Swedish Space Players Collaborate on LEO Antenna Project

Photo: Forsway

Sweden has announced details to bring a next generation low-cost Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) terminal to market. A collaboration involving Satcube along with Chalmers University of Technology, Gapwaves, and Forsway Scandinavia has been awarded a $470,000 ($4 million krona) development grant by the Swedish public innovation agency, Vinnova.

The grant tasks a group with developing this next generation, low-cost LEO satellite terminal as part of Vinnova’s electronic components and systems research and innovation projects 2021.

The focus primarily will be on developing a benchmark planar Ka-band antenna array, assessing features such as electronic/mechanic beam steering, gap waveguide technology and receive-only architecture. With so much emphasis now on ground technology, particularly as these new constellations start to take shape, the group will attempt to develop a terminal that will be economically feasible for mass market adoption in rural areas.