Successful Antenna Technology Validation on Telesat LEO Satellite
On-Air Tests Validate ThinKom Phased-Array Antenna's Ability to Track and Communicate with Telesat Phase 1 LEO Satellite
HAWTHORNE, Calif. – July 2, 2019 – ThinKom Solutions today announced the completion of the first live test of a commercially available phased-array antenna with Telesat’s Phase 1 LEO satellite. The test was performed using a production model of ThinKom’s ThinAir® Ka2517 aeronautical satcom antenna, designed for business aviation, commercial air transport, and military airborne applications.
ThinKom’s Ka2517 antenna successfully acquired, tracked and maintained seamless end-to-end connectivity with the Telesat LEO satellite. Full-duplex throughput data rates of up to 370 Mbps on the downlink and 110 Mbps on the uplink were achieved at extremely high spectral efficiencies, all while demonstrating the ultra-low latency capabilities (20-40 msec) of Telesat’s LEO satellite.
Additionally, the Ka2517 reliably transitioned from tracking the LEO satellite to a GEO satellite and back to the LEO satellite, with transition times that were consistently under one second.
The on-air tests were conducted June 10-14 at Telesat’s Allan Park facility in Ontario using the flight-proven ThinKom Ka2517 phased-array antenna and a Newtec MDM6000 modem. The ThinKom antenna acquired and tracked the LEO satellite at elevation angles as low as 10 degrees above the horizon.
“These on-air tests confirm that our unique phased-array antenna architecture provides the beam agility, switching speeds, low look-angles and high spectral efficiencies required to communicate over a LEO satellite network,” said Bill Milroy, ThinKom’s Chairman and Chief Technology Officer. “We are now moving into the next phase of development and commercialization of an enterprise user terminal for Telesat’s global LEO satellite system.”
Milroy noted that ThinKom has also conducted successful on-air demos with the Ka2517 across multiple geostationary (GEO) satellites and medium-earth orbit (MEO) constellations from fixed platforms as well as an aircraft in flight. “These tests provide clear validation of our phased-array technology and products across the full range of GEO, MEO and LEO environments,” he said.
“Telesat is pleased to be collaborating with ThinKom on antenna technologies that will enable aeronautical customers to take full advantage of Telesat LEO’s capabilities, including high capacity and ultra-low latency,” said Erwin Hudson, Vice President Telesat LEO. “The aeronautical market is important for Telesat and these on-air tests highlight the advantages the Telesat LEO satellite constellation will bring to passengers and crew of major airlines worldwide. Telesat looks forward to continuing to partner with ThinKom and to building a complete antenna ecosystem to serve growing markets for mobile broadband.”
ThinKom-Telesat MOU
ThinKom and Telesat signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in September 2018 to jointly develop a Ka-band Enterprise User Terminal for Telesat’s planned LEO satellite constellation, which will offer seamless, low-latency, high-throughput broadband services on a global basis. The live on-air test with ThinKom’s Ka2517 is a big step forward in that process and clearly validates ThinKom’s proprietary phased-array technology.
About ThinKom
ThinKom Solutions, Inc., is a leading provider of innovative, ultra-low-profile broadband antenna solutions for commercial and business aviation applications, delivering fast, resilient, and reliable connectivity “from every orbit to every seat.” The ThinAir® product line delivers compact, affordable Ku- and Ka-band options suitable for installation on planes ranging from business jets to super-jumbos. ThinAir antennas consume less power while delivering high spectral efficiency, reducing recurring satellite costs. Packaged in a low-drag design to save fuel and reduce emissions, ThinAir’s proven, proprietary, patented solutions are trusted by leading inflight connectivity providers and airline customers around the globe.
About Telesat
Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and industry-leading customer service, Telesat (NASDAQ and TSX: TSAT) is one of the largest and most innovative global satellite operators.Telesat works collaboratively with its customers to deliver critical connectivity solutions that tackle the world’s most complex communications challenges, providing powerful advantages that improve their operations and drive profitable growth.
Continuously innovating to meet the connectivity demands of the future, Telesat Lightspeed, the company’s Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite network, will be the first and only LEO network optimized to meet the rigorous requirements of telecom, government, maritime and aeronautical customers. Telesat Lightspeed will redefine global satellite connectivity with ubiquitous, affordable, high-capacity links with fibre-like speeds. For updates on Telesat, follow us @Telesat on X, LinkedIn, or visit www.telesat.com.
Media Contact
W2Communications for Telesat
Telesat@w2comm.com
Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor
This news release contains statements that are not based on historical fact and are “forward-looking statements’’ within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. When used herein, statements which are not historical in nature, or which contain the words “will,” “expected,” “can,” “scheduled,” “anticipates,” or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. All statements made in this press release are made only as of the date set forth at the beginning of this release. Telesat Corporation undertakes no obligation to update the information made in this release in the event facts or circumstances subsequently change after the date of this press release.
These forward-looking statements are based on Telesat Corporation’s current expectations and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Telesat Corporation’s control, are difficult to predict, and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or forecasted in the forward-looking statements. There are numerous risks and uncertainties associated with Telesat’s business and the Telesat Lightspeed constellation. Known risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: inflation and rising interest rates; Telesat’s ability to enter into definitive funding agreements with the company’s Canadian federal and provincial government partners, and to meet the funding conditions of those agreements and of its vendor financing; technological hurdles, including our and our contractors’ development and deployment of the new technologies required to complete the constellation in time to meet our schedule, or at all; the availability of services and components from our and our contractors’ supply chains; competition; risks associated with domestic and foreign government regulation, including access to sufficient orbital spectrum to be able to deliver services effectively and access to sufficient geographic markets in which to sell those services; Telesat’s ability to develop significant commercial and operational capabilities; risks associated with operating satellites and providing satellite services, including satellite construction or launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired satellite performance; and volatility in exchange rates. The foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. Investors should review the other risk factors discussed in Telesat Corporation’s annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2022, that was filed on March 29, 2023, with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and the Canadian securities regulatory authorities at the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (“SEDAR”), and may be accessed on the SEC’s website at https://www.sec.gov/ and SEDAR’s website at https://www.sedarplus.ca/ as well as our subsequent reports on Form 6-K filed with the SEC and also available on SEDAR.
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