CesiumAstro announced its entry into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market in March, with an aim to provide the industry’s most advanced multi-beam active phased array for airborne satellite communications applications.
The designer of active phased array technology for low-Earth orbit (LEO) space says it will provide the industry’s first multi-beam make-before-break phased array supporting multiple Ka-band constellations for airborne commercial and defense markets.
According to the company, the system is designed as a scalable solution for a wide range of airborne platforms spanning large commercial aircraft, business jets, helicopters, and unmanned aerial systems and is scheduled for multiple flight demonstrations with Airbus commercial aircraft and helicopters.
The demonstrations will showcase the scalability and flexibility of the solution and its ability to connect to multiple satellites and orbits at one time, enabling make-before-break handoff, and other key features that enhance overall quality of service.
According to CesiumAstro, the company will begin demonstrations of its in-flight active phased array technology through 2023 and 2024 with testing moving from the ground to an Airbus helicopter.
Olivier Hauw, leading Fast Track Connectivity at Airbus commented: “Airbus R&T is committed to evaluating the latest technologies in the industry so that we can provide our customers best in class connectivity. CesiumAstro’s flat panel array technology is at the cutting edge, and we look forward to working together further.”
“In-flight connectivity is a growing market, and we are developing the highest performing, most cost-effective solution that is timed to hit the market just as the latest Ka-band satellite constellations come online,” said Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO at CesiumAstro.
“Being constellation-agnostic will provide our customers greater flexibility with a key differentiator being multi-beam capability without having to sacrifice performance.”
