CesiumAstro announced its entry into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market, providing advanced multi-beam active phased array for airborne satellite communications (satcom) applications.
The company will provide the industry’s first multi-beam make-before-break phased array supporting multiple Ka-Band constellations for airborne commercial and defense markets.
The high performance yet cost-effective 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.
CesiumAstro’s new IFC system is scheduled for multiple flight demonstrations with Airbus commercial aircraft and helicopters. These 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.
Olivier Hauw, leader of Fast Track Connectivity at Airbus,said: “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.”
Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO at CesiumAstro said, “IFC 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, Being constellation-agnostic will provide our customers greater flexibility with a key differentiator being multi-beam capability without having to sacrifice performance.”
CesiumAstro 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.
