A lightweight 1.35-metre satellite dish from AvL Technologies has successfully demonstrated tracking of three satellites across Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO), a significant step towards more integrated satellite communication ecosystems where traditionally users have needed different hardware for different orbits.
Engineers tested the XY antennal terminal from Telesat’s Allan Park teleport in Ontario, Canada, using the Telesat LEO 3 demonstration satellite; Telesat’s GEO satellite, Anik F3; and other MEO satellites.
According to Jerry Ivester, Chief Commercial Officer at AvL Technologies, the terminal maintained “exceptional signal integrity and stable tracking during overhead passes”, while the firm says the compact platform offers rapid transitions between orbital regimes.
“These results underscore the terminal’s readiness for dynamic, multi-orbit environments and its suitability for a wide range of mission-critical applications,” says the company.
The integrated carbon-fibre platform is relatively lightweight, supplied in three airline-checkable cases of 31.8kgs each and can be set up by one person within 15 minutes, the firm says.
AvL is working towards certification of its hardware for operation on Telesat’s LEO Lightspeed network.
Analysts say the success of the demonstration can drive more efficient resource sharing of scarce spectrums, with around 15 to 20 multi-orbit antenna firms active in the field today.
Most of those players are aiming for certification with operators like Intelsat, SES and Telesat to certify products for constellations such as Telesat’s Lightspeed or SES’s MEO O3b mPOWER.
On Nasdaq, Telesat’s stock is up 20.6% over the last month.
