CesiumAstro enters inflight connectivity market
CesiumAstro’s Ka-band IFC terminal depicted on a commercial aircraft
In mid-March, CesiumAstro, which builds high-throughput, software-defined phased array communications payloads for airborne and space platforms, announced its entry into the in-flight connectivity (IFC) market.
The company is developing an advanced multi-beam active phased array for airborne satellite communications applications, based in low-Earth orbit (LEO), supporting multiple Ka-band constellations for airborne commercial and defense markets.
CesiumAstro will begin demonstrations of its inflight active phased array technology through 2023 and 2024 with testing moving from the ground to an Airbus helicopter.
“Airbus R&T is committed to evaluating the latest technologies in the industry so that we can provide our customers best in class connectivity,” said Olivier Hauw, Leading Fast Track Connectivity at Airbus in a March 13 press release. “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 in the same release. “Being constellation-agnostic will provide our customers greater flexibility with a key differentiator being multi-beam capability without having to sacrifice performance.”
