Astronauts on board the International Space Station are connecting straight to Europe at light speed, thanks to the European Data Relay System.

An upgrade to the communications system is delivering broadband internet speeds similar to those enjoyed by families on Earth.

ESA’s Pacis 3 Partnership Project is gaining pace with validation testing of new Direct Radiating Array (DRA) antenna hardware for Spainsat NG, at Airbus Defence and Space, Madrid.

An innovative antenna pointing mechanism developed by Sener is currently going through the final functional test sequence that should conclude its qualification campaign for the Spainsat NG satellite in the frame of ESA’s Pacis 3 Partnership Project.

Two telecommunications satellites that can be reprogrammed while in space to respond to changing demands on Earth have passed their critical design reviews.

Jointly organised by ESA and the 5G Media Action Group (5G-MAG), an interactive online workshop took place on 1st December, opening the door to some exciting collaborations.

Over 181 people joined the online workshop on “reinventing satellite broadcasting for the 5G-era”, which included representatives from ESA, member state delegations, 5G-MAG members, and industry. The event fostered the discussion between satellite, terrestrial infrastructure and service providers, media, and other vertical representatives, to address the requirements and potential solutions for evolved media distribution, 5G satellite systems and service delivery chains. 

The Telecommunications and Integrated Applications (TIA) Security Office has been launched to support ARTES projects with technical expertise in information security, security engineering and cybersecurity. It will work with companies to ensure their space infrastructure is resilient to threats.

The latest type of telecommunication satellite that can respond from space to changing demands on Earth is about to start assembly of its electronic components.

The highly flexible satellite is setting a new paradigm for geostationary telecommunication satellites, by using off-the-shelf commercial components in the standardised physical hardware and using just software to configure bespoke missions.

The Electra deployable thermal radiator (DTR) has successfully passed its deployment test, simulating the in-orbit deployment of the large thermal radiator panel that significantly increases the payload heat rejection capability of OHB’s all-electric Electra satellite.

UK start-up Darwin Innovation Group has recently launched a fully autonomous passenger shuttle at Harwell Campus, that is utilising integrated satellite and 5G communications for seamless operation. With the support of ESA and the UK Space Agency, the 1-year pilot phase of the project will demonstrate the performance of such vehicles in a real-world environment and investigate all related aspects, including user demand and insurance.

The European Space Agency (ESA), RHEA System Luxembourg, LuxSpace Sarl, Aurora Insight and the European Business Reliance Centre (EBRC) are joining forces for the development and deployment of a European Spectrum Monitoring System leveraging their respective core capabilities. A Memorandum of Intent (MoI) was signed last week in Luxembourg by Elodie Viau, Director of Telecommunications and Integrated Applications at ESA, together with industry representatives.