SATELLITE 2017 kicked off by taking a look at how ground systems will evolve to support the growing constellations in Low and Medium Earth Orbit (LEO, MEO) and Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO). Stuart Daughtridge, vice president of advanced technology at Kratos, noted that the satellite industry has reached an inflection point. “With High-Throughput Satellites (HTS) and LEO and MEO constellations, we’re seeing a massive growth in the capability and capacity in bandwidth that’s going up in orbit.”
Wayne Haubner, senior vice president of engineering and emerging technologies at iDirect, agreed that the transition to a focus on software is paramount. “We like modems to have flexibility without replacing them all of the time. We very much have to figure out how to reduce the capital cost and reduce the footprint. Virtualization is a key part of that,” Haubner said.
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Marco Brancati, CTO at Telespazio, also pointed out that the use of digital beams is a prime example of how hub infrastructure is evolving. “There is a new trend I see using digital beams able to track with one antenna several satellites on the same orbit plane,” he said.
Daughtridge believes the explosion of the smallsat market is a fantastic opportunity to test some of these new solutions. “If you have a satellite that costs less than $1 million to make and plan to replace it in two years, you have a very different tolerance for risk.”
Brancati underlined the importance for continued conversation within the industry on spectrum. “We need to combine wireless terrestrial infrastructure with what the satellite industry wants in a smart way. The item of spectrum is key, and there is a strong need to find accommodation between the increasing needs of wireless and to protect to a certain extent what has already been achieved by satellite services.” VS
