![\"CesiumAstro](\"https:\/\/cdn.satnow.com\/news\/cesium_C_638227502428585537.jpg\")
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CesiumAstro, an industry leader in active phased array communications technology for space and airborne systems, announced that it has been awarded a contract led by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), through the Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program. <\/p>\n
CesiumAstro will build, integrate, and demonstrate its satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal aboard an MQ-9A Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA). The $3.6M award directly supports the Department of Defense\u2019s need for enhanced, higher throughput connectivity aboard airborne vehicles.<\/p>\n
The news comes shortly after the company unveiled its industry-first multi-beam active electronically steered array (AESA) for both commercial and defense in-flight connectivity applications supporting multiple orbits. CesiumAstro\u2019s low-profile SATCOM antenna provides make-before-break handover with no moving parts, enabling ultra-reliable communications.<\/p>\n
\u201cAESA technology offers advantages for both commercial and military applications,\u201d said Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. \u201cWe are honored to support the U.S. Air Force in realizing the tactical advantages of AESAs on the MQ-9A Reaper platform.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under this contract, CesiumAstro will scale its SATCOM terminal to fit the size, weight, and power requirements of a Group 5 unmanned aerial system (UAS). The terminal will be integrated into a General Atomics MQ-9A capital asset to demonstrate connectivity benefits with a commercial satellite network.<\/p>\n
\u201cSatellite communications are essential to ensure the warfighter remains connected in future operating environments,\u201d said Wayne Phelps, retired Marine Corps UAS pilot and Director of Business Development at CesiumAstro. \u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to continue working with our U.S. Air Force partners to demonstrate this critical communications solution.\u201d<\/p>\n
CesiumAstro\u2019s AESA is offered in multiple form factors, supporting commercial aircraft to small drones. The thin, tile-based approach allows the rapid scaling of the array to meet the needs of unique mission sets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are excited to demonstrate the advantages that active phased array satellite communications systems will bring to our family of UAS. This technology is imperative for maintaining a tactical advantage,\u201d said Douglas Hardison, Sector Vice President for Navy and Marine Corps Strategic Development at General Atomics \u2013 Aeronautical Systems, Inc. <\/p>\n
In March 2023, CesiumAstro announced plans to fly its in-flight connectivity SATCOM terminal on an Airbus commercial aircraft later this year. This contract with the USAF will demonstrate complementary capabilities, showcasing both the scalability and dual-use nature of CesiumAstro\u2019s AESA SATCOM terminal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
CesiumAstro, an industry leader in active phased array communications technology for space and airborne systems, announced that it has been awarded a contract led by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force (USAF), through the Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) program. CesiumAstro will build, integrate, and demonstrate its satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal aboard an […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[23,26,32,20],"class_list":["post-8465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-communication-systems","tag-ground","tag-satcom-antennas","tag-satellite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8465"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8465"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}