provide immediate and substantial value to Another group of SpaceX Starlinks were sent skyward 0n ORBCOMM stockholders, reflecting the tremendous commitment and Wednesday, April 7, at 12:34 p.m. EDT. Sixty additional work of our employees and stakeholders. The partnership with GI Starlink satellites roared into the heavens via a Falcon 9 Partners will provide us the opportunity to rapidly advance our long- booster from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape term strategy,” said Marc Eisenberg, ORBCOMM’s Chief Executive Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Officer. “GI Partners has an established track record of working with companies to accelerate growth, and we look forward to continuing to About eight minutes after launch, the Falcon 9 booster landed on the “Of drive innovation, providing world-class service to our global Course I Still Love You” droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. This first-stage customers and expanding our market share in the industrial IoT as a booster had launched six previous times, including the first SpaceX privately held company.” launch sent astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). “ORBCOMM has a long history of innovation, providing mission- This was the seventh launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage critical services to customers across the global logistics landscape booster, which previously launched NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and a broad range of other industries,” said Mark Prybutok, Managing and Doug Hurley to the ISS, ANASIS-II, CRS-21, Transporter-1, plus Director of GI Partners. “We are excited to work with the ORBCOMM two Starlink missions. One half of the Falcon 9’s fairing previously team to take the business forward as IoT use cases continue to supported the AMOS-17 and two Starlink missions, and the other evolve and grow.” supported one Starlink mission. ORBCOMM’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the “Our drone trips are equivalent in size to a football field, and the transaction and recommends that ORBCOMM’s stockholders vote in landing area that you see right there is approximately 200 feet by 150 favor of the transaction at the special meeting of ORBCOMM feet, that’s big enough that a hockey rink would fit inside that landing stockholders to be called in connection with the transaction. area,” SpaceX Dragon engineer Youmei Zhou said. The parties expect the transaction to close in the second half of 2021. ORBCOMM To Be Acquired By GI Partners Subject to and upon completion of the transaction, ORBCOMM will become a privately-held company and its common stock will no longer be listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market.

PJT Partners and Raymond James are acting as financial advisors to ORBCOMM, and Milbank LLP is acting as legal counsel. Evercore is acting as financial advisor to GI Partners, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP are acting as legal ORBCOMM Inc. (Nasdaq: ORBC) has entered into a counsel. definitive agreement to be acquired by GI Partners in an all-cash transaction that values ORBCOMM at investors.orbcomm.com/ approximately $1.1 billion, including net debt.

SatMagazine Page 4 April 2021 InfoBeam OneWeb Engages The AST Group With An MoU

OneWeb has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with The AST Group (AST) — by working together, AST and OneWeb will offer fixed-land and maritime customers access to OneWeb’s fast, flexible and affordable connectivity solutions seamlessly in even the most remote locations on land and at sea. Download Customer beta trials will be undertaken with AST before the end of the year and will be focused on delivering fixed services to support remote connectivity in Northern Europe. the CPI

Once full commercial service is available in 2022, OneWeb seeks to mobile app! provide AST’s customers, primarily in the commercial shipping, fishing and high-end offshore sectors, with access to viable, high speed, low latency connectivity as an alternative to the current VSAT internet solutions to truly enable digitization and deliver the long-awaited leap in operational efficiencies. HPA RF calculator

Commenting on the partnership, Gregory Darling, AST’s founder and Chairman, said, “We’re delighted to strengthen our relationship with Quickly access HPA data sheets OneWeb by becoming its distribution partner so that we can offer customers a fibre-like alternative to current solutions. AST’s focus is TWTA/SSPA product finder solution-based to ensure that customers improve their overall operational efficiency. OneWeb’s new satellite constellation and next- Convenient contact info generation connectivity aligned with AST’s INTEGRA network services will enable faster and better communications for the maritime industry. This new agreement marks further progress toward this transition.” Search: CPI Satcom

Carole Plessy, Head of Maritime at OneWeb, said, “OneWeb believes that connectivity at sea should be as seamless and simple as it is onshore to improve the overall efficiency, sustainability and profitability of the maritime and offshore industries. By partnering with AST, we are another step closer to making LEO connectivity available to more marine and offshore customers, ending the legacy of complex, slow and costly VSAT systems.”

SatMagazine Page 5 April 2021 InfoBeam Smiths Interconnect To Develop Euroconsult: Smallsat Market G-Band Antenna For Report Updated Mitsubishi Electronic Co.

Smiths Interconnect has received a contract from Mitsubishi Electric Corporation to participate in the development of a G-band satellite for the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

Smiths Interconnect will design a component with dual band millimeter wave antenna and receivers as a part of the advanced microwave scanning radiometer 3 (AMSR3). The AMSR3 is designed to receive microwave radiation from the Earth and will be mounted on the Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW).

These microwave radiation measurements will assist in preventing disasters attributed to global warming and climate change, and to advance scientific and technological methods that enable more accurate prediction of climate change. The fully integrated antenna and receiver is an integral part of the system which will provide the frequency and the bandwidth that the GOSAT-GW mission requires. The latest update of “Prospects for the Small Satellite Market” has been released by Euroconsult, forecasting Among very few companies with both millimeter wave component and further growth in the global supply and demand of subsystem expertise combined with heritage in both space government, commercial and academic satellites weighing applications and antenna system design, Smiths Interconnect is up to 500 kg. uniquely positioned to provide first-class technical support and a reliable, lightweight, and compact system solution. The market intelligence report, now in its 7th edition, builds upon Euroconsult’s previous iteration that accurately predicted more than ”We are proud to partner with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation and be 1,000 satellites would be launched during 2020, a record year despite a part of this important satellite mission. Our extensive knowledge in COVID-19. The new release further reinforces the sentiment that the the area of millimeter wave solutions for Space applications perfectly 2020s will be the decade of smallsats, anticipating the launch of close aligns us to support our customers’ current and future needs,” said to 14,000 smallsats before 2030. Ralph DeMarco, Vice President of Business Development and Sales at Smiths Interconnect Inc. The main driver for this continued growth during a time where many face pandemic-related challenges is plans for SATCOM broadband “mega-constellations” and the continuous necessity for replenishment

SatMagazine Page 6 April 2021 InfoBeam launches. Of all smallsats to be launched, 84% are expected to be Significant future market shares are now captive of a region, country part of constellations. or of an integrator and/or launch provider, challenging both commercial satellite integrators and launch providers which see more Furthermore, the smallsat manufacturing and launch market are set to of their target customers not only leaving their addressable market, do more than triple over the next decade, to $35 billion and $19 billion but also competing with their own services. The smallsat market is, respectively, driven by the multiplication of constellation projects from however, more open to procurement from third parties at the both commercial and government stakeholders. subsystem level than at the satellite level.

Euroconsult, who operates from locations across North America, The updated report, free extract available, comes with an option to Europe and Asia and specializes in the space sector and satellite access premium features, including Euroconsult’s Smallsat enabled verticals, have released their updated findings at a time when Constellation Database that covers extensive past, current and future launch rates are at least on par with last year, suggesting that the era data – the first time Euroconsult have ever shared their “secret of the mega-constellation has truly arrived. ingredients” with customers.

Flagship examples of LEO broadband constellations, such as A free report abstract is available at this direct link… SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper, account for almost half of the projected demand over 2021-2030. Readers are therefore advised to Alexandre Najjar, Senior Consultant at Euroconsult, stated, “Our go beyond raw numbers as vertical integration keeps growing with smallsat report is once again in high-demand and with major numerous players seeking to manufacture, operate and launch their intelligence updates being drawn from post-pandemic data and own smallsats. reviews of key pricing models and SATCOM application forecasts, plus the inclusion of Space Logistics information that features In-Orbit Servicing, Debris Removal, Last Mile Logistics and In-Orbit Manufacturing, we believe this report will be invaluable to key industry stakeholders and investors.”

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SatMagazine Page 7 April 2021 Executive Spotlight

David Bettinger

Chief Executive Officer, SpaceLink

A business and technology visionary, Dave Bettinger has 30 years’ experience in innovative satellite communications. His expertise includes digitally regenerative satellite payloads, optical intersatellite links, electronically steered phased array antennas, and network architectures. Previously the Vice President of Comms Systems & Development at OneWeb and the Chief Technical Officer at iDirect, David’s career began at Hughes Network Systems. With BS and MS degrees in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech, he has authored more than 50 technical papers and holds seven satellite communications patents.

SatMagazine Page 8 April 2021 Good day, Mr. Bettinger… we appreciate you taking the time to talk The SpaceLink relay network is designed to pick up where TDRSS leaves with us about SpaceLink and your plans for today and tomorrow. Can off and go beyond with unprecedented capacity that leverages today’s you tell us why you joined SpaceLink and what your goals are for technology advances. It helps close the business case for Earth the company? observation companies, commercial space stations, satellite servicers and tugs, and meets requirements for the U.S. government and close David Bettinger (DB) allies that need to leverage industry solutions to maximize capabilities. My interest has always been in implementing innovative technologies Typically, a LEO satellite collecting imagery or sensor data can only and transforming startup ventures into a competitive position. I helped download that data when directly over a ground station, which might grow iDirect from a start up to become the largest TDMA enterprise only be once a day or at most once per orbit. VSAT manufacturer in the world and I was responsible for the With SpaceLink, satellites and other spacecraft can continuously technology roadmap for OneWeb from its inception. connect to one of our relay satellites, which always have direct line of SpaceLink is extremely well positioned for success. We are sight to one of our dedicated gateways, so there is always a leveraging a broad spectrum of advances to address an underserved communication path to deliver data and imagery to the ground where market. SpaceLink has strong financial backing, significant bandwidth, it can immediately be delivered via the Internet, private cloud, or other and a roadmap to benefit from advanced optical communications secure links. technology from our parent company, Electro Optic Systems (EOS), to Because of SpaceLink’s innovative constellation in MEO, any satellite unlock massively scalable capacity for communications in LEO. in LEO is essentially always in direct line of sight of one of the SpaceLink satellites, which can then relay signals between the LEO and our What services is SpaceLink planning to offer? dedicated gateway Earth stations, all in a fraction of a second. Imagine a satellite over the Pacific Ocean that has data on illegal DB fishing or spots the site of a plane crash — with SpaceLink, the satellite We are building a satellite relay system that will make it easier for operator can access the data or send it to the appropriate authorities with operators of LEO spacecraft to send and receive real time data between the immediacy that could make the difference between life and death. their satellites and the ground.

SatMagazine Page 9 April 2021 The SpaceLink relay constellation operates in MEO

Is your service only for Earth Observation capacity that SpaceLink provides will only continue to grow. companies? The capabilities certainly seem We expect to see growing demand for continuous communications for appropriate for both the commercial and human spaceflight. As commercial space stations begin operating on military/agency/government — what we like to call orbit, they will need always-on connectivity with the ground. This will MAG — market segments as well. be for operational data, scientific research output, and for personal communications for the crew. Today’s in-space infrastructure simply DB cannot support the capacity that will be required. We see the need for our service for both commercial and government I should add that SpaceLink is implementing a company- and operators of space assets who need continuous relay of data and network-wide security plan to ensure compliance with high-level communications to and from those assets. We'll provide high-speed, government physical and cybersecurity requirements. highly secure, always available relay for those users. As the in-space economy grows, there is a broadening need for communications in near You have announced that you’ve hired a “dream Earth orbit. team” of top executives with some of the top The SpaceLink system also helps make the economics work for talent in the industry. Why does SpaceLink attract emerging applications such as human spaceflight, on-orbit such a high caliber team? manufacturing, and satellite servicing in space. It will serve visitors to commercial space stations who need continuous communication DB capability, and it will connect satellite tugs or servicers which can use I’m extremely proud of the team we have built. Some of the best the SpaceLink network to provide a video link and continuously receive experts in the industry have been attracted to our business model, and maneuvering instructions. the opportunity to drive forward a game-changing satellite relay service. SpaceLink meets the requirements of the U.S. government and They share my excitement for starting with a clean slate and building a close allies who are looking for a commercial solution to rely on as networked system that will help advance humanity to a new age of TDRSS phases out. The system is designed to provide continuous, high space commerce, exploration, environmental awareness, and security. capacity, low latency connectivity in space. With the increase in video content and ultra-high-definition imagery, demand for the secure

SatMagazine Page 10 April 2021 We are continuing to build out our team and we’re recruiting across a at Google, focused on global internet access and he was a member of range of talent including satellite and network engineering, ground the board of directors of O3b Networks until it was acquired by SES in infrastructure, RF and optical terminals, and business functions. It’s an 2016. I previously worked with Larry when he was Chief Operating extremely collaborative team that shares a passion for innovating and Officer at OneWeb. Larry brings deep domain expertise in internet taking on tough challenges. technologies, systems and software, signal processing, networking, broadband, space systems, and spectrum which are all key to Could you tell us about your team members and SpaceLink’s success. what sort of expertise they bring to the company? What can you tell us in terms of the technology DB that SpaceLink uses? There are three important components to the system and we have some of the foremost experts in each. These include the spacecraft, the DB network and the ground system. However, equally important, is our The innovative architecture of the SpaceLink constellation means that business plan and the team’s experience in generating long term ROI. at least one of the relay satellites is always visible to spacecraft in low We are very lucky to have Rob Singh on board as CTO. Rob Earth orbit, and the SpaceLink satellites will always be able to see at specializes in innovative satellite communications solutions and their least one of our dedicated gateway Earth stations. That’s why our integration into existing and emerging networks. He was previously VP tagline is “Always in Sight.” of Strategy Initiatives and Chief Architect at Maxar Technologies, where The constellation will use both RF and optical intersatellite links so he developed business strategy and technology roadmaps for that it can securely speed massive quantities of data to the other side disruptive solutions. of the Earth, or wherever our customers need it, in near real-time. Tony Colucci is our Chief Strategy and Commercial Officer and Larry Connectivity to the SpaceLink gateways uses RF, since optical is Rubin is Chief Operating Officer. Together they were instrumental in susceptible to environmental interference, such as clouds. establishing the company’s vision. One of the big advantages that ensures SpaceLink’s success is that Tony is a global business strategy executive with more than 35 years’ the company uses state of the art technology, including flexible experience in satellites and space. He has held key leadership roles in payloads, optical communications and software defined ground two international satellite start-ups and was previously VP of Business systems to ensure performance and reliability. We benefit from Development at Space Systems Loral and Deputy Chair of KACOMM, advanced optical communications technology from our parent responsible for Loral’s equity investment. He also held senior posts company, EOS, which unlocks massively scalable capacity. at Hughes, now Boeing, and Rockwell International. Larry is a highly experienced program management and operations Given the SpaceLink architecture, what current executive with more than 35 years in the space industry. He spent a constraints do you see being negated by your couple of decades at Space Systems Loral where he directed more than firm’s services? 20 innovative spacecraft programs, and before that he directed Commercial Systems Engineering at Hughes, now Boeing. We’re also thrilled to have Larry Alder as our Senior Vice President of Products and Services. Larry brings a unique combination of technical and business acumen to the company. He spent more than a decade

SpaceLink’s Executive Team, from left to right: Rob Singh, Tony Colucci, Larry Rubin and Dr. Larry Adler.

SatMagazine Page 11 April 2021 DB I get pretty excited about anything related to innovative satellite communications technology. I’ve received great satisfaction from my career to date and it is hard to single out just a few projects. I was a founding member of the OneWeb team and was able to develop the company’s technology roadmap. It’s very gratifying to know that I helped to lay the groundwork for the company’s success to date, especially as we faced so much headwind at the start. You may not know that I helped take ST Engineering iDirect from a start-up to become the world’s largest TDMA enterprise VSAT manufacturer. I spent 18 years at the company and was CTO and Senior VP of Engineering. I was responsible for the strategic direction for product development, research, technology alliances, and mergers and acquisitions and helped drive the growth to the $250 million satellite communications technology company that it is today. Prior to ST Engineeering iDirect, I was in the Satellite Networks Division at Hughes Network Systems. I’m particularly proud of my contribution to the Personal Earth Station (PES) satellite network, which was Hughes’ flagship product line DB at the time, and I was also very excited about the Claircom air-to-ground Our goal is to help eliminate the bandwidth bottleneck and to ensure telephony system for commercial and private aircraft, which I worked that spacecraft operators maximize the value of their assets. Currently, on — that seems like ancient history now. if a satellite is not positioned over an Earth station, hours may be required before that collected data is accessible to an end user or for Is there anything else you wish to add before we the operator to send tasking and commands to that satellite. With close our conversation today? SpaceLink, satellites can be continuously connected with the ground. DB The capability of remote sensing satellites is increasing dramatically. There is a critical need for high-capacity relay systems to help satellites Our relay system enables vast quantities of data to be constantly and space stations in LEO communicate with the ground. Relay systems downloaded so it can be analyzed and put to use with the immediacy such as SpaceLink help LEO operators overcome line of sight limitations needed. Today’s in-space infrastructure simply cannot support the and provide continuous connectivity for customers. capacity that will be required in the future. Today, optical communications are on the cusp of transforming the landscape in space. As the proliferation of standard terminals Given your formidable career, when you look back accelerates, we expect our customers will benefit from the reduced at your involvements and accomplishments, what mass and increased capacity enabled by optical. project or projects bring a true sense of This positions SpaceLink very well to securely speed imagery and satisfaction to you as well as a smile to your face? other communications using optical for intersatellite links anywhere in the world.

www.eosSpaceLink.com

SatMagazine Page 12 April 2021

Column Industry Challenges... Easing in 2021

Author: Chris Forrester, Senior Columnist, SatNews Publishers

SatMagazine Page 14 April 2021 The usual clutch of end-of-year and quarterly financials plus fresh agreements in the year including an important long-term commitment news at the end of February can give some guidance that — as the with Canal+ covering multiple orbital positions; contract extensions with song goes ˆ— things can only get better! public and commercial broadcasters across our prime video neighborhoods; new MEO-GEO-based solutions for the US Government; The major players all reported pictures that were much the same, saying new Telco and MNO connectivity solutions in Latin America and Asia; that Video revenues were — at best — flat, as were broadband. The and, in return for supporting customers whose businesses are especially COVID challenges were manifest everywhere with expected satellites affected by COVID-19, secured additional backlog in Cruise and Aero. delayed due to production problems. However, the consensus from the Our recently announced renewal and extension with Sky means that, to market was that, as 2021 rolled on, these problems would be solved. date, we have added more than 440 million euros in contract backlog at There was other good news, especially for the four key our core video neighborhoods since the end of Q3 2020. 2020 was a players in the FCC’s recent spectacular C-band auction for year like no other for our employees and customers alike. We moved 5G implementation. Indeed, SES’s CEO Steve Collar was swiftly and successfully into a remote office environment, protecting specific in his comments to analysts on February 25, saying customer and satellite operations in the process.” Steve that with Canada and Brazil also committed to auctions for Collar That’s all well and good, but the bottom line for SES was a near- C-band, “and two or three other markets” the halving of profits and the company was not helped by revenues from opportunities for further cash “looked promising.” Of course, he was video —the company’s long-standing ‘cash cow’ of revenues — not talking FCC-size payments, but every dollar counts! Collar also said plummeting by -8 percent y-o-y. Specific results highlights include: that with the FCC’s release of 5G spectrum winners, there were now opportunities for further dialogue with the winners for early access to • Video revenue falls -8 percent (y-o-y) to 1,108 cleared 5G spectrum. million euros The first of the FCC compensations is now less that 9 months away • Networks revenue rises +5.3 percent y-o-y to 767 (on December 1, 2021). That cash would be used to “strengthen the million euros company’s balance sheet.” The larger Phase II payments ($2.99 billion) • Networks revenues up 27 percent since 2017 would become due on December 1, 2023, and is to be used for a “mix • Group revenue falls -3 percent to 1.876 million euros between return to shareholders, strong balance sheet and any • Over 80 percent of 2021 group revenue outlook of disciplined value-accretive investment,” according to Collar. 1,760-1,820 million euros already under contract. Much the same applies to Intelsat, but first, a $1.8 billion legal • As far as the current 2021 financial year is battle between SES and Intelsat has to be settled. SES is alleging that concerned, SES issued its guidance saying that Intelsat used “unfair practices” during the C-band process. The current overall revenue is expected to be in the range of schedule calls for a hearing before the court on June 28. Intelsat is 1.760 to 1.820 million euros. asking that this claim by SES be rejected by the court. SES reported that its “unparalleled reach” continued to expand. In EUTELSAT 2016, it reached some 325 million homes (more than 1 billion people) and was delivering about 7,741 channels. By Q3/2020, the SES channel Eutelsat’s numbers resulted in a near-spectacular count had expanded to 8,157, becoming the Number 1 supplier of TV market trading day on February 12 when the firm’s channels in the industry. share price rocketed more than 6 percent to end the Drilling down into that picture, SES said that the company was day at 10.31 euros. The rise reflected a sense of carrying about 3,000 HD and UHD channels (out of that 8,157 total) and buoyancy from CEO Rodolphe Belmer despite his the prospects for Ultra-HD were growing. SES quoted Dataxis forecasts alerting the market that its much-needed super- for UHD expansion in Europe and North America that suggest UHD satellite Konnect VHTS would be around one year Rodolphe Belmer channels would be about 60 percent of the overall total by 2024 and late coming into use. that Standard Definition (SD) transmissions would vanish. Despite the migration to HD — and the prospects for UHD — it is a fact of life that cideo, for all of the operators, is now a mature and, most might say, declining business. However, SES wrapped plenty of essential contracts in the few days ahead of the results,which helped to drive up the operator’s backlog .Collar explained, “We secured more than 1.3 billion euros in customer

SatMagazine Page 15 April 2021 The Konnect VHTS is being built now, but COVID has slowed down “In Broadcast, activity remained dynamic in Sub-Saharan Africa, with production. The broadband-focussed craft will have 230 Ka-band the expansion of our contract with MultiChoice, one of our on-core spot beams and had been expected to launch this yea — however, African customers, which committed to additional capacity on a multi- the launch has been delayed until 2022 and will enter service in year basis. And with the extension of our multi-transponder contract “early 2023.” with ZAP TV another on-core customer at 36° East and the leading pay- TV provider in Portuguese-speaking countries,” Belmer said. Meanwhile, Eutelsat still has its ‘basic’ Konnect Bigblu/broadband service up and running and doing business. While the satellite carries only 65 spot beams, it is earning its keep from the likes of telcos Orange of France and TIM of Italy which have contracted for a combined 350 million euros of capacity over the next 12 years. Add in a contract from Thales Alenia for their government mobility business Artistic rendition of the Eutelsat Quantum satellite. and that revenue commitment grows to around 450 million euros over the next 12 years — discussions with other “major European” distribution players are ongoing. Konnect VHTS is not the only craft to be delayed by COVID production Belmer stated that, even by 2030, there will still be some 4 million challenges. Eutelsat’s Quantum craft is now expected to launch in homes in Europe and 5 million in Africa that will still be beyond Q2/2021, pushed back from Q1/2021. Eutelsat’s Hotbird 13G is now terrestrial connectivity, and thus good for satellite-based broadband. expected to launch in H1/2022, pushed back from H2/2021. Azibert told analysts that Broadcast, at 62 percent of group total, recorded revenues of 379 million euros, down 1.8 percent versus last Artistic rendition of the Eutelsat year. “This reflected predominantly the impact from 1st July of the HotBird 13F & 13G satellites. renegotiation of contract terms with Greece's Forthnet which represented a headwind of almost 5 millioneuros for the half year.” Broadcast continues to face a broad slowdown in the pace of new business against the current operating backdrop, notably in Europe, which will be reflected in the second half. “Channel count was down 4 percent year-on-year to circa 6,600 units, reflecting a lower line-up at five degrees west following the technical issues on EUTELSAT 5 WEST B, which led to a reduction in certain services, an anticipated reduction The market did not seem too alarmed by the bad news and, instead, in the Sky Italia line-up reflected in the contract renewal with lower listened to a presentation that suggested the period of austerity was volumes compensated by higher prices; technical factors mainly the over, that Eutelsat was “resilient” to COVID and that the company could end of temporary dual illumination and contribution channels, the look forward to more reliable revenues with effect from July 1 of this natural erosion of the business of distributors in Europe, which is not year with the start of the firm’s new financial year. this year offset by new business, and fewer C-band channels following “The next few years will be far better, than the previous ones. And the reallocation of frequencies in the US. it should mark a turnaround in the profile of revenues of our company, “The number of HD channels continue to progress, reaching a in the next two-three years on the back of the expansion of the penetration rate of 27 percent, four points higher than a year ago. All company, the accelerated expansion in the Connectivity segment,” major orbital positions contributed to this progression. At the same Belmer told analysts. “We can already say we estimate that the next time, the number of MPEG-4 channels was up 1 percent and fiscal year will be better, substantially better than this fiscal year.” penetration of MPEG-4 at 72 percent continues to substantially exceed Eutelsat said that its Occasional Use (OU) market HD,” said Azibert. had largely recovered. “Professional Video remained Data and Professional Video 13 percent of group total saw revenues in decline on a year-on-year basis, although of 81 million euros, down 4.5 percent. Government Services 13 percent occasional use, which was initially strongly impacted of group total saw revenues of 77 million euros, up 2.5 percent. Fixed by the COVID-related lockdown has continued its Broadband 7 percent of revenues stood at 42 million euros, a recovery in the past few months, following the progression of 2.3 percent. Mobility 5 percent of revenues saw revenues reinstatement of live sports events,” added Eutelsat Michel Azibert of 34 million euros, down by 13.9 percent. CCO Michel Azibert.

SatMagazine Page 16 April 2021 The backlog stood at 4.4 billion euros as of December 31, 2020, versus • If Eutelsat takes back business from Nilesat, 4.3 billion euros a year earlier and 4.1 billion euros at the end of June Kassab asked whether Eutelsat would return to 2020. This includes the capacity commitments secured with TIM on revenue growth? EUTELSAT KONNECT and KONNECT VHTS, but not yet the additional • Management currently expects new business EGNOS payload. The backlog was equivalent to 3.4 x 2019/2020 sales (i.e., the number of Free-to-Air TV revenues, with Broadcast representing 67 percent. channels launching on its satellites) to return to The number of operational transponders at the end of the year 2020 normal post-Covid. What is the risk that new stood at 1,380, down by 7 units at the end of June. This reflected on FTA TV channel launches will remain the one hand lower operational capacity at 5 West following the transfer structurally lower than in the past as video of services from EUTELSAT 5 West A to EUTELSAT 5 West B in January consumption habits change? 2020; and incremental capacity delivered by EUTELSAT 7C in January • How keen is management to balance a low of 2020. risk/low return wholesale approach vs. a high return/high risk retail approach? What share of retail subscribers are they targeting for 2025? How many retail subscribers do you have in Africa? How many do you target by end-FY21? • What is the risk that the US DoD gradually shifts more of its procurement budget to LEO constellations? • What are the opportunities, risks and challenges in the EU LEO constellation project? As a reminder the EU is currently exploring a Belmer stressed to analysts that GEO-consumer terminals were a project whereby it would fund a 5 to 6 billion bargain compared to those being deployed by the likes of Elon Musk’s euros constellation project to compete against Starlink LEO system. “According to our internal views and to our the US and China. Satellite operators like engineers, some progress is being made on the front of LEO terminal Eutelsat and SES could be chosen to operate cost currently. We envisage that those terminals will cost probably in that constellation. between $500 per unit and $1,000 per unit in the midterm. Well, the • Intelsat has acquired Gogo Commercial price per unit is a bit higher at the time being but it will decrease with Aviation assets, Viasat has acquired RigNet. the volumes of production in the next few years to land somewhere in Starlink is vertically integrated. Given the that range that I've just quoted. industry trend towards vertical integration, do “Most probably, LEO will have to target the high-end markets you believe that Eutelsat needs to buy because of the cost of the terminals. They have to practice prices – Speedcast or Global Eagle? monthly prices, monthly fees, which are higher. And they will target the high end of the market. And GEO players, like us, will address We wait for Eutelsat to answer the analyst’s questions! with more affordable solutions the rural markets. That's the way we see it. And we don't envisage -- given the size of the market, we INTELSAT don't envisage any head-to-head frontal competition between LEO and GEO.” The big news from Intelsat was its bankruptcy exit plan issued on Belmer said that GEO terminals were costing around 200 euros and February 11. Intelsat says it has received backing from some of its were significantly less expensive than LEO rivals. creditors — holding some $3.8 billion of the company’s debt — to Sami Kassab, media analyst at Exane/BNPP, praised Eutelsat’s reduce its overall debt by some 53 percent from around $15 billion to performance (and raised the operator’s Target Share Price by 1 euro to $7 billion. 11 euros. But he also posed a series of questions that he wanted As at September 30 last year, the company owed $14.4 billion to Eutelsat to answer. its creditors. Intelsat has filed its 69-page Plan of Reorganization with the US Bankruptcy Court. The company said, “Intelsat looks forward to continuing to engage with all stakeholders to gain additional support for its Plan across the capital structure.”

SatMagazine Page 17 April 2021 Intelsat had requested a formal Court hearing on March 17 to request • Gogo, which Intelsat paid $400 million last year, approval for their scheme. However, there’s a sting in the tail with being closed Intelsat also warning that if its plan is not accepted and it is forced into • Intelsat’s property assets — including Teleports a full Chapter 7 liquidation, then the consequences — it says — could — fetching between $106 to $134 million be dire. Chapter 7 would see bankruptcy trustees selling of the • Intelsat’s orbiting assets being sold for just $1.95 company’s assets. to $2.2 billion

As mentioned, still outstanding is the SES legal action against Intelsat where SES is claiming $1.8 billion for what they allege is unfair practice during the C-Band Alliance processes. This legal claim is also before the same bankruptcy court handing Intelsat’s restructuring. The current schedule calls for a hearing before the court on June 28. Intelsat is asking for this claim to be rejected. As to Intelsat’s forward financial revenue projections, the company says that next year’s anticipated revenues of an overall $1.999 billion would grow to $2.091 billion in 2023, to $2.2 billion in 2024 and building to $2.23 billion during 2026. If the plan wins Court approval, then Intelsat expects to emerge from Chapter 11 later in 2021.

IntelsatOnward, a new web-site for the business, explains the plan in detail. Intelsat said, “This is a positive development — and transformational moment — in the history of Intelsat, as we are using our financial restructuring process as a mechanism for investment and growth. Some companies embark upon a restructuring process unclear about a chosen path or an end goal. That is not the case here. Our financial restructuring is an opportunity to enhance our liquidity and emerge with a strengthened balance sheet to complement our strong TELESAT operating model and future growth plans.” However, the company explains that some aspects of the business Canada’s favorite satellite operator, Telesat, has — at long last — are not included in the restructuring. These include Intelsat General committed to their own mega-constellation of LEO satellites. Telesat (IGC), which serves the company’s US commercial, government and needed to put its own financial affairs in order first as well as review Allied military customers and is not part of the Chapter 11 proceedings. potential suppliers. Intelsat stresses it will continue it work on clearing C-band Thales Alenia Space gets the prime contract for the LEO fleet which frequencies and launching new satellites for coverage over the US. is called Lightspeed. The fleet would comprise 298 satellites with services Intelsat is due to receive $4.87 billion in FCC-approved ‘incentive’ starting in 2023. The first satellite would launch in “roughly” 2022 and payments from the 5G auction. As to its current financial health, the company noted, “Intelsat has secured $1 billion of new financing. This financing — coupled with significant cash on hand and positive cash flow generated by the business — will provide ample liquidity during the process to support ongoing operations, fund the substantial upfront clearing costs, and allow the Company to continue investing in the innovations and services that its customers need today and in the future.” The alternate threat of a Chapter 7 bankruptcy sell off would see — said Intelsat — a series of much reduced valuations. They include:

SatMagazine Page 18 April 2021 serve the higher Canadian latitudes with more However, reaching domestic consumers directly was not Telesat’s comprehensive connectivity beginning during 2023. strategy but would work with telcos and other business-to-business Dan Goldberg, President and CEO of the wholesale customers who, in turn, would supply customers directly. company, told journalists that the contract was worth “I am not troubled by the likes of OneWeb — our approach is to about $3 billion, although the entire commitment deliver faster connectivity,” said Goldberg, “and we’ll have greater links was worth nearer $5 billion and was “far and away” between our GEO fleet. We will be timely to market. Canada will be a the biggest contract Telesat had ever announced. significant market for us, but a significant minority helped by the Dan Goldberg Some of the funding comes from the Canadian Canadian government’s support for bridging the digital divide.” government (C$600 million) with other borrowings from Bpi France and Lightspeed will employ 4 laser links per craft and between the Canada’s Export Development (EDC). Telesat is also in line to receive orbiting fleet for secure inter-satellite communications as well as to some of the US FCC’s ‘incentive’ payments for clearing C-band reduce the number of ground-based gateways. frequencies over the US. Telesat will also receive compensation from “This is an ambitious program but our intention is to provide highly the Canadian government for its 5G/C-band spectrum clearings. competitive services to clients, especially to communities in terms of Specifically, Lightspeed has been optimized to serve the fast- costs and make the service much more affordable. Back-haul, aero and growing broadband connectivity requirements of fixed and mobile maritime are key targets, as well as the wider audiences.” Goldberg network operators, aeronautical and maritime users, enterprise said he was confident that antennas at affordable prices would be customers and governments. Operating under Telesat’s global Ka-band available in all of the key verticals. priority spectrum rights, the first Lightspeed satellites are expected to Goldberg added that Thales expected to turn out at least one, 700 be launched in approximately two years, with customer beta testing kgs satellite per week from their existing French facility, but there would beginning shortly thereafter and commercial services commencing in be expansion in Europe and a facility in Canada to help with output. the second half of 2023. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will provide at least “some” of the launch “Demand for broadband connectivity was surging globally, and this capacity for the new fleet. Telesat investment would bring its network closer to its customers,” Telesat said that these Lightspeed craft will carry sophisticated said Goldberg. phased-array antennas on each satellite that will be combined with

SatMagazine Page 19 April 2021 advanced beam hopping technology to create approximately 135,000 The “Bottom Line” from NSR beams that can dynamically focus multiple Gb/s of capacity — an order of magnitude higher than any other system — into demand hot spots Set against these multiple challenges for the world’s ‘Big Four’ (Intelsat, such as remote communities, large airports or major sea-ports. SES, Eutelsat and Telesat) there’s good news from Northern Sky As to the technical specification for the fleet, it will have a total Research’s (NSR) annual VSAT and Broadband Satellite Markets study combined capacity of 15 Tb/s with up to 7.5 Gb/s per single terminal that suggests VSA/broadband is a fast-growing segment of the market and 20 Mb/s to a single hot spot, such as an airport or cruise ship. and that over the next decade, it will be worth a cumulative $217 billion. Design life is for a minimum of 10 years, with 12 years for an individual The study covers the global installed base of sites and subscribers mission (orbit raising, orbit and end-of-life de-orbiting). divided into 5 regions. NSR says it provides an honest assessment which Lightspeed will have 78 satellites in 6 planes (13 per plane) at 1015 will help create an opportunity roadmap for future strategic decisions. kms altitude on their polar orbits and inclined orbiting craft will absorb By any measure this is positive news. A growth in consumer 220 satellites in 20 planes, 11 satellites per plane, at 1325 kms altitude. broadband, recovery of the Cruise business and — hopefully — a return Telesat said the fleet would have full mesh inter-satellite optical links. to airline flying patterns and the demands from aircraft passengers and All of the satellites have digitally processed payloads, with all-digital in-flight activity will help resurrect revenues for the industry. antennas employing the most advanced beam-hopping technology Not touched upon in this missive are the likes of SpaceX or Jeff where we can hop beams in micro-seconds, fully integrated with a very Bezos, or EchoStar/Hughes, or Viasat or DirecTV/TPG — these are for capable and global ground network — all managed and optimized by another day! an advanced software platform that will manage all the traffic and the performance of the network. Senior Columnist Chris Forrester is a well-known Nevertheless, there are questions — not the least regardingh the broadcasting journalist and industry consultant. He Telesat relationship with Thales Alenia and the key is how the project reports on all aspects of broadcasting with special will be financed. Telesat says it has earmarked $332 million for emphasis on content, the business of television and Lightspeed and this sum is outside the firm’s debt and covenants. emerging applications. He founded Rapid TV News and Telesat expects to receive $344 million for the FCC’s 5G/C-band has edited Interspace and its successor Inside Satellite TV incentive payment and — as mentioned above —- is in line for another since 1996. He also files for Advanced-Television.com. In Chris Forrester C-band compensation sum from Canada’s regulator, once the Canadian November of 1998, Chris was appointed an Associate auction gets going. (professor) of the prestigious Adham Center for Television Journalism, part Goldberg also suggested that support will be forthcoming from of the American University in Cairo (AUC), in recognition of his extensive both the French and Canadian export-credit agencies. coverage of the Arab media market. Chris is a Senior Contributor / There are also technical questions outstanding, such as the ITU’s Columnist for SatNews Publishers. license to operate these LEO craft. The ITU has only officially authorized 120 craft. It is not likely to be a major problem to increase that number, Opening photo by Andrew H on Unsplash but it is yet another hurdle to be managed. Telesat has filed a request to modify its permissions, initially to the 298 constellation now envisioned, but also to an extra 1,373 (and which would take the Telesat total to 1,671 satellites).

SatMagazine Page 20 April 2021 CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THEIR MISSIONS

Cellular IIoT, ATM, SCADA, HTS Broadband SATCOM On Government & Managed Backhaul Oil & Gas Consumer & The Move Military Services Enterprise

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spacebridge.com | [email protected] | +1.514.420.0045 USA | CANADA | LATIN AMERICA | BRAZIL | EMEA | ASIA PACIFIC Executive Spotlight Colonel Terry Virts

U.S. Air Force [ret.] — Astronaut

Col. Terry Virts (ret) served as a U.S. Air Force test fighter pilot, is a NASA veteran of two spaceflights and a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Harvard Business School. He recently directed his first film, One More Orbit . His next book, The Art of Space Travel, is due out in the fall of 2020. He is currently involved in several film and television projects, serves on corporate boards, consults to the entertainment industry, writes and promotes public policy. He is a celebrated thought leader, speaker and author whose seven months in space included: piloting the Space Shuttle; commanding the International Space Station; three spacewalks; and performing scientific experiments, while working closely with multiple international partners. Virts worked with Russian Space Agency cosmonauts during some of the most stressful U.S.- Russian relations since the Cold War. While in space he took more than 300,000 photos — more than on any other space mission. The images are an integral component of the National Geographic IMAX film A Beautiful Planet , which Virts also shot and stars in. His first book for National Geographic, View From Above , combines his best photography with stories about spaceflight alongside his perspectives about life on Erth and our place in the cosmos. An in-demand speaker at events across the globe, Virts’ inspires audiences with stories from space as well as his insights into life on earth. He brings his unique perspective to businesses worldwide on diverse topics such as our environment, global wealth, intercultural leadership, crisis and risk management, innovation, strategy and vision and decision making.

SatMagazine Page 22 April 2021 Colonel Terry Virts (TV) On my first mission, during our night launch, I was able to look out the window and catch a brief glimpse of the East Coast of America where I saw the I-95 highway from Georgia to Boston. I immediately thought ‘I can’t believe I can see the whole East Coast and where I grew up.’ A few minutes later, we were passing over the North Atlantic into the first sunrise when I saw the blue band of our atmosphere for the first time. It was a shade of blue I had never seen before, and that was very surprising. I quickly realized that seeing the Earth was a much more emotional experience than I had been prepared for and over the next seven months, I would have countless more surprising views of our planet

Colonel, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. You have taken more than 300,000 photos from space and you may well be the leading expert on space photography. What were your initial What role does technology such as the Canon’s perceptions of experiencing the perspective of CE-SAT-1 and CE-SAT-IIB play in space imaging? Earth from space? TV Canon is bringing small, customizable and affordable solutions to just about any customer who needs imaging from space. Satellites in 100 kg or less are capable of various remote sensing applications enabled through advancement in technology, such as:

• GSD 1m class imaging • Super high sensitivity imaging

What are the various commercial or philanthropic use cases for space imaging?

TV The possibilities are endless, but the main philanthropic applications would be disaster prevention and disaster monitoring. Commercially, there are many applications being explored. Super high sensitivity imaging is expected to provide opportunities for several new applications.

SatMagazine Page 23 April 2021 TV When I was a kid, my parents bought me my first SLR camera. It was a Wet Film camera and I had to teach myself all the basics, like shutter speed, aperture, focus, etc. When I went to college, I received a Canon EOS and I had that camera around my neck for several decades. Ever since that time, I have loved photography. When I had the opportunity to film an IMAX movie (A Beautiful Planet) in space, it was the highlight of my mission. It reminded me of one of the most amazing movies ever made, another IMAX film called To Fly, that I had seen when I was 9 years old at the National Air and Space Museum.

You have used many different types of cameras and equipment to capture images from space. What do you like best about Canon’s products? You often speak about “the overview effect” or “cosmic perspective” and how the evolution of TV space photography has profoundly impacted The first and most important thing is the quality of the image. The humanity in ways such as the environmental dynamic range, color space and image quality that Canon provides movement. Can you elaborate on this impact and cannot be beaten, in my opinion. how it can and has changed the perspective of many Canon cameras have also been very dependable for me. In fact, I on Earth? used the 1DC so much in space that we took over 100,000 images on one camera body and it was still going strong. TV Yes, Cosmic Perspective is the name of my new short film. As we were What do you think the world’s problem solvers putting the short together, I wanted to showcase all of the different types should know about the power and impact of of space photography that have changed our perspective of ourselves space imagery? and our place in the universe. In doing so, it struck me that our view of the universe over the last century has moved from two-dimensional to TV three-dimensional to a four-dimensional perspective. They should realize the capabilities we have at our disposal. Space In past centuries, humans thought of the world in two dimensions, imagery can generate a tremendous amount of data, but that only but with the advent of flight and space travel, we saw everything in three becomes interesting when we turn those images and data into useful dimensions. Then, with the advancement of space telescopes, such as information. When we get that information into the hands of creative Hubble, we have been able to see the universe in four dimensions. That problem solvers on Earth, they will be able to do amazing things that is a profound change in perspective. they may not have otherwise done without access to space imagery.

We know that you have a passion for photography and What do you hope this accessibility to rare photos documentary filmmaking. How did that happen? of Earth will encourage them to do? TV I hope the proliferation of space imagery will lead to many things. I hope it will lead to beautiful art, improving people’s lives through more stable economies, better agriculture, and safety from disasters. Most importantly, I hope that images of Earth from space help us realize that we all share the same planet and that there is no backup planet — that means we must to take care of this one.

SatMagazine Page 24 April 2021 InfoBeam

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The OTCQB also provides timely news and disclosure to investors. and may provide access for investors who cannot access trading on the TSXV.

“Trading on the OTCQB is an extension to our capital markets C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., (TSXV: CMI, OTCQB: strategy and an important step to increase investor awareness in the CYSNF) has announced that, as of April 6, 2021, the Company. As we progress with the development of our new antenna Company’s common shares began trading on the OTCQB technology, U.S. investor interest has been increasing. We want Venture Market under the symbol “CYSNF”. The Company these investors to be able to trade the Company shares with as much shares continue to trade on the Toronto Venture Stock ease as possible,” said Leslie Klein, President and CEO of C-COM Exchange (TSXV) under the symbol “CMI”. Satellite Systems Inc. “C-COM is in late-stage development of Ka- band, electronically steerable, modular, conformal, flat panel phased Trading on the OTCQB is expected to make the Company accessible array satellite antenna. In cooperation with the University of Waterloo, to a broader range of U.S. investors and should increase liquidity and C-COM is engaged in the design of this unique antenna with the visibility in the United States. U.S. investors can find current financial intent of providing low-cost, high-throughput mobility applications disclosure and real-time level 2 quotes for the Company on the OTC over satellite for land, airborne and maritime verticals. There is an Markets website. increased interest in this technology by U.S. investors. We believe that by trading on the OTCQB exchange, U.S. investors will benefit To be eligible for approval to trade on the OTCQB, companies must from having seamless access to the C-COM stock.” be current on disclosure obligations, to pass a minimum bid price test

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SatMagazine Page 25 April 2021 InfoBeam

Inmarsat’s Clearwater Seafood The contract also includes Inmarsat’s fully managed Fleet Care Agreement For Incorporation Of Fleet Xpress program for Fleet Xpress, developed to maximize equipment uptime and mini mise out of pocket expenses on unplanned maintenance.

Based on a fixed monthly cost, customers secure all spare parts for 36 months on purchased hardware and benefit from a lifetime warranty for rented equipment, with free of charge support from certified technicians in over 50 ports worldwide. Fleet Care also includes remote equipment health checks and allows customers to update without additional cost as new hardware develops. Inmarsat has signed an agreement with Clearwater Seafood that commits Canada’s largest vessel-operating Clearwater Seafood is active off the coasts of Canada, UK and seafood company to Fleet Xpress high-speed maritime Argentina and operates 21 vessels in total. Fleet Xpress recently broadband services. marked its 10,000th vessel installation. While the majority are merchant vessels, the maritime broadband platform continues to make inroads among owners and operators in the offshore and fishing markets.

“Robust connectivity for the crew is imperative for Clearwater,” said Brad MacKinnon, Director, Canadian Fleet Operations, Clearwater Seafood. “We have over 400 personnel at sea who expect stable and reliable connectivity in challenging North Atlantic conditions, given that they can be away from home for up to 35 days at a time.”

“This contract represents outstanding recognition of the Fleet Xpress platform which will make waves among fishing customers along Canada’s east coast and elsewhere,” said Eric Griffin, Vice President Clearwater Seafood chose to install the Fleet Xpress combination of Offshore & Fishing, Inmarsat Maritime. “Regional and global market high speed Ka-band and continuous FleetBroadband backup on board leaders establish their positions for good reason and, in a sector seven vessels, replacing the Ku-band services on each vessel. quickly realising the benefits of always-on connectivity, we expect Deployed off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, each vessel is being that others will be keen to learn how greater reliability and enhanced fitted with Inmarsat-approved, high-performance, GX100NX antennas crew communications can be secured at truly competitive pricing. from Intellian. The fact that this regional breakthrough came when Covid-19 restrictions have been in place also shows what is possible by adapting our processes as required, to deploy our technicians in the field, work with engineers remotely or – where possible – carry out installations virtually.”

SatMagazine Page 26 April 2021 InfoBeam Teledyne e2v’s VNIR-SWIR Detector Supply Contract For CHIME Copernicus Mission

Artistic rendition of the CHIME satellite. Image is courtesy of ESA.

The mission will complement Copernicus Sentinel-2, which also features a Teledyne Imaging visible sensor, for applications such as land-cover mapping.

Teledyne e2v will also supply variants of their Capella CMOS visible image sensor for the Copernicus Expansion CO2 Monitoring Mission. The Sentinel missions are developed specifically for the operational needs of the Copernicus program. They carry a range of technologies, such as radar and multi-spectral imaging instruments for land, ocean and Miles Adcock, President Space & Quantum at Teledyne e2v atmospheric monitoring. Artistic rendition is courtesy of ESA. commented, “This announcement follows as further good news, on Teledyne e2v, which is a part of the Teledyne Imaging recent infrared and visible detector contracts, building on our Group, and a Teledyne Technologies company, will supply investment in our UK-based fab, design and manufacturing teams, image sensors and detectors to the recently announced which are critical to the support of important missions emanating from grouped proposal of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) the European and UK market.” industrial policy committee. The agreement is to place six Copernicus Sentinel satellite missions in space. The CHIME mission is part of the expansion of the Copernicus Space Component program of ESA, in partnership with the European Notably, Teledyne will be supplying Leonardo with a space grade Commission. The European Copernicus flagship program provides VNIR-SWIR detector unit for the CHIME instrument. Thales Alenia Earth Observation (EO) and in situ data and a broad range of services Space will serve as prime contractor and integrator for the CHIME for environmental monitoring and protection, climate monitoring, natural program with OHB and Leonardo as main partners for the payload. disaster assessment to improve the quality of life of European citizens.

The detector unit provided by Teledyne will comprise a Molecular CHIME’s imaging spectrometer will allow monitoring of the Earth’s Beam Epitaxy (MBE) processed Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) 3k land surfaces and coastal/inland water bodies with contiguous spectral x 512-pixel detector with optimized coating exhibiting high quantum channels covering the spectral range from the VIS to the SWIR. efficiency and low dark current. The MCT detector will be matched with a Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC). The CO2 Monitoring Mission, the measurements will reduce uncertainties in estimates of carbon dioxide emissions from the The Copernicus Hyperspectral Imaging Mission, CHIME, a unique combustion of fossil fuel at national and regional levels, providing the visible to shortwave infrared spectrometer, will provide routine EU with a unique and independent source to assess the effectiveness hyperspectral observations to support new and enhanced services for of policy measures, and to track their impact toward decarbonizing sustainable agricultural and biodiversity management, and soil Europe and meeting national emission reduction targets. property characterization.

SatMagazine Page 27 April 2021 FOCUS: BridgeComm

Barry A. Matsumori

Chief Executive Officer, BridgeComm

Barry A. Matsumori is CEO of BridgeComm, Inc. His extensive background in the mobile wireless and Space 2.0 sectors spans numerous leadership roles, among them serving as senior vice president of business development and advanced concepts at Virgin Orbit, senior vice president of sales and business development at SpaceX and nearly two decades at Qualcomm, where he was vice president of wireless connectivity. He has also worked with several early- stage technology companies in development and management capacities. Barry holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Arizona State University and earned his master’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona.

SatMagazine Page 28 April 2021 Good day, Mr. Matsumori. These days, it appears Evidence of this effect can be witnessed in Singapore, one of the that all eyes seem to be focused on Starlink, now wealthiest nations, where internet speeds rank the highest and half the that this SpaceX constellation is in the beta adult population ranks among the world’s richest 10 percent. satellites testing phase. Do you think this will eventually be a game changer for telecom? Given Starlink’s mission to bring connectivity to areas of the globe where connectivity has typically Barry Matsumori (BM) been a challenge, what will it take to level the There are many factors that will lead to a change in telecom as we know playing field? it — and there will be many players, Starlink included. While fixed and mobile providers have taken great strides in bringing high-speed BM broadband service to nearly every corner of the globe in the last Cost will certainly be core to closing the digital divide. Half the world is decade, there is no doubt the industry is at a tipping point. still disconnected. COVID has definitely escalated the urgency to address existing As with any technology that’s part of the connectivity discussion, challenges, such as latency, data security, bandwidth limitation, development and deployment strategies must factor in infrastructure licensing, cost and perhaps, most importantly, last mile access. With costs associated with front-haul, back-haul, ground stations and satellite more people learning online and working from home, there is a critical hardware, as well as funding sources and the reality of long-term need to bridge the disparity gap. sustainability. However, not necessarily in that exact order. GSMA estimates that between 2020 and 2025 mobile operators Where does the world stand in terms of around the world will invest $1.1 trillion in their networks, with about broadband internet access today? 80 percent of that total spent on 5G, which will account for 20 percent of global connections. BM Starlink is investing in a massive constellation of Low Earth Orbit A December 2020 report from UNICEF stated that 2 in 3 children and (LEO) satellites, which are less expensive and easier to launch, young people aged 25 years or less (2.2 billion in number) have no replenish and update when compared to large satellites that are sent internet access at home. Income and location play a significant role in into higher orbit. These smallsats also require less power and often access, and in turn access or lack of it impacts not only individuals but shorter data transmission relays. But there are tradeoffs to consider in also economies. keeping costs down for the market segment they hope to capture. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of 1 GB of data for the poorest 20 percent of the population is almost 40 percent of their monthly income. Add to this the World Bank’s estimate that for every 10 percent increase in broadband connectivity in developed nations, GDP rises by 1.35 percent.

SatMagazine Page 29 April 2021 What are those tradeoffs? than without TDMA capability. Additionally, on top of the benefits that OWC offers, a MOCA-enabled OWC implementation provides multi- BM user (OTM) capability. It also greatly improves the affordability of the The most obvious is that LEO satellites individually cover far less ground systems, with lower $/Mbps than RF alternatives. As a multi-user than satellites in higher orbit because they are at a low altitude. That mission enabler, OTM will lead to lower cost, less optics for more means thousands of satellites and lots of ground stations to ensure connections and unparalleled security. coverage. Those satellites need a way to communicate rapidly in order The BridgeComm MOCA architecture overcomes the small field-of- to achieve latency goals of 20 to 40 ms during the beta phase — and regard of inexpensive fast-steering optics and allows tailoring of the field much higher as the constellation is built out. of regard. TDMA is used to provide service to multiple users. The total In space, Starlink is using laser crosslinks (optical wireless number of users is constrained by the required latency and the switching communication, or OWC) to transfer communications from one satellite time. Initial system level analysis indicates that a single 50 Gbps terminal to another. Currently, the conventional approach used in most OWC could provide 100 Mbps service to 2000 commercial airplanes. systems is point to point with a gimbaled system used for coarse Another novel aspect of this MOCA architecture is these apertures pointing. This can slow switching times either in the same orbital plane are designed as modular sub-apertures that can be flexibly combined or an adjacent one. to create a larger virtual aperture, or can be used in-dependently to To address this concern, BridgeComm started work in 2018 to increase the total number of simultaneous connections. The advance the state of the art in point-to-point optical terminals by individual modules are low-profile (approx. 10 cm3) and can be developing a One to Many (OTM) capability layer for OWC applications integrated conformally into aerostructures for drag reduction and in the form of a managed optical communications array (MOCA). OTM tactical applications. maintains the inherent security features and high-throughput of OWC Furthermore, the individual modules are more easily mass while supporting mesh architectures, such as Starlink. produced, tested and repaired than traditional monolithic optics. Currently, the modules do not rely on coherent combining, which would What is the advantage of MOCA? require high-precision calibration and timing, but rather leverage widely used digital signal processing techniques to boost overall signal-to- BM noise ratio. MOCA enables OTM service — which is designed to facilitate multi- target transmit and receive connections, while simultaneously reducing Where is OWC is the 5G discussion? the size of the terminal — and eliminates the need for a gimbaled element for coarse steering. Eliminating the gimbal provides significant BM advantages in terms of reliability and size, weight and power. OWC is still relatively new in the commercial space and thus not Gimbals carry a large amount of risk of mechanical failure and are prominent in the 5G discussion. However, in order to meet growing usually identified as the primary risk element in a device. Removing the demands for connectivity, it’s safe to assume OWC will be central to gimbal is tantamount to eliminating risk of mechanical failure. Potential creating a far-reaching network that uses a range of technologies, each volume savings can be 3-4x, mass savings are ~ 10x and peak power serving a core purpose and integrating into the whole appropriately. reduces by as much as 5x. This is transformative for several other reasons, as well. Switching It’s no longer one or the other but many — collaboration will be key. times are drastically reduced by 2-3 orders of magnitude, down from seconds to microseconds in many cases, which means that an OWC www.bridgecomsystems.com system can now access a wide field of view (FOV), up to a potential 90 degrees in real time.

IS this a potential game-changing technology?

BM The opening image is courtesy of Absolutely. The combination of wide FOV and real-time switching, using Nick Owuor (astro.nic.visuals) @astro_nic25 time division multiple access (TDMA), allows simultaneous communication with multiple users who are spatially separated, and allows a capacity gain within a given field of view to service more users

SatMagazine Page 30 April 2021

June 1 - 3, 2021 Virtual MILSAT SYMPOSIUM Next-Generation Space Defense

Join the Community Protecting and Expanding Critical Space Assets

MILSATSHOW.COM Feature

How SIG & SOMAP Are Working Together To Improve The Flat Panel Antenna Market

Author: Helen Weedon, Managing Director, Satellite Innovation Group (SIG)

Toward the early part of last year, we hosted an online discussion 2. Customer expectations are high and occasionally not with members of the Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG) about the Flat realistic — this leads to disappointment with service levels. Panel Antenna (FPA) market. What came out of that discussion was 3. Clarification is needed as to which performance data that the industry is facing a real problem with these products. satellite operators require — different operators have different requirements. On the one hand, flat panel antennas have the potential to totally 4. Testing is costly and complex. revolutionize Comms-On-The-Move (COTM). On the other hand, very few meet the high-performance expectations of the industry and often SIG and SOMAP leave users disappointed with their service. That led to some interesting discussions where we posed the question: How do we solve it? The challenge that is currently being faced is similar to the challenge that led to the initial foundation of the GVF Satellite Operators Minimum Understanding the Challenge Antenna Performance (SOMAP) group. The group was established to find a way to standardize requirements antenna performance. This Having discussed this topic extensively with a number of satellite involved close cooperation between a number of global operators and operators, it is clear that we are facing some fundamental challenges the results have been positive for the entire industry: that need to be addressed: • Manufacturers know that meeting SOMAP 1. So far, flat panel antennas have not met the cost and performance requirements will satisfy most performance requirements of satellite operators. operators, with only minimal extra tests required from some.

SatMagazine Page 32 April 2021 • Operators can greatly reduce time taken to test and data is critical as well as which data is perhaps less relevant to the approve antennas and even share that workload solution. Having a clear set of recommendations from manufacturers between them to some extent. If another operator will give all a solid starting point for the operator discussions. has already tested to SOMAP requirements, they We have started the outreach to flat panel antenna manufacturers. can be confident it meets those conditions. If any others wish to get involved, they can, of course, contact me at [email protected]. • Users benefit from a reliable service. Spearheading Operator Discussions It seems logical that replicating that same approach for the flat panel antenna market would be beneficial for all. We, therefore, instigated Once the input has been received from enough manufacturers, the time discussions with SOMAP to see just how this could be achieved. will arrive for the operators to discuss their requirements, methods and data formats. That will involve the challenging task of finding some How Do We Move Forward? commonality between them, as well as against the recommendations from the manufacturer. This will enable all to build a common set of This has been such a challenging topic that at the beginning of these requirements that all operators will be happy with instituting and that discussions, we even considered the question of whether satellite will also work for the manufacturers. operators should stop investing in flat panel antennas all together and put their time, energy, and money, into other areas of development. Investigating New Testing Methods If these devices cannot meet the necessary performance requirements, that is likely to be the next outcome. However, we all recognize just now Testing requires the investment of a huge amount of time and is fraught valuable the correct equipment could be for the entire industry, especially with any number of challenges. Most existing test facilities are setup for for COTM and enabling next generation media services. traditional antennas; however, flat panel antennas cannot be measured When SOMAP was first formed, the organization’s main challenge was using the same procedures. to agree on a standard set of requirements that all operators would be FPAs have dynamic radiation patterns across the surface of the happy with instituting. With so many varying expectations, that was not a antenna that changes as the direction of the boresight changes. Testing simple task and I’m certain this will again be the challenge. That said, is further complicated by the fact that these antennas often offer multi- SOMAP has already laid the foundation for that type of activity and we can beam, multi-band, and multi-orbit operations. hopefully reach an agreement far more easily. Together, with SOMAP, we Once we reach some form of alignment, we then need to establish are looking to accomplish a number of criteria to drive this topic forward: reliable and repeatable measurement techniques that are unique to these product genres. Work has already started looking at some of • Engage with manufacturers to better understand these options. their challenges, as well as communicating the requirements from the satellite operators. The Future of FPAs

• Spearhead discussions between operators to The ultimate end goal is one that will assist the entire satellite industry. determine commonality when it comes to FPAs have the potential to disrupt the COTM market, as long as the data required. performance exists. With NSR forecasting cumulative FPA equipment sales to reach approx. $11 billion by 2028, clearly we need to work • Investigate new ways to test these antennas together to ensure the industry can reap the benefits of these efficiently while ensuring an accurate picture advanced devices. of performance satig.space Engaging with Manufacturers

We are currently at the start of what will likely be a long journey. However, this is an important route to follow and input from manufacturers will be crucial. They know better than anyone the process Author Helen Weedon is the Managing Director of the for testing and providing data to the operators — they also know which Satcoms Innovation Group (SIG).

SatMagazine Page 33 April 2021 Feature

SPACSSPACS InIn SpaceSpace

Author; Amanda L. Darling

Partner, K&L Gates LLP

SatMagazine Page 34 April 2021 What, exactly, is a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (“SPAC”) In such an instance, the SPAC investors may influence the ‘fair market and why is it suddenly growing in popularity? A SPAC is an value’ of the private company to be acquired (noting the fair market alternate vehicle for a private company who wishes to go public, value of the private company must be no less than 80 percent of the but does not want to go through the IPO process itself. In short, SPAC trust assets). In many instances, the valuation and projected a SPAC is often a shell company set up by investors, without any revenue are inflated to levels the companies may struggle to achieve assets or business, the investors raise capital through an IPO and (for example, Rocket Lab and Spire, both referenced below, have been once the company is listed on the stock exchange they seek out a valued at 5.4 times their expected revenue for 2025 and 2023, private company to acquire. respectively); this is of concern particularly for companies who have generated no, or only small amounts, of revenue before going public. Twelve months ago the average person had probably never even heard SPACs are being used across many industries. In fact, within the first of a SPAC, let alone shown enough interest to understand how they 70 days of 2021, 232 SPAC IPO processes have already been initiated work, why a company would choose this route and what the pros and in the U.S., representing 83 percent of all IPOs launched in 2021 alone; cons are of this alternate avenue of financing. In fact you could be in 2020, just 55 percebt of IPOs were SPAC IPOs (248 launched forgiven for thinking SPACs are a newly created concept; however, throughout that year). In 2019, SPAC IPOs comprised only 28 percent SPACs (in one form or another) have been around since the early 90s, of all U.S. IPOs, with 59 out of the 213 IPOs launched. One industry first created by David Nussbaum at a time when ‘blank check which has experienced recent momentum in the SPAC IPO arena is companies’ were prohibited in the United States. commercial space. Unlike a blank check company which is prohibited by Rule 419 of The first widely publicized space related SPAC was ex-Facebook the Securities Act 1933 from trading until an acquisition occurs, a SPAC executive Chamath Palihapitiya’s SPAC, Social Capital Hedosophia (provided its net tangible assets exceed $5 million), will be exempt Holdings, which acquired a 49 percent holding in Virgin Galactic — from regulation as a blank check company under Rule 419 due to the merger with Virgin Galactic occurred in October of 2019. restrictions in their charters which prohibit them from being ‘penny The Virgin Galactic merger is often sited as the deal which paved stock’ issuers. The recent focus on SPAC financing caused Nussbaum the way for other space related ventures — in the 17 months since the to quip in the Wall Street Journal, “It has taken me 27 years to become Virgin Galactic merger, various SPAC-led transactions have been an overnight sensation.” launched across a diverse cross-section of space related companies, Why the sudden rise in prominence? Is it the shortened timeframe with the announcement of Stable Road Capital’s merger with to become a public listed company (reducing a 2 to 3 year IPO process Momentus Space, a space infrastructure company, within the following down to a 2 to 3 months acquisition process)? Is it the scaled-back 12 month period. That action was followed closely by AST & Science, prospectus obligations? Is it the fact the raised capital is placed into who is building the first space-based cellular broadband network trust awaiting the acquisition of the private company? Is it the ability accessible directly by standard mobile phones and their business for investors to withdraw their money if they feel uneasy about the combination with New Providence that was announced in December company to be acquired? of 2020. While each company has its own story as to why using a SPAC may The 2021 SPAC landscape has already vigorously started... Osprey make the most sense for them and their goals and targets, it’s hard to Technology, Holicity, Vector Capital and NavSight Holdings all have overlook these advantages. This is particularly so in the commercial announced definitive business combination agreements with space space industry where there has always been an excessive amount of related companies. BlackSky, a provider of satellite imagery and capital expenditure (“CapEx”) required to meet the growing demand geospatial intelligence; Astra, who has developed a satellite-delivery for space missions, rocket and satellite launches. It would be rocket system; Rocket Lab, also a satellite launch company who has shortsighted to assume that those who have the ideas and concepts to established (the only) small reusable launch vehicle; and Spire Global, make all this possible also have immediate access to the funding they who gather space-based data through a collection of satellites need to bring it all to fruition. (presently over 100) for a variety of weather, aviation, maritime and However the SPAC process is not without its concerns, unlike a government based customers, have all engaged in SPAC transactions. traditional IPO, where the private company must demonstrate by way If there is one thing space pundits and enthusiasts can agree on, it’s of its prospectus that it is a solid investment, with proven revenue that the law and policy governing the development of commercial history or projected future earnings based on models and forecasts, the space technology are lagging. Guglielmo S. Agliette, a Professor at the private company, which is acquired by the SPAC, may be a pre- University of Auckland, in his July 2020 article entitled “Current development or pre-revenue company. Challenges and Opportunities for Space Technologies”, discussed New Space and the on-going revolution in the space sector , morphing from

SatMagazine Page 35 April 2021 an industry that was traditionally dominated by space agencies working References with large companies, to an industry offering opportunities to 1 Alistair Kellie, ‘SAPCs are coming to a company near you’, SECNewgate entrepreneurs (such as Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and (Blog Post, March 11, 2021) others), as well as far less well known stakeholders, investors, The argument that the SPAC movement is providing a source of 2 ‘Special Purpose Acquisition Corporations : Specs to Consider When funding and a CapEx platform is unparalleled, especially for smaller Structuring Your SPAC - Part 1’, Corporate Counsel Business Journal, companies that, without significant private funding, find the business (online, March 22, 2021) opportunity these firms may have to enter the space race at all. 3 Ramney Layne and Brenda Lenahan, ‘Special Purpose Acquisition According to SpaceFund as of this writing, there are 160 Earth <- Companies: An Introduction’, Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate > Space Transportation (Launch) entities, some, such as SpaceX and Governance, (online, March 22, 2021) RocketLab, are already in regular operation. However, many of the secured financing. 4 Amrith Ramkumar, ‘Pioneers of SPACs Reap The Rewards’, The Walls Street Meagan Crawford, a Space Venture Capitalist and Managing Journal, (online, March 9, 2021) 30 to 35 launch entities, so there are obvious concerns surrounding 5 Bocconi Students Investment Club, ‘Special Purpose Acquisition which entities will make it and those who won’t. Companies: the rise of the fast-track IPO’, (Web Page, November 12, 2017) Of course, going public is not a ‘get out of jail free card,’ there are still no guarantees. 6 Rachel Jewett, ‘SPACs for Space: Are Startups Read for the Public The SPAC process also raises additional risk questions for the Markets?’, Satellite Today, (Web Page, accessed March 10, 2021) investors. What if the SPAC partners with the wrong entity? How robust company who is already in regular operation (but who may peak early)? 7 SPAC Analytics 2021, SPAC and US IPO Activity, SPAC Analytics, viewed Or to invest in a company which is full of concepts, ideas, dreams and March 9, 2021, visions with the expectation of making them a reality? 8 IBID While SPAC’s generally perform a risk analysis similar to the due 9 IBID diligence preceding a more typical acquisition, when the technology 10 Tariq Malik, ‘Virgin Galactic Goes Public on New York Stock Exchange has not been fully developed (or licensed), there are limits as to what After Completing Merger’, Space.com (Web Page, October 28, 2019) the process can reveal. With Gary Gensler’s appointment to the Securities and Exchange 11 ‘AST & Science LLC to Become Public Company Through Combination Commission (SEC) an almost forgone conclusion at this point, the with New Providence Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: NPA, NPAUU and future of SPACs (and not just those focused on space) could be coming NPAWW)’, Nasdaq.com (Web Page, December 16, 2020) under closer scrutiny in the coming months. In particular, the SEC is connection with the SPAC process. 12 Guglielmo S. Agliette, ‘Current Challenges and Opportunities for Space Gensler may encourage an increase in regulation on matters such Technologies’, (2020) Vol1(1), Frontiers in Space Technologies as the potential insider trading risks and economic incentives for the 13 SpaceFund, ‘Earth <-> Space Transportation (Launch) Database’, SPAC founders, unattainable or overoptimistic projections, undisclosed Spacefund.com (Web Page, accessed March 16, 2021) conflicts of interest regarding acquisition targets, unsubstantiated deal values and antitrust concerns. 14 Tom Zanki, ‘4 Ways a Gensler-Led SEC Could Toughen SPAC Scrutiny’, Law As with most aspects of the financial markets, common sense 360 (Web Page, March 5, 2021) regulation is key, especially as there are already serious concerns that there are more SPACs than there are quality acquisition targets. www.klgates.com Regardless, SPAC activity is showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

SatMagazine Page 36 April 2021 InfoBeam Amazon Web Services Joins The L3Harris To Develop Next United States Geospatial Generation Weather Imager Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) For NASA

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation NASA has selected L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) to (USGIF) welcomes Amazon Web Services (AWS) as the develop a concept for the next generation of geostationary organization’s newest, 27th, Strategic-Level Member. weather imagers which will help advance future severe storm tracking, weather forecasting, climate and other Earth Observations (EO).

L3Harris will develop an imager design, as well as conduct technology development and analysis for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Geostationary and Extended Orbits (GEO-XO) satellite system. The GEO-XO mission will eventually replace the agency’s current Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-R (GOES-R) series of weather satellites, AWS is a leading cloud platform, offering more than 200 fully which includes the L3Harris-built primary payload. featured services from data centers globally. Many enterprise and government customers use AWS Cloud to transform their Supported by NASA, NOAA’s GEO-XO program is scheduled for launch organizations and businesses. in the early 2030s. L3Harris is the industry-leading provider of weather sensors flown by U.S. and international customers, such as NOAA’s AWS offers the most comprehensive and broadly adopted platform of Advanced Baseline Imager for the GOES-R satellite series, Cross Track services and features, which allow their customers to be more agile Infrared Sounder for the Joint Polar Satellite System, Japan’s Advanced while reducing computing costs. Geospatial customers benefit from Himawari Imagers for the Himawari mission, and South Korea’s the ease, speed, and cost-effectiveness of their services, which frees Advanced Meteorological Instrument for GEOKompsat-2a. them from having to purchase, maintain, and operate their own servers and data centers. The L3Harris GEO-XO next-generation imager will include additional spectral bands, higher spatial resolution, and improved data USGIF organizational membership enables organizations to play an compression algorithms. These features, combined with flexible and integral role in the advancement of the geospatial intelligence efficient scan capabilities, will provide improved severe storm tracking, (GEOINT) tradecraft through professional development and weather forecasting, enhanced fire/smoke detection, as well as other unparalleled interaction with community leaders, decision-makers, as vital benefits to government users, scientists and our nation. well as the GEOINT’ers of today and tomorrow.

USGIF Strategic-Level membership is the highest and most inclusive level of organizational membership. Benefits include complimentary GEOINT Symposium registrations, exclusive access to USGIF events, and the ability to participate in forums exclusive to USGIF Strategic- Level Members. Three storms brewing as hurricane season arrives…

SatMagazine Page 37 April 2021 InfoBeam

Fourth FabLab Founded By At the same time, FabLabs are designed to stimulate and strengthen Thales Alenia Space teamwork by cementing ties between employees during their free time. It’s an excellent way of thoroughly irrigating the company with expertise concerning the digital transformation and new technologies.

Working hand in hand with Thales Alenia Space’s Innovation Cluster, FabLabs are open to collaboration with universities, research centers and small businesses. They will also nurture the development of innovative solutions, research programs and training. With the commissioning of its fourth FabLab, Thales Alenia Space continues its ongoing transformation to keep pace with the evolving New Space environment.

“The creation of this new space – open to all – encourages experimentation, sharing knowledge and applying it to creativity and innovation,” said Ina Maller, General Director of Thales Alenia Space in Belgium. “With the opening of this FabLab in Belgium, I’m delighted to give all of our employees, whether in R&D, production or Thales Alenia Space has established a new FabLab other departments, the opportunity to pursue innovative professional (fabrication laboratory) at their plant in Charleroi, Belgium. or personal projects.” This approach reflects the company’s ongoing digital transformation to anticipate disruptive advances in the space industry.

Following the company’s first FabLabs in Toulouse, Cannes and Rome, this latest addition is tasked with stimulating innovation and supporting the Charleroi plant’s push to spur sustainable growth in Belgium.

Open to all Thales Alenia Space employees, the FabLab is an idea incubator that fosters creativity by providing access to rapid prototyping tools, both hardware and software. Above all, it’s a forum that facilitates discussions and the sharing of ideas to complement the current industrial organization.

Charleroi’s FabLab is organized in different zones: brainstorming, mechanical and electronic fabrication, 3D printing and digital design. All of these activities, whether professional or even personal (provided the participant complies with sharing and transparency requirements), involve taking ideas through the prototyping, experimental, test, simulation and fabrication phases.

The expected deliverables from the FabLab approach include the development of new technologies, concept validation for all new solutions and the real-world assessment of applications and user needs to learn lessons and address system-level requirements.

SatMagazine Page 38 April 2021 InfoBeam

Millions Achieved By Tomorrow.io air quality, and climate-risk industry,” said Shimon Elkabetz, CEO In New Funding Round and Co-Founder of Tomorrow.io. “CEOs should think of weather intelligence like they think of cybersecurity. Climate change impact on business, governments, and people is real and here, and the vision we are executing on at Tomorrow.io – including our recent space announcement – is shared by the leadership at Stonecourt Capital, and we are fortunate to be working alongside their team.”

“While the company’s growth has been tremendous since launch, ClimaCell has a new funding round that is being led by there is a larger opportunity at play here,” said Rick Davis, Partner at Stonecourt Capital and joined by Highline Capital — this Stonecourt Capital. “What Tomorrow.io is building, corroborated by brings the total funding raised to more than $185 million, their recent announcement of launching radar-equipped satellites into plus the company is also changing its name from space, is only further proof that this company represents the future of ClimaCell to Tomorrow.io. weather forecasting for the entire planet. The privatization of the weather industry is now, and that type of vision is what compels the In February of 2021, Tomorrow.io announced Operation Tomorrow team here at Stonecourt Capital.” Space. The company is building the first-of-its-kind proprietary satellites equipped with radar, and launching them into space to In-Space Laser Comms Work improve weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities. The Continues Between TESAT + breakthrough technology represents a once-in-a-generation Lockheed Martin Space opportunity with decades of value on the horizon.

Tomorrow.io has been in hypergrowth mode since launching 5 years ago. Having expanded operations across North America, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC, the company brought its product offerings to market 2 years ago and has already achieved a 200% net revenue retention rate and 850% ACV growth during the past 2 years.

With customers including Uber, Ford, Delta, National Grid, and others, Tomorrow.io will use the funding to accelerate global SaaS operations TESAT continues their broadband laser communication in for its weather intelligence platform and air quality offerings. In space developments that range back to the laying of the addition, Tomorrow.io will continue to focus on innovating its cornerstone within the US NFIRE and TerraSar-X success proprietary technology across artificial intelligence and machine in 2008, when TESAT first proved the functionality and learning, in addition to its space operations. capability of optical, inter-satellite links in LEO, now coming to fruition. The company also today announced a name change which has been a year in the works. “Changing the name of a company is always a With the recent contract award between Lockheed Martin Space delicate process and timing is the most important part of that and TESAT for the Space Development Agency’s Transport process,” said Dan Slagen, CMO at Tomorrow.io. “The combination of Layer Tranche 0 program, the long-term partnership between the our space announcement in addition to the Series D presented the two companies is continued. TESAT will provide the ConLCT80, a opportune timing to announce Tomorrow.io, leading us into our next Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) dedicated for the broadband, phase as a company with the goal to bring better access to weather LEO constellation market. for every country, business, and individual on the planet.” The ConLCT80 is a miniaturization of the heritage LCT135, which The company will legally operate under the name of The Tomorrow is flying currently on nine satellites and performing 1,000 optical Companies Inc. moving forward. inter-satellite links (OISL) monthly, more than 51,000 in total as of this writing. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Stonecourt Capital to continue executing on our complete disruption of the $4 trillion global weather,

SatMagazine Page 39 April 2021 Focus: D-Orbit

Resilience, Accomplishments & A Bright Future

Author: Jonathan Firth, Chief Operating Officer, D-Orbit

The year 2020 was a turning point for the space industry. After a controllers were able to establish contact with the spacecraft and carry decade that had seen a significant increase in the inflow of private out the planned pre-operations checks. Then, we validated our money, showing the growth potential of the New Space sector and commercial launch and deployment service by releasing, around the demonstrating how valuable space services are for other industries, Earth and over the span of a month, 12 SuperDove spacecraft from the sector faced a sudden and huge test of its resilience. Earth Observation (EO) company Planet using Fast Dispersion, which is a proprietary deployment strategy that reduces the time required to While the economic consequences of the COVID pandemic were phase a batch of satellites along an orbit by up to 85 percent. affecting individuals and companies all around the world, D-Orbit I am proud to say that the ORIGIN mission turned us into the first adopted decisive measures to keep the company moving forward company capable of providing commercial, in-space, transportation without, for example, reducing the operations plan or the team size. services. However, the ION spacecraft is much more than a space Our investors believed in our strategy, supporting us with a round of transportation vehicle: it is a versatile satellite platform with capabilities investment that enabled us to complete our first commercial space that we are expanding mission after mission to provide a whole suite mission, ORIGIN, prepare for the following PULSE mission and increase of on-orbit services and infrastructure based on the needs of customers our workforce by 25 percent. around the world. ORIGIN was the maiden flight of D-Orbit’s proprietary orbital ORIGIN also proved the performance of Aurora, D-Orbit’s transportation vehicle (OTV) ION Satellite Carrier. After a nominal proprietary, cloud-based, mission control suite. Aurora, among several launch in September 2020 from the Guiana Space Center, our mission advanced functionalities, includes all the basic tools needed to

SatMagazine Page 40 April 2021 D-Orbit’s Aurora mission control software suite — screenshot. Image is courtesy of the company. monitor a spacecraft, uplink commands, and downlink and process data, and can be used to control multiple spacecraft or payloads up to an entire constellation. With the PULSE mission, which we launched in January 2021 and is still ongoing, we again delivered satellites to their precise final locations on-orbit. Afterwards, we began testing an innovative, plug- and-play infrastructure for third-party payloads that significantly reduces the time and cost needed to prepare an instrument or experiment for a space mission, while simultaneously simplifying the integration and operation phases. The first two payloads to test this approach are ARGO, a fully autonomous plug and play star tracker developed by EICAS Automazione, and DRAGO, a short-wave infrared space camera for EO developed by Instituto Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC). These two optical and EO, in this case. The entire platform can be dedicated to single payloads demonstrate the potential of a platform that can perform several payloads, up to 200 kg, upon request: an example is NOCTUA, a project distinct operations during the same mission, such as satellite deployment developed by a consortium led by D-Orbit, that revolves around the use We also plan to increase the production volume of our satellite platforms in 2021, and further grow our staff by at least of a 25-30% across all the D-Orbit Group’s national locations. We are also pursuing the expansion into new markets by working with partners, such as the recently announced commercial partnership with Marubeni, which will enable us to establish a strong presence in new strategic markets around the world and strengthen our existing presence. We have always worked with both commercial and institutional customers, and while the full impact of the pandemic is still evolving, we continue to see many promising opportunities, including from new players. The New Space industry, with its combination of lower launch cost and higher performance per kilogram of payload, is enabling more and more countries to develop a national space agenda that is centered around both economic progress and other strategic objectives such as defense, use of scarce resources, and cybersecurity. D-Orbit has been actively pursuing this trend for several years and, now that the firm is growing, we are delighted to participate and make our contribution to a phenomenon that will likely define the entire decade: the creation of the first space logistics infrastructure, which will enable both a trillion-dollar space economy and human expansion into a sustainable space.

D-Orbit’s ION smallsat carrier. www.dorbit.space of an ION platform with a SAR antenna onboard for land and critical infrastructures monitoring services. While the company is getting ready to close the first quarter of 2021 on a positive note, we have set ambitious goals for the remainder of 2021, starting with WILD RIDE, our next mission scheduled for Q2 2021 that will host several satellites, payloads and test additional capabilities, Author Jonathan Firth is the Chief Operating Officer and two further missions in Q4 2021. of D-Orbit. With all that has been going on over the last year, the operations and technical teams have still been able to deliver the launch schedule and maintain all the commitments D-Orbit had made to customers before the pandemic, all the while developing our technology and troubleshooting in real time the inevitable operational challenges that arose. I am really proud of them and, thanks to their efforts, we are updating and perfecting the design and manufacture of ION to increase its robustness and reliability.

SatMagazine Page 42 April 2021 InfoBeam ViaLite’s Multi-Functional Blue OEM 1U Chassis

ViaLite Communications has a new blue addition... its a Blue OEM 1U chassis to the company’s RF over fiber product range.

The product was designed to operate as a transmitter, receiver or both, as a means of supporting uplink and downlink operations.

The chassis has the capacity to hold up to eight, ViaLite Blue OEM This is a 1U high chassis, supports high throughput operations and modules and is typically used for satellite and broadcast installations, enables signal transmission across distances where it is not possible as well as satellite news gathering (SNG) and outdoor broadcast truck to use coaxial cables. operations at sporting events and more. The chassis was designed with a removable rear tray, which allows the fiber modules to be hot-swapped, meaning modules can be removed and inserted without the need to shut down the system.

Typical applications include fixed SATCOM Earth stations and teleports, Telemetry, Tracking and Command (TT&C), oil and gas platforms, timing and synchronization, marine antennas and broadcast facilities.

Amair Khan, Business Development Manager at ViaLite, said, “The Blue OEM chassis has been developed to give customers the same performance produced by fiber modules but in a rack chassis in a smaller size.

“Using an external 12 V power supply means powering the chassis can be done by 12 V laptop style power supplies with a 2.1 mm jack power connector; making these items easy to maintain.”

SatMagazine Page 43 April 2021 InfoBeam

Knight Sky + Kratos Victoriously The event also demonstrated control capabilities to restore satellite Demo Live SATCOM EMI Detection + Recovery service rapidly to overcome the interference. The demonstration showed that EM&C capabilities provide SATCOM links with the resiliency and flexibility to operate through contested and congested environments in times of conflict. EM&C is an important strategic goal of the military to effectively operate Knight Sky, LLC has partnered with Kratos Defense and an integrated SATCOM enterprise by increasing assured SATCOM Security Solutions, Inc. and have successfully access for the warfighter with legacy and next-generation terminals. It demonstrated an integrated SATCOM capability that improves the effectiveness of the DoD’s critical SATCOM infrastructure by delivered rapid detection and recovery from an enhancing resilience and giving more satellite link choices, reducing electromagnetic interference (EMI) event on a live resource allocation times and improving bandwidth efficiency. SATCOM link. EM&C enables every terminal to be a sensor, contributing to Situational Awareness and facilitating rapid response to operational challenges and attacks. The effort was funded through the Advanced Battle Management System (ABMS) indefinite-delivery/indefinite- quantity (IDIQ), of which Kratos is a prime award recipient. Lt. Col. Gary Thompson said, “The agile terminal was a quick and low-cost mod to a legacy terminal and orchestrator provided theater The demonstration used the Orchestration and Terminal Manager and mission awareness and integration at the tactical edge. elements of the (SATCOM) Enterprise Management and Control Advancing these concepts is a giant leap towards achieving the CSO (EM&C) platform developed by Knight Sky for the US Space Force SATCOM Vision.” through the SPEC OTA. EM&C is an effort by the US Space Force Space and Missile Command (SMC) to plan, initiate, monitor and Global Counterspace Capabilities: restore rapid, automated access to hybrid satellite constellations and An Open Source Assessment” networks, operated by various service providers. Report Published By SWF

The demonstration was performed as part of a joint, multi-national The Secure World Foundation Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control (SWF) has released their annual (JADC2) exercise hosted by U.S. European Command report, “Global Counterspace (EUCOM). EM&C capabilities provided by Knight Sky included real- Capabilities: An Open Source time data link and equipment status reporting from the EM&C Terminal Assessment.” Managers to the EM&C Orchestration capability. Edited by SWF Director of Program Knight Sky’s Orchestrator then interfaced with real-time spectrum Planning Brian Weeden and Washington monitoring and geolocation capabilities provided by Kratos Defense. Office Director Victoria Samson, this The combined data stream was delivered by Kratos into the Unified report compiles and assesses publicly Data Library (UDL) to populate a Situational Awareness visualization available information on the counterspace system in an operationally secure environment. capabilities being developed by multiple countries across five categories: direct-ascent, co-orbital, electronic warfare, directed The UDL is a U.S. government owned, cloud-enabled database energy, and cyber. It assesses the current and near-term future accessible by the DoD and coalition partners. Rapid recovery from the capabilities for each country, along with their potential military utility. EMI event was accomplished by initiating network roaming using the Terminal Managers at the SATCOM terminals. The full 2021 report and the Executive Summary, along with previous editions, can be found at this direct infolink… Accordingly, Knight Sky and Kratos demonstrated acquisition and aggregation of real-time SATCOM end-to-end connectivity status, Translations of the 2021 Executive Summary into French, Spanish, including spectral data, link and equipment status and Russian, and Chinese will be available in May. detecting/geolocating electromagnetic interference (EMI), and fusion of this information through the UDL.

SatMagazine Page 44 April 2021 InfoBeam

Solar Electric Propulsion System A key accomplishment of this end-to-end hot fire test was the Hot Fire Testing Completed By Maxar + Busek demonstration of stable, repeatable thruster startups. Reliable and repeatable startups are critical to in-space operations of the PPE.

The goal of this test campaign was to run multiple startups and shutdowns and numerous other flight-like scenarios to demonstrate that the thruster system is ready to transit Gateway around the moon. Successfully completed, this testing validated the dual-mode operation of the SEP string at 300 V/600 V and a variety of power levels, up to 6 kW and 600 V.

Maxar Technologies and Busek Co. confirmed successful completion of an end-to-end hot fire test campaign validating all major elements of the 6 kW solar electric propulsion (SEP) subsystem being designed for the Power PPU hot check, left, and closing the vacuum chamber, right. and Propulsion Element (PPE), which will propel NASA’s Gateway around the moon. This multi-week test was the The PPE will provide power, maneuvering, attitude control and first time this hardware was operated as a fully integrated communications systems for the lunar orbiting outpost. Gateway is a string that’s representative of the flight system. The foundational part of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to land the ground demonstrations were funded by NASA’s Space first woman and next man on the moon and enable future crewed Technology Mission Directorate under a Tipping Point missions to Mars. public-private partnership. The PPE is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, and Maxar is working on the program from its facilities in Palo Alto and San Jose, California. The end-to-end hot fire test was completed at Busek’s facilities in Natick, Massachusetts.

“Busek’s BHT-6000 electric thrusters offer high-power capabilities at a competitive price point and are a great fit for both our near-Earth and deep space programs,” said Robert Curbeam, Senior Vice The PPE thruster system features the Maxar-built high-power control President of Space Capture at Maxar. “The SEP systems we are electronics (PPU-6000), a Moog-provided xenon feed system and four evolving for PPE are a fantastic example of innovative commercial Busek-built BHT-6000 Hall effect thrusters. Together, this system is technology with great flight heritage being leveraged for NASA 30% more powerful than any SEP system previously flown by Maxar programs. We continue to make steady progress on the Power and or Busek. Propulsion Element, with the next major milestone being the spacecraft Preliminary Design Review, which is targeted for later These thrusters will later be combined with other, higher-power this year.” thrusters to complete the PPE’s 50kW electric propulsion system. The PPE will be the most powerful electric propulsion spacecraft ever flown.

SatMagazine Page 45 April 2021 NSR INSIGHTS Finally Time For Optical SATCOM?

Author: Arthur Van Eeckhout, NSR Analyst, Belgium

Today, government customers dominate laser communications terminal (LCT) revenues, driven in particular by security- specific (and higher data-rate) requirements. The technology is critical to many military actors operating in RF-denied environments involving UAS operations, or high security applications from both GEO and LEO HTS. According to NSR’s recently published Optical Satcom Markets, 3rd Edition report, the market for laser comm terminals represents a $3 billion opportunity over the next ten years. Indeed, NSR forecasts more than 1,000 ISL terminals for space-based applications to be shipped by 2025. However, it is not just for satellite, but closer In late January, ten Starlink satellites equipped with inter-satellite to Earth for larger Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), as well. laser links (ISL) were launched, and the founder of SpaceX, Elon Radio frequency communication (RF) has yet to reach the limit of Musk, tweeted that in addition to these satellites, all future its inherent capacity offer. This is, however, expected to change with Starlink satellites would also have ISLs. the emergence of increasingly data-heavy applications which, in the long-term, will drive the adoption of optical SATCOM. Specifically, optical laser communication may boast superior data rate speeds, even if in the near to medium-term, the pricing of equipment is a big impediment in competing with RF, to such that the upcoming cadence of demos should help drive volume and, in turn, impact prices. While SpaceX is currently producing terminals in-house, other players in the optical SATCOM market are launching more than 15 on-orbit demonstrations during the next three years. Airbus and Xenesis, AAC Clyde’s subsidiary Hyperion Technologies, the U.S. Department of Defence (DoD) and NASA are just some of the many players planning demos. This implies that the The launch represented a five-fold increase of total laser terminals industry will likely see an increase in offers of various space-verified launched into orbit to date. In many ways, this represents a landmark laser terminals and related necessary components. milestone for optical SATCOM technology and we should expect a In the near-term, suppliers are scrambling to get their production large influx of these new communications terminals during the lines operational as revenues mature, post 2025, and lower volume coming years. terminals are expected to be brought to the market with economies of scale that will lower the price.

SatMagazine Page 46 April 2021 Looking ahead, NSR expects this trend to continue with China and Russia’s optical data relay systems to come online to support their respective planned Earth Observation (EO) constellations, much like the Space Data Highway supports Europe’s Sentinel satellites with data downlink. Commercially, today’s optical SATCOM market is in the process of customer trials, with equipment manufacturers dedicating intensive capital resources toward their production lines to meet the oncoming The industry has benefited from strong government support, with constellation and UAS demand. initiatives such as the Public-Private-Partnership between Airbus and Within five years, a greater supply of space-verified and competitive ESA’s European Data Relay Services (EDRS — also known as the Space laser communication equipment (for all sizes) will enter the market, as Data Highway), and Japan’s recent launch of the Japanese Data Relay seen from planned demos and funding announcements. Services (JDRS-1) satellite in 2020. SpaceX may manufacture their LCTs internally; however, their recent launch signals lasercom’s technological readiness and the wave of future commercial demand that can be anticipated. With security concerns driving decisions around the globe, NSR expects government customers to continue driving the development of the commercial sector, and constellations such as Starlink, Project Kuiper and Telesat to expand their services to a wider commercial market. In reality, the time for optical SATCOM is much closer than ever before realized.

www.nsr.com

Author Arthur Van Eeckhout is an NSR Analyst based

in Belgium.

SatMagazine Page 47 April 2021 Feature Transforming Earth & Deep Space Missions

Optical Communications Technology

Author: Jörg Rockstroh, Director of Business Development and Digital Products at WORK Microwave

During the next few years, optical communication technology is Earth station. Rather, it communicates with a global network. In the expected to play a critical role in near Earth and deep space future, deciding whether to use optical or RF will be based on which missions. Optical ground stations have emerged as an effective option provides the higher throughput. solution for mission operators and service providers who are facing Using an optical ,multi-mission receiver, operators can target up a global gridlock in optical downlinks as they provide a solution to to approximately 10 Gbps with a single link and that number is likely the chicken or the egg dilemma: The lack of available ground to increase in the future. It will be difficult for RF to follow the same stations has prevented the industry from developing spacecraft track for throughput growth. However, RF still provides signal with optical downlinks. Due to a lack of demand, no optical ground robustness and, therefore, a higher service availability, which leaves stations have been developed. room for both applications.

As a leading provider of RF electronics technologies for the SATCOM industry, WORK Microwave is helping

Built from scratch, an to navigate this optical receive station transformation, might even be more cost- providing ground station operators effective than a comparable RF ground station, with one of the world’s first multi-mission support solutions capable of but that’s assuming it reaches industrial scale. Currently, the industry lacks receiving, transmitting, and processing optical communication signals. wider commercial numbers to support that estimation.

Benefits of Optical Technology Foer EO Potential Challenges Using Optical Technology

The main strengths of optical technology for EO applications include A challenge of using optical communication technology is that the higher throughput per communication window, the absence of optical signals may have difficulty passing through clouds. The regulatory issues and secure communication. experience with the atmosphere and operational aspects are quite For remote sensing missions, optical communication has the limited at this point. Hence, an optical ground station should ideally be potential to outperform RF links. That’s because EO data is not real- located at a site commonly known for clear skies. More information will time critical and does not depend on downloading data to a particular be available following the first missions.

SatMagazine Page 48 April 2021 In addition, a standard for signal waveforms and coding is still needed. Another example of optical communication technology being deployed One is currently being developed by the Consultative Committee for in the real world is by Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT). KSAT is Space Data Systems (CCSDS). For different applications, there will be currently building a commercial optical ground station in Greece different solutions. However, similar to DVB, only a widely accepted (photo, lower left, courtesy of KSAT). This represents the first time a standard can guarantee interoperability and will benefit the industry commercial company has built an optical ground station with the across the entire value chain. intention of integrating it in a multi-mission network operation. Prior to As with every early development, optical technology is speculative KSAT’s deployment, optical ground stations were only experimental in and based on market assumptions for the commercial side and origin. KSAT’s new optical ground station will enable automatic and communication theory for the technical side. Yet, there is a pioneering remote operations, as well as the capability to support multiple missions spirit that is driving the industry forward into unexplored territory. to optimize costs.

Potential Applications Future Evolutions

Optical communication technology is an opportunity for commercial In the future, optical technology will be used more and more for and scientific mission operators as well as ground station service missions, providing higher throughput and secure communication. providers. After initial deployments, we expect it will also find its way into An initial application where optical communication is expected to commercial satellite communication for professional use cases, such provide value is for the reception of remote sensing data to Earth, as as feeder links and direct gateway connections. Furthermore, the the industry has more experience with the technology and commercial strong security capabilities of optical technology make it a good option availability of required components. Once a wider ground station for military communication. network is established, there are also communication applications on WORK Microwave is pioneering this transformation with the AR-80- the horizon, such as uplinks and downlinks from and to gateway OPT Optical Multi-Mission Receiver, the industry’s first optical receiver stations. In this scenario, the consumer end is supported by the RF Ka- that combines a high-performance RF modem with next-generation band and the gateway end is optical. optical signal processing. Offering multi-mission support, the AR-80 Optical communication can also be directly used for missions, not guarantees evolutionary extensions for the upcoming CCSDS standards only payload data. If immediate access is not required, the mission on the same device. This makes the receiver a no-risk solution for could be completely optical and save operators significant costs. This establishing ground stations today all the while supporting future can be especially interesting for smallsat missions that possess tight applications that have yet to be defined. budgets, as everything can operate over a single space terminal. The Tesat T-OSIRIS, an optical space, infrared downlink system, will soon to be mounted on ISS's Bartolomeo platform, enabling all kinds of user data from the station to be sent over an optical link with up to 10 Gbps.

WORK Microwave’s AR-80 OPT receiver.

work-microwave.com

Author Jörg Rockstroh is the Director of Business

Development and Digital Products at WORK Microwave.

Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) optical ground station installed in January 2021 in Greece.

SatMagazine Page 49 April 2021 Better Satellite World

Going To Space To Stay

When the first people from planet Earth went into space in the Perhaps not each and every mission was not always a big thrill — but 1960s, it was the thrill of a lifetime — but we didn’t stay long. each and every mission, in some way, always assisted in making people’s lives on Earth better. The next time people traveled into space, they traversed as far as our Moon — and we became even more excited — once again, we didn’t The third time we traveled into space, we built space stations and stay long there, either. decided to stay a while... but we still didn’t navigate far from home.

While people were going out and coming back, we put machines into Business Not As Usual space to get things done., such as... That’s all about to change, because space has become a business, Delivering television. where companies big and small are investing billions of their dollar. Forecasting the weather. Saving lives at sea They are investing in less expensive and more reliable ways to go to Mitigating disasters on land space and return. Exploring the planets Keeping the peace Technologies continue to be developed to help humankind survive in Helping farmers grow more food places that are far, far away from the air and warmth and light of Earth. Educating millions Connecting billions. Resources are being located and technology applied to enable us to

SatMagazine Page 50 April 2021 The risks are high.

The technology is still being put to the test .

The business potential is far from certain.

However, for the first time since people began going into space, the opportunity is within our grasp — not just to go out and come back to show that we can do it, but to go and build a way of life that reaches as far as the light from our Sun.

To make sure that whatever happens to our beautiful, fragile use them to manufacture what we need and to power our spacecraft. world — humanity will always have a home in the universe. Companies have been making money in space for decades, but they have managed this from the safety of the ground. Produced for SatNews Publishers and SatMagazine by Space & Satellite Professionals International The next generation of space will build places to live and work, to make a life in space for hundreds, then thousands, then millions of people. Read more stories and see videos of satellites making a better world at www.bettersatelliteworld.com. The workof those inhabiting space will benefit those of us still living on Earth with new products and services that we can hardly imagine The modern world literally runs on satellite – from data possible today. networks and TV to Internet, agriculture, energy and transport – though far too few people know it. The It’s about time. We have been telling stories and making plans about it commercial satellite industry is now attracting a new for more than a century. generation of entrepreneurs and investors dedicated to lowering launch costs, downsizing spacecraft, servicing Now, someone starting a career today can help make this happen... them in orbit and delivering ubiquitous connectivity at competitive prices. The someone starting school tomorrow could wind up in a job with a view Better Satellite World campaign shows the world why our industry, though that only astronauts see today.. often invisible, is indispensable to modern life, through powerful stories and videos that depict space and satellite technologies contributing to the It will be hard. economy, society and sustainability of planet Earth.

SatMagazine Page 51 April 2021 Feature

Delivering SATCOM With LoRa®

Author: Remi Lorrain

The Internet of Things (IoT) is exploding, with a predicted 75 billion A Flexible Solution IoT devices online by 2025; however, the vast majority of connected “things” will be in areas lacking a standard connection. When developing solutions for massive IoT adoption, scale is an In fact, nearly 90 percent of the Earth’s surface does not have the absolute necessity. Not only do solutions need to have the capabilities infrastructure to support cell or WiFi connectivity — that means to manage millions of devices, but they need to be compatible with the that satellite connectivity is their only option. terrestrial networks on the ground. For example, should a solution lose connection, it should be able to automatically switch from terrestrial The combination of satellites and terrestrial networks provide the networks to satellite, as needed. unique advantage to connect IoT assets and offer truly ubiquitous Semtech’s LoRa devices provide global connectivity for IoT devices coverage, which can reach objects with limited or no access to at an unprecedented scale. Because of LoRa’s low power and long connectivity. They can bridge the gap between the urban-rural divide range, Swarm, a company that develops low cost, two-way SATCOM and provide IoT to remote locations efficiently and economically. connectivity for IoT devices, decided to leverage LoRa to provide According to BIS Research, the satellite connectivity industry is connectivity to users around the world and across different use cases in projected to see significant growth between 2020 to 2027. North areas such as logistics, agriculture, connected cars and energy. This America, in particular, is expected to experience significant growth by solution allows the opportunities for commercial IoT applications that 2027 due to the increase of investments in satellite companies. With require less data-intensive communications and the opportunity to fill the rising demand for universal connectivity, having interoperable in the gaps of existing satellite solutions. terrestrial networks work with satellites helps better address the end- With the use of LoRa on VHF frequencies for uplink and downlink users needs and offer a range of available frequencies. to satellites from the ground, Swarm is able to provide 100 percent Low-cost and low-power satellite connectivity technology built global coverage for the 72 satellites that currently implement the directly with smart sensors will kick-start a second IoT revolution. With technology. User modems, which are integrated into IoT devices, LoRa®, a device-to-Cloud platform built for applications requiring long communicate with the satellites, enable reliable data transfer to urban range, low power, incorporated into satellites, smart sensors can enable and rural areas, at all times. two-way communications to and from satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). LoRa can run on Very High Frequency (VHF) frequencies for Transforming Industries uplink and downlink to satellites from the ground. Satellite connectivity has opened a wide range of possibilities for affordable connectivity. These solutions offer advantages to traditional

SatMagazine Page 52 April 2021 operators, especially for fields and applications that cross disciplines connected, satellite services are a suitable alternative and borders where continuous connectivity is essential to business connectivity option for those areas with unreliable or operations. For example: nonexistent network coverage. Satellite connectivity and smart sensors enable farmers to create efficiencies and realize the Transportation & Logistics value of precision farming. The newest generation of transportation-related IoT can go where infrastructure physically cannot go — for example, the Smart Cities Maritime industry requires a continuous flow of data to In many countries across the globe, there are villages and even transport assets across land, sea and sky. With two-way cities that have no broadband services or access to IoT. Satellite communication capabilities, organizations are able to control technology can assist with smart city use cases where connectivity their devices at a distance by sending remote commands in has not been an option in the past. Bigger applications, such as reaction to changing conditions. Satellite solutions offer better smart lighting in a city center or smart safety measures, can be geolocation abilities and continuous connectivity coverage so realized. This technology can also facilitate the tracking of sensor that assets can be easily monitored no matter where in the data in extremely remote locations, such as forests in which world they are deployed. wildfires may be a risk, or for other environmental conditions, such as earthquake or flood detection. Agriculture Many farms across the country are located in rural areas where Providing affordable connectivity technology to those in remote regions broadband, let alone 5G, is prioritized. As farms become more makes the IoT accessible to everyone around the world. Satellites that incorporate long range, low power technology will deliver a broader base of coverage and ensure there are no gaps in connectivity. Looking ahead, satellite technology will continue to be a valuable resource to cities, rural communities, farms, manufacturers and more.

www.semtech.com

SatMagazine Page 53 April 2021 Feature

Artistic rendition of the Odin satellite on-orbit Image is courtesy of the Swedish Space Corporation (SSC).

How Does A Satellite Exceed Its Expected Lifespan? Ask Stig-Ove...

When the Swedish satellite Odin was launched in 2001, it was Twenty years later, Stig-Ove continues to control the satellite from his planned to be operational for two years. As the satellite now station facility in northern Sweden. He and Odin can look back at more celebrates its 20th anniversary, many raise the question: How did than 109,000 revolutions around the Earth, serving humanity with Odin survive its expected lifespan by 18 years? The answer begins important scientific data that is collected by scanning the atmosphere with a man called Stig-Ove in northern Sweden. 15 revolutions around the Earth every day. “When the satellite was launched in 2001, there were significantly On February 20, 2001, the satellite Odin was launched from Svobodny more people sharing the everyday tasks, but as computers have taken Space Center in Russia as a collaborative project between Sweden, over most of the work, I’m now pretty much alone managing the control Finland, Canada and France. From the control room on top of Radar room,” said Stig-Ove. Mountain at Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, satellite operator Stig-Ove Silverlind was appointed to send the first commands to Odin.

SatMagazine Page 54 April 2021 Outlived Everyone’s Expectations Unexpected Versatility

Today, Odin orbits 540 kilometers above the Earth's surface, 70 km Odin was originally intended for a two-year research satellite mission lower than the initial altitude attained 20 years ago. At a speed of about covering two disciplines —– aeronomy and astronomy — but since seven kilometres per second, the satellite lives a peaceful life... or so it 2007, the spacecraft has been a pure, aeronomy research satellite. may seem. Around the clock, Odin collects scientific data useful for a Thanks to its unprecedented duration on-orbit around the Earth, Odin wide range of applications and to scientists all over the world. has been widely used as a sustainability satellite over the years, studying How has it been possible for Odin to stay functional ten times global warming and delivering climate data over longer periods of time. longer than expected? Such is due to a solid satellite design and care “Odin has, among many other things, contributed to proving by a dedicated controller in northern Sweden. that the ozonosphere has managed to start healing itself during “It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Odin has been a technical recent decades. The measurements on the upper atmosphere have success from the start, being such an important source of information helped the UN's climate panel IPCC to improve their models,” for scientists worldwide. One key component has been Stig-Ove and noted Stefan Lundin. his natural instinct and knowledge of Odin,” said Stefan Lundin, project Other examples of implementations include a large comet manager for Odin at OHB Sweden. research program that managed to re-enforce the theory that the Because the satellite does not have any orbit control, it does not world's water comes from comets. Odin was also the first satellite to consume fuel. Instead, its batteries are charged by sunlight. Carefully prove the theory that there’s an abundance of molecular oxygen (O2) adjusting their properties over the years has proven to be very when stars are born. important to extend their functionality — ultimately prolonging Odin’s As of this writing, Odin has contributed to more than 30+ scientific life on-orbit. discoveries and 400 scientific articles written by 1,000+ authors from “There have been countless emergency calls on holidays and days 30+ different countries. off. But you just have to bite the bullet for the sake of delivering the “It has been an unexpected journey, to say the least... a journey not research results to customers. I wouldn’t trade that for anything, I’m only for science, but also for my professional life. Just imagine working very proud of the journey so far, ”Stig-Ove added. for 20 years on a project that should have only lasted for two years. Despite the fact that Odin has survived its expected life span many Now, we hope for many more years to come before Odin has done its times over, the satellite has functioned more or less flawlessly over the years. Therefore, the people working with the project probably lost their breath when the onboard controller suddenly rebooted for the first time ever in late January of 2021.Luckily, thanks to the Odin crew having extended experience handling Odin, pretty much all was restored one week later. “The advantage of having worked with Odin from the start and for so many years is that I know the satellite inside out. If something goes wrong, it is helpful to have knowledge of every square centimeter of the vehicle in order to decide what is even possible to do to solve the problem,” said Stig-Ove. thing and burns up in the atmosphere,” concluded Stig-Ove. Twenty years in the service of humanity and hopefully many more anniversaries yet to come. Together, Stig-Ove and Odin continue their journey — one from orbit and one from Radar Mountain in northern Sweden.

www.ohb-sweden.se

SatMagazine Page 55 April 2021 Feature Rapid Commercial Satellite Imaging Solutions Novel Technologies and Collaborations

Author: Pratik Kirve, Senior Content Writer, Allied Market Research

Commercial satellite imaging has become helpful in many Companies have been enhancing their satellite capabilities to gain better applications that include healthcare, defense, and agriculture. The image views. ICEYE, a New Space concern from Finland, launched their high quality images of the Earth and the planet’s oceans provide SAR smallsats that are able to capture 25 cm resolution imagery. This high important insights for organizations to take further steps in resolution enables the company to achieve the the resolution quality of analyzing client requests. larger and more conventional commercial SAR satellites. Pekka Laurila, the CSO and Co-founder at ICEYE, highlighted that this new resolution Each company operating in this space has been generating images was made available to company customers in mid-2020. ranging more than 100 terabytes (TB) per day for an entire year and The company’s solution provides a native slant plane resolution of new companies have been launching their satellites on a regular 25 cm in the azimuth direction. Moreover, it offers 50 cm resolution in basis. According to Janice Starzyk, the Vice President of Commercial the range direction before ground-plane adjustments are applied. This Space at Bryce Space and Technology, an analytics and engineering high resolution imagery data is offered in ICEYE's standard product firm, more than 40 companies have launched commercial imaging formats and can be accessed through standard geographic information satellites during the past decade. Nearly 36 Earth Observation system (GIS) tools. (EO)vcompanies are startups and 21 of these firms were founded Dr. Mark Matossian, the CEO of the U.S. subsidiary of ICEYE, between 2014 and 2019. outlined that the 25 cm resolution SAR imaging in smallsats is a These new satellites are equpped with the latest technologies to ground-breaking advancement. Commercial and government ensure the capture of enhanced image quality in any conditions at any customers can avail themselves of detailed change detection location. Pproviding high quality images and also making them quickly capabilities, carry out improved object classification as well as monitor available to customers is a priority for image providers. They have small objects from orbit. adopted collaborative approaches to enable rapid service to their SkyWatch Space Applications has joined with AgIntegrated Inc., a customers across different domains as well as developing solutions that software consulting and technology integration firm that provides are focused on particular market segments, such as precision agriculture. precision satellite imaging for agriculture concerns. AgIntegrated The market for commercial satellite imaging continues to gain provides access to the SkyWatch EarthCache, a platform that provides momentum. According to a report published by Allied Market Research, the satellite data, to customers. Graham Stickler, the Chief Marketing the global commercial satellite imaging market is expected to generate Officer at SkyWatch, outlined that collaboration enables the company $5.25 billion by 2026. Following are some of the activities occuring to offer essential Earth-imagery access. within global commercial satellite services. SkyWatch is offering imagery through AgIntegrated’s Field Data Commercial satellite imagery providers have been equipping their Exchange, an application program interface (API), to agriculture satellites with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to gain enhanced quality related applications. During the coming years, AgIntegrated will offer of images. PredaSAR Corporation announced that the company will aerial and drone imagery along with data analytics through its platform. launch 48 satellites via the Falcon 9 launch vehicle of SpaceX. With the Mike Santostefeno, the Vice President for Business Development help of this technology, these satellites will capture the images of the at AgIntegrated, outlined that collaboration with SkyWatch helps to Earth in 2D and 3D at any time and in any weather conditions. solve issues related to imagery data for agriculture. Customers do not Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Inc., the launch integration provider need to purchase the entire satellite swath — they can purchase data and manufacturer of the spacecraft, is collaborating with PredaSAR and from particular areas of interest that can be as specific as one-tenth of SpaceX to execute these deployment plans. square kilometer. Roger Teague, Maj. Gen. USAF (Ret) and the CEO at PredaSAR, Additional information regarding commercial satellite imaging is highlighted that the company aims to offer essential rapid insights available at this direct infolink... and data to both military and commercial companies. The company collaborated with SpaceX to realize the PredaSAR constellation Author Pratik Kirve is writer, blogger and sport enthusiast. He holds a vision of offering consistent and fast ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance bachelors degree in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering and is and Reconnaissance). currently Sr. Specialist — Content Writer at Allied Market Research.

SatMagazine Page 56 April 2021

June 1 - 3, 2021 Virtual MILSAT SYMPOSIUM Next-Generation Space Defense

Join the Community Protecting and Expanding Critical Space Assets

MILSATSHOW.COM Focus: Kepler Communications & Kymeta

Go Farther... Together Collaboration Will Accelerate Connectivity & Communications Innovation

Author: Wen Cheng Chong, Chief Technical Officer & Co-Founder, Kepler Communications

The Kepler Mission is to build the internet in space... that means Delivering a satellite service to end users requires a number of different delivering a network that will provide real-time communications to components. Satellites and supporting infrastructures are useful only if other satellites, space stations, launch vehicles, habitats, and the right equipment is located at the user site for communications. emerging technologies on Earth. That is where Kymeta comes in, with its next generation, flat panel, electronically steered antenna platform, the Kymeta™ u8 terminal. At Kepler, we believe the need for connectivity and real-time Kepler was the first to demonstrate LEO interoperability with the communications will continue to develop in the coming years as the Kymeta u7, its first generation FPA and we have been working closely space industry expands. As such, Kepler is expanding the firm’s Low with the Kymeta team on repeating that success with the Kymeta u8. Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation and delivering services that solve While we have been successful in working with traditional, problems that exist today, such as providing large capacity data transfer steerable VSATs, antenna systems such as the u8, which take the from anywhere on the planet. mechanical steering system and replace that with an electronic beam Taking on these challenges requires the correct team and that’s why steering technology using metamaterials, can unlock the full Kepler’s first guiding value is Work Together. We believe that we need potential of LEO satellites. LEOs require antennas that can track the to work together to go far and strive to ensure the bonds of teamwork, satellite across the sky and ‘switch’ to other satellites in the goodwill and trust in others are continuously strengthened for both constellation near-instantaneously, which Kymeta is among the first internal counterparts and external partners. We see immense value in to have successfully achieved. building a team that extends beyond our own organization — our work The collaboration between Kepler and Kymeta enables the delivery with the team at Kymeta exemplifies this. of a new service and connectivity to LEO satellites to the market at a

SatMagazine Page 58 April 2021 Artistic rendition of a Kepler GEN1 satelllite on-orbit.

much faster rate than would otherwise be possible. The collaboration capabilities at our head office in Toronto, Canada. Despite the unique leans on the strengths of both companies and focuses on the expertis challenges faced during 2020, we did exactly that and built and e of each to deliver a complete solution. launched our first 10 GEN1 satellites in 12 months’ time. The advances we have made together,and continue to make, Eight of those satellites were launched in January of this year aboard extends beyond our two organizations. We believe it will accelerate SpaceX’s Transporter 1 SmallSat Rideshare Program. On March 22, we future work with other satellite systems, just as our ability to work with launched an additional two satellites via the Soyuz-2, expanding our multiple antennas is strengthened each time we add a new active constellation to 15 satellites in total. An additional launch is interoperability capability to our portfolio. The industry, market and planned for June. At that point, our constellation will have gone from 2 use cases for satellite communication services are vast and varied and to 17 in number in in less than one year. the more solutions that are available, the more the entire ecosystem New Space (or Space 2.0) is about quick innovation and the is strengthened. expansion of technology and rapid iteration and the deployment of new Kymeta and Kepler have similar goals and visions. Both strive to technologies at a pace that was previously not possible. Where satellite develop innovative technology that is future-proof and the companies programs have traditionally spanned multiple years and cost hundreds recognize that connectivity solutions need to be simple and seamless of millions to build and launch, companies such as Kepler are delivering for the end user. Yes, setting new goals for performance and surpassing satellites that have superior capabilities at a fraction of the cost. them is exciting, but for the end user, it ‘just needs to work’ and solves Kepler is developing new satellites, Kymeta is developing new a problem or addresses a pain that they feel. Users of the u8 can already antenna technologies and solutions,and companies such as SpaceX are access satellites services from legacy GEO satellites and now they can developing new rocket programs that are making launches for satellites also benefit from the services that Kepler is delivering from LEO with like ours both more accessible and more frequent. the same antenna system. Companies, like Momentus with whom Kepler has entered into an Our own capabilities have increased significantly — in early 2020, agreement for the launch of our satellites this June, are developing new Kymeta and Kepler announced the start of the collaborative effort that orbital placement technologies. would bring the capabilities of our Global Data Service offering to the Innovation is thriving throughout the space industry and continued u8. At that time, we had our first two satellites on-orbit and, a few weeks collaboration with Kymeta and other similar companies will enable us earlier, had announced our plans to stand up our own satellite assembly to push forward and go further, together.

www.keplercommunications.com

www.kymetacorp.com

SatMagazine Page 59 April 2021 Feature

The State Of The Ground Segment

Author: Joakim Espeland, Chief Executive Officer, QuadSAT

The number of satellites in orbit has been rapidly increasing over company’s total to more than 1,000 spacecraft on-orbit (as of this recent years. Upcoming Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and Medium Earth writing). According to nanosats.eu, we can expect the launch of more Orbit (MEO) launches will see that figure rise dramatically in the than 1,000 smallsats in 2021, compared to just 162 launched in 2020. coming years. All of this marks the start of a general trend that will witness large numbers of smallsats expected to launch year on year. While 2020 saw a drop compared to planned launch figures, that is More satellites, of course, mean more required ground terminals. already turning around, with launches likely to roll out at a fast pace. This With so many of these launches in LEO, this also means much more year started with the latest launch from SpaceX that brought that complexity for the ground segment. This is putting pressure on the

SatMagazine Page 60 April 2021 ground segment to adapt and maintain speed with the ongoing pace The Evolution of the Ground Segment of change. However, with fast development, all too often malfunctions occur... how can we ensure that as the ground segment evolves, it Even just a year ago, if you asked a ground equipment manufacturer remains resilient? what the ground segment for LEO would look like, they wouldn’t be able to answer that question. Still today, much of that infrastructure remains undetermined, which is undoubtedly causing a challenge for equipment manufacturers and LEO operators alike. This comes down to a number of as-yet unknowns coupled with challenges that are unique to the LEO environment.

SatMagazine Page 61 April 2021 In order to respond to these challenges, the ground segment needs to The Challenge for the Ground derive the answer to some fundamental questions: While it is clear that satellite will be key for powering an increazsing • What RF signal frequency range will be used? number of next generation services, such will demand seamless • Which bandwidths will constellations operate connectivity with no downtime. There is often also pressure to quickly within? These are likely to differ depending on launch services. This means it is more important than ever before to geographic location. ensure services are error free; however, taking time for adequate • How will redundancy be managed, given the testing is going to become increasingly more difficult. This will be need for multiple ground stations and the liability further impounded by the fact that ground equipment is being incurred with rain fade? quickly adapted to operate in this new environment. Putting new, • How many satellites will need to be tracked untested equipment on the network is obviously something everyone concurrently using electronically steered arrays? wants to avoid. At the same time, there is so much innovation and development Simultaneously, the need for multiple antennas due to the speed of ongoing within the SATCOM space that the ground segment absolutely satellites in LEO and MEO orbit means that we will likely see an increase needs to keep up with the changes. Not only is it challenging to adapt in the use of programmable flat panel antennas. These, in turn, come ground equipment for different satellite technology, but it is also getting with their own set of challenges — currently, few meet the high increasingly complex to test equipment to account for the various performance demands required to ensure a consistent, high-quality technologies all the while acknowledging that satellite actors need to connection. Add to that the fact that testing these types of antennas is deliver high quality services at a fraction of the cost in order to remain a complex process. competitive within the industry. Equipment manufacturers are trying to predict what will be needed as more LEO and MEO launches occur and put into place ground infrastructure to manage this new era of SATCOM.

SatMagazine Page 62 April 2021 complex, and easier to access that what is available today. That is the impetus behind QuadSAT’s technology that enables antennas to be tested using drones. This method is cost- effective, while also enabling testing to take place anywhere and far more quickly than has been previously possible. This can all occur without any compromise on accuracy.

Type Approvals Testing is but one part of the story. Type approvals are a reliable way of ensuring operators and users can be confident with the equipment they are using are performing well in industry tests. There are already type approvals procedures in place, which work well. These may need to be adapted and extended for new technology as it emerges over the coming months. Currently, one area that is particularly challenging revolves How is this Solved? around the use of flat panel antennas.

There are a number of pieces that need to be pullled together with this The Future of the Ground Segment puzzle when it comes to ensuring the ground segment is ready for a vast increase in the number of satellites. The satellite industry is facing challenging times. The impact of COVID has been felt throughout the industry, along with rising competition Adapting to New Technology from a variety of communication methods. However, satellite remains a New technology in the skies needs new technology on the reliable and effective communication technology that has the huge ground. We are already seeing innovation being echoed in the potential to fully enable many of the next generation services that are ground segment, with new tools and techniques adapted to coming to the various market segments. In order to accomplish the meet new demands. Existing examples include advancements ground support goal, companies must adapt and offer services that are from companies such as Cobham, ETL Systems and Vialite, less expensive, faster and far more efficient, all without losing the among others. Innovation will be crucial to enable satellites to impact of high quality satellite connectivity. fully support next generation services. quadsat.com Testing Given that one of the biggest causes of errors in satellite is equipment failure, testing is absolutely critical to ensuring that that equipment is performing as intended. However, just as the ground segment is having to adapt to new technology, old Author Joakim Espeland is the CEO and Co-founder of methods of testing are not well suited for this new environment. QuadSAT and he is an entrepreneur, electrical and mechanical To enable widespread testing of huge networks, it is imperative engineer, stellite field engineer and examiner. that testing methods become faster, more cost-effective, less

SatMagazine Page 63 April 2021 Feature

A Conversation With...

International Explorer Mike Horn

Changing The World Through Technology

International explorer Mike Horn is renowned for undertaking dangerous expeditions around the world and for using the latest in satellite technology to document the impact of climate change. In a break from his usual adventures, Mike and professional Rally Racer Cyril Despres took part in the Dakar Rally 2021. Their vehicle was covered in equipment used to collect essential data for the development of a fully hydrogen-powered car, which will be used in the 2023 race. The pair hope that by updating followers in real-time, they can change the way people participate in motor sports around the world. Mike spoke about his latest adventure.

SatMagazine Page 64 April 2021 Hello, Mike. You have gone from polar Would you say that sharing your journey has exploration to driving a fast car across Saudi become pivotal for your mission? Arabia. Tell us what your thoughts were regarding this particular adventure. MH Definitely. It has become hugely important to me that we are able to Mike Horn (MH) update my followers and other people around the world on the Life is all about adventure. It is what I love most about my job. From progress we are making. traversing the poles to being in one of the most difficult, dangerous In my most recent adventure, before the Dakar Rally, we worked races in the world, I feel it is important to not only challenge myself, with Speedcast to provide live weather updates from the Arctic to but to share the impact climate change is having on the world. weather forecasters, as well as send back photos, live data and blogs I was excited for this rally, for the opportunity to enter a professional to show how quickly the environment was changing. race in an amazing, fast car — not knowing what was going to happen Connectivity has become crucial to my mission of changing the at any moment. It was special. Being out of my comfort zone always world and waking people up to the reality of what is happening with makes me feel alive, so when Cyril Despres, a five-time Dakar Rally the changing climate. For this challenge, we faced not only the tough winner, approached me, I said ‘yes’ straightaway. conditions of the desert, but also the issue of constantly moving around. Then reality hit. I was in a car, driving at 160 miles per hour, in between roadblocks, into empty riverbeds and through massive sand How did you overcome this challenge? dunes. It was terrifying and exhilarating, all at the same time. The rally was over 7,000 kilometers split into 12 different stages and it took the MH first five days for me to learn exactly how I was going to survive this Using a handheld Iridium Extreme device provided by Speedcast, rally. After that, we started achieving the top 10 ranking and that added which works through the Iridium Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, I a whole new layer. was able to send data back to the team, make voice calls and update I love competition and being ahead of people instead of being our position and status via the Speedcast FieldVision Application. This behind them. And when you are new to something, you learn so quickly was important so followers could stay up-to-date with our race and that everything becomes possible. see how we were doing as we traversed thousands of kilometres, But at the same time, I knew we were taking part in an important collecting information ready for the development of this new mission to change the way in which people participate in motor sports hydrogen-powered car. worldwide. As part of this, it was critical for us to be able to share our Technology like this has been hugely important in my previous journey in real-time and satellite connectivity ensured I was able to travels on board Pangaea, where it is vital we keep in touch with the do this. authorities and our support teams while out in the ocean. Being able Our race was also all about collecting data ready for the creation of to update my location, provide written comments and photos and a fully hydrogen-powered vehicle, which will take the stage in 2023 in basically be tracked ensures we always remain safe in case of any a ‘world first’ to try to compete in the race in the most sustainable way. emergencies or rapidly changing situations. In this situation, however,

SatMagazine Page 65 April 2021 it was more about For those motor keeping our audience companies, it is not engaged and being that they do not want able to share our story to change. But it is whilst also keeping our economically families and support unfeasible for them, teams aware of where due to the cost of we were at all times and tooling, the machines how we were doing. If it and the parts needed. were not for this satellite To be successful, they connectivity and also need to sell a lot tracking technology, it of cars. would not be possible for me to communicate my journey in real-time. It is not that As we develop this zero-emission vehicle, people are really hydrogen is a new technology, it is just that hydrogen is not on our interested in hearing about how we will counteract the constant change minds, and that is what we are here to do — to change things so that of environments. This technology allowed us to capture what the car hydrogen is put firmly on the agenda. was doing, the speed in which it was travelling, the terrain we were crossing and the way the car moved. That information is critical as we What is next for this mission of yours? try to change the way people participate in motor races. MH Why is it so important to introduce hydrogen- Well, we are continuing to develop this hydrogen-powered vehicle and powered cars into the world of rally driving? as part of that initiative, we will be back in Dakar next year with two test vehicles. This will enable us to carry out further research and MH development to see how these cars perform and what else we need to I have always wanted to do the Dakar, even though motor sports are do to perfect our creation. against my philosophy of saving the world. So, I went to Dakar last year The most common misconception people have when it comes to to train these young Americans as part of the Red Bull junior team, and hydrogen is the constant fear that it is dangerous. However, we only at the same time, learn about the race so I could use that knowledge at use 700 bars of pressure, which means it is really safe. Once we have a later date to make a change in the way we participate in motor sports collected all this data, we can assure people that this technology is in the future. secure and hazard-free, whilst further developing the car. This year, we had a car given to us by a professional team as part of The final competitive vehicle will then be ready hopefully for the the Gen Z project. The car was fitted with sensors that would capture Dakar Rally in 2023, and it is an occasion we look forward to seeing exactly what was happening in the vehicle. It turned the car into a sort happen. We also want to make it possible for anyone to be able to track of living lab in which we could record the accelerations, the braking and the car using hybrid satellite-terrestrial connectivity solutions, whilst the its reaction to turning left and right, among other things. All this data car is being driven anywhere in the world. But more on that is to come. that we have collected has now made it possible for us to start construction of our hydrogen race vehicle. Follow Mike Horn’s adventures on Speedcast’s Facebook page and It is not easy for the entire automotive industry to suddenly change its website landing page, and at mikehorn.com. production. That is what we learned as part of this project and it is important for people to realize that, along with the impact that motor Photos are courtesy of sports is having on the environment. Mike Horn, Etienne Claret and Antoine Janssen The emissions created has a huge impact on the world, which I have seen first-hand on my travels elsewhere. But it will take more than just one individual to change the way motor sports operate. It needs a movement, and to do that, we need to share our knowledge and our data to empower people to join us in our mission. The satellite connectivity we had in our race allowed us to do just that — to share our experience, our adventure and our mission.

SatMagazine Page 66 April 2021 InfoBeam

Deepen the value chain for application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning geospatial Earth imagery on cloud technology helps our customers analyze environmental changes captured with satellite imagery.

Drawing on more than 40 years of experience and a unique combination of skills, expertise, and cultures, Thales Alenia Space, a Joint Venture between Thales (67 percent) and Leonardo (33 percent), delivers cost-effective solutions for telecommunications, navigation, Earth observation, environmental management, exploration, science, Azure Orbital, a managed ground station service, enables and orbital infrastructures. Governments, institutions, space agencies, customers to communicate to, control their satellite, and telecom operators count on Thales Alenia Space to design process data, and scale operations directly in Microsoft satellite-based systems that provide anytime, anywhere connections Azure. Since our Azure Orbital announcement, we have and positioning, monitor our planet, enhance management of its been rapidly building and deploying ground stations in our resources, and explore our Solar System and beyond. datacenters. We are currently deploying multiple satellite ground stations in our datacenters that enable a variety of “Thales Alenia Space and Microsoft are innovating together by scenarios, including Earth Observation (EO), Remote combining their expertise in space and cloud technologies. Sensing, and Global Communications. Customers can now combine all the functionality of Thales Alenia Space’s DeeperVision solution for processing dataflows and With Azure Orbital, we are building satellite ground stations in our generating timely information with the cloud capabilities of Azure datacenters, allowing customers to ingest data from their satellites directly Orbital. This information is enriched by high-speed, high-volume in Azure for processing and storage at-scale. Below is a sneak peek of artificial intelligence and machine learning to create an our first satellite ground station in our Quincy, Washington datacenter: unprecedented impact on and beyond the planet,” said Clarence We continue to build ground stations in other locations and integrate Duflocq, Vice President Strategy & Innovation, Thales Alenia Space with partner ground stations to further our customers’ ability to communicate with their satellites for data ingestion.

Customers can use Azure Orbital and Orbital ground stations to bring geospatial data from their satellites. The raw satellite data can then be processed at-scale on the cloud for analysis using various Azure services to achieve goals like Change Detection, Site Monitoring, Situational Awareness, and Entity Recognition.

Deeper Vision performs automated content extraction from images and enriches image data. The user can request images from specified content, which will prompt Deeper Vision’s automation and allow the In collaboration with several customers and partners, we have created user to focus on tasks where human expertise is critical. This ability multiple scenarios for signal processing, data processing, and becomes crucial for scenarios like change detection and site geospatial data analytics. Today, we are pleased to welcome another monitoring. When new imagery arrives from specific areas, Deeper partner into our Orbital ecosystem—Thales Alenia Space (TAS). Vision can compare it with previously acquired imagery to highlight TAS’s Deeper Vision and Microsoft’s Azure Orbital will bring great data places that changed. In the example on the following page, we have processing, inferencing, and analytics capabilities to our customers. two images taken by the European Space Agency Satellite Sentinel 2 Thales Alenia Space partnership — one from 2016 and one from 2018. We can see that volumes of earth have been removed from the desert, and a neighborhood has Together with Thales Alenia Space, near real-time geospatial data been built. The image on the far right highlights the change detected. processing capabilities are being brought to customers. The power of processing data on the cloud with Azure Orbital coupled with the

SatMagazine Page 67 April 2021 OQ Technology Selects NanoAvionics To Build The MACSAT Smallsat

In three easy steps, geospatial data, downlinked using Azure Orbital, can be processed on the cloud in near real-time for business NanoAvionics has been selected by OQ Technology to transformational insights: build the company’s MACSAT satellite mission aiming to demonstrate 5G Internet-of-Things service from LEO. Step 1: The Earth imagery is downlinked from a customer satellite. In September 2020, with a live downlink from AQUA, a public satellite owned and operated by NASA that stores downlinked data in an Azure Storage account, we demonstrated how customers can

NanoAvionics will build and test a 6U smallsat platform to host the MACSAT communication payload.

The mission is planned for launch in 2021/2022 and will be a flagship downlink data from the satellite using Azure Orbital. for demonstrating advanced 5G IoT services in strategic satellite frequencies and for different end-customers. The on-orbit pathfinder Step 2: The satellite operator can process raw data from the Azure mission (MACSAT) aims to foster Luxembourg and European space Storage Blob using their data processing pipeline for satellite imagery, industry partnerships and is supported by the Luxembourg National which will convert them into final assets. If necessary, these assets Space program (“LuxIMPULSE”). can then be stored back in Azure Storage.

Step 3: With Deeper Vision, customers can perform inferencing on these geospatial images—a capability by our partner TAS that brings services like change detection and entity recognition. Deeper Vision and TAS are coming to Azure Marketplace soon. Find a demo of Azure Orbital and Deeper Vision in action.

Article by Tom Keane, Corporate Vice President, Azure Global, Microsoft Azure

SatMagazine Page 68 April 2021 InfoBeam

Three essential trends driving Robust adoption of K/Ka/Ku frequency band SAR synthetic aperture radar market share by 2026 The K/Ka/Ku frequency band SAR segment is likely to showcase considerable growth owing to rise in SAR surveillance and monitoring in harsh climatic conditions. The K-band frequency is widely used in various short-range applications. Improved capabilities to control the radiation patterns to achieve multi-mode imaging techniques are fueling its adoption in radars.

Surge in government initiatives The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) market is expected to Government initiatives to protect the public from environmental and register sizable growth over the coming years credited to manmade hazards are on the rise and are expected to boost the emerging cloud platforms like Amazon Web Services commercial and research applications of synthetic aperture radars. which allows users to conveniently and quickly access Several regional organizations are also adopting SAR imagery for SAR imagery and data. The introduction of analytical tools tracking oil spills, in order to save people as well as to ensure the and web portals for SAR data processing is likely to drive safety of marine ecosystems. industry expansion. Multiple development strategies by firms There is a surge in demand for innovative technologies which give Several companies are focusing on creating miniature SAR with situational awareness. SAR provides enhanced image processing advanced technologies in order to cater to the increasing demand in capabilities and high spatial resolution. Defense agencies and many end-use applications. They are also making efforts to reduce the government authorities are increasingly focusing on the development development costs of synthetic aperture radars to enable their of space programs and strategies, hence boosting the demand for commercialization. SAR firms are investing in research & development SAR systems. activities for the designing and demonstration of new technologies in the area of remote sensing. Firms operating in the SAR market are also working on advanced technology and product development as well as collaborations. For For instance, in 2020, SAR provider Capella Space unveiled its advanced, highest resolution commercial SAR imagery, having a 50cm x 50cm resolution in the new, specialized Spotlight or ‘Spot’ imaging mode, that gives a crystal-clear SAR imagery.

Article authored by Vinisha Joshi

example, in 2020, the ESA (European Space Agency) announced SAR technology firm ICEYE as their data provider under assessment via its Earthnet Third Party Mission program, where ESA sponsors the cost of access to ICEYE’s SAR data for earth observation and research based application development.

With such strategic initiatives, Global Market Insights, Inc., reports that the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) market may surpass USD 8.5 billion by 2026. Mentioned next are some of the key trends driving synthetic aperture radar market expansion:

SatMagazine Page 69 April 2021 Analysis

Space in Africa has released a country-level analysis of global space Governments in Latin America and the Caribbean spent $164.75 million budgets. This first-of-its-kind report examines the space budgets in 2018, $170.3 million in 2019 and $157.6 million in 2020. of 106 governments and offers analysis of how they have changed Despite being a small continental region with an emerging space between 2018 and 2020. economy, the governments in Oceania spent $226.14 million in 2018, $30.3 million in 2019 and $14.49 million in 2020. This analysis provides in-depth coverage of the growth recorded in In 2018, the total global space budget was $72.18 billion, which different countries, regions, economic blocs, and continents and rose 0.64 percent to $72.34 billion in 2019. The budget decreased by includes data extracted from primary sources and sheds light on how 0.81 percent to $71.75 billion in 2020, primarily due to the COVID-19 governments worldwide have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic pandemic. and how those responses have impacted space budgets. Over the last three years, governments spent a combined total of In Africa, the cumulative space agency budget allocated by all $216.27 billion on space activities. countries was $283.12 million in 2018 and that amount rose to $ 325.11 Temidayo Oniosun, the Managing Director of Space in Africa, said, million in 2019 and reached an all-time high of $503.12 million in 2020. "A sizeable portion of the global space industry valuation is from The surge has been attributed to the rising number of space government space budgets, and this is the first open-source publication agencies across the continent, occasioned by a growing interest among on this subject in the industry. Budget transparency varies from country governments. to country, but altogether, it is impressive to see how much money In Asia, governments spent $3.11 billion on space program in 2018, governments across the world are spending on space technologies. $15.86 billion in 2019 and $15.44 billion in 2020. Asia's soaring profile Although many observers were expecting the COVID-19 pandemic to is partly due to China's growing investment in the space industry. hurt the government space budget, the reverse is the case for many of In 2018, Europe’s budget was $17.1 billion. In 2019, that amount the countries whose 2021 budgets have been announced." fell to $15.69 billion before rising to USD 17.1 billion in 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the world and the space North America has the highest budget across all regions, primarily industry is no exception. Space companies such as Bigelow because of the USA, which is home to the world's largest space industry. Aerospace, Raytheon Technologies, Boeing, among others. To the In 2018, North America spent $41.3 billion, which declined to $40.26 same effect, companies like Rocket Lab and Virgin Orbit had to billion in 2019 and further fell to $38.54 billion in 2020. postpone some launches.

SatMagazine Page 70 April 2021 Many space agencies' operations were affected; for example, NASA However, some countries had their 2021 budgets reduced during the had to delay astronaut selection while ESA also had to put some 2020 pandemic. The European Commission space budget, which was missions on hold. effective January 1, 2021, was also reduced. In 2018/2019, when the Governments in Europe estimated the pandemic's impact on the European Commission 2021 budget was initially proposed, it was 16 global space industry could be up to 1 billion euros ($1.21 billion), billion euros ($19.4 billion). Still, as the coronavirus pandemic intensified mainly due to the delay in several missions and operations. in May 2020, the Commission issued a revised budget proposal of 15.2 The Q2 2020 Edition of the Space Investment Quarterly report by billion euros which was eventually set at 13.2 billion euros ($16 billion) Space Capital shows investment in infrastructures was $234 million, a by July 2020. decline of 85 percent from Q1. There was also a $5.3 billion investment India's human spaceflight program, Ganganyaan, also received a in space applications in Q2. Total Q2 2020 investment fell by 23 percent 70 percent budget cut. from a similar period the previous year. The drop was attributed to a Other countries saw an increase in their 2021 budgets. The budget decrease in both application and infrastructure investment by 10 approved for NASA for 2021 is $23.3 billion, an increase of 3 percent percent and 81 percent, respectively. from 2020, while Nigeria's 2021 approved budget provides a 54 Overall, the space sector saw $12.1 billion in equity-based percent increase over the 2020 budget. investments in Q1 and Q2 of 2020, in 112 rounds, with early-stage "The team at Space in Africa have accomplished something no one investments totalling $303 million of that, in 67 rounds. else has done before. This global analysis of national space budgets in The pandemic's impact was indirect on several national space the last three years not only provides a window into the diversity of budgets. For most countries, relevant bodies had passed 2020 budgets national engagements with outer space, it also shows how COVID-19 before the pandemic began to take its toll. While most countries were has impacted space investments across the globe," said Dr. Julie unable to pursue some of the projects and missions planned for 2020, Klinger, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and some countries adhered to the original budgets, while some received Spatial Sciences in the College of Earth, Ocean, and Environment at supplementary budgets. the University of Delaware. Such is South Africa's case, which received $266 million in additional The report is available for download at this direct link... funding in August 2020 to develop a space hub and for work on several smallsat projects.

SatMagazine Page 71 April 2021