[10-19-07 – Satellite Today]  Com Dev International Ltd. will demonstrate an advanced automatic identification system (AIS) detection capability from space, the company announced Oct. 17.

The VHF broadcast system will be used to locate and identify ships at sea. The system is required aboard major marine vessels and also is used by port authorities, coast guards, national governments and others to support maritime operations, search and rescue and environmental protection, as well as security applications.

Com Dev has developed satellite payload technology that solves traditional challenges associated with space-based collection of AIS data, such as the cacophony of signals received simultaneously from hundreds or thousands of vessels in a satellite’s field of view. The satellite payloads would make immediate use of more than $300 million of AIS equipment installed by the global shipping industry since mandated in 2004 by the International Maritime Organization. The payloads would include an onboard encryption system to maintain data security.

Com Dev is conducting an aircraft trial of the technology in November, and the next stage will involve a prototype test in orbit aboard a nanosatellite currently under construction at the University of Toronto’s Institute for Aerospace Studies Space Flight Laboratory targeted for launch in the second quarter of calendar 2008.
The final test will utilize a dedicated microsatellite capable of demonstrating the full commercial viability of the technology.