OneWeb teams up with SatixFy to launch digital technology pathway payload

Air January 20, 2020

OneWeb and SatixFy have released plans to add a digital technology pathway payload to the 2021 launch schedule.

The digital technology pathway payload will be included in OneWeb’s 2021 launch schedule and allow satellites with higher flexibility to support high demand without adding to the constellation. The digital-transparent payload will demonstrate full Beam Hopping capability in both Forward and Return Links.

Electronically Steered Multi-Beam Antenna with True Time Delay beam-forming, capable of pointing and switching multiple beams to multiple directions simultaneously are an additional major feature. Active areas are dynamically allocated much higher capacity than areas that do not require as much bandwidth and are just being scanned to gauge demand.

Chief Technical Officer at OneWeb, Massimiliano Ladovaz, said: “This leading-edge satellite will be fully operational and is a great opportunity to showcase what can be delivered with our payload technology.”

“The improved performance, greater efficiency and targeted capacity, together with sophisticated ground infrastructure, puts us at the forefront of LEO communications network services.”

The Beam hopping capability also enables seamless handover for mobile devices, between beams and satellites. An example would be an Aero terminal for In-Flight Connectivity, able to operate on both LEO and GEO simultaneously and maintaining make-before-break connectivity between the rising and setting satellites.

Advanced discussions are in progress for collaboration and support from the European Space Agency and the UK Space Agency. OneWeb launched its first satellites at the start of last year and are aiming to have completed their launch schedule by 2021, allowing them to create a global commercial broadband service.

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