United Airlines has new seating plans for its 787s, EgyptAir has a sleek looking new A220 and OneWeb has connectivity in space. Plus a big financial hit for Boeing and a soft-launch for IAG.
LEO
ThinKom, Telesat reach LEO link milestone
ThinKom’s new Ka2517 aero satcom antenna is the latest to prove its viability for mixed orbit satellite constellations. The company successfully tested with the Telesat Phase 1 LEO satellite from June 10-14 at Telesat’s Allan Park facility in Ontario, Canada.
PaxEx Premium: LEO Link Success
The market for antennae with a proven track record of successful connections to LEO satellite constellations continues to grow. This week's news brings another Ka-band supplier into the fold.
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PaxEx Premium: More phased array delays??
The inflight connectivity community has suffered from years of disappointment as promise after promise from manufacturers failed to yield electronically steered phased array (ESAs) antennae for commercial aircraft. Phasor and others appeared poised to break that streak, with the news at Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg more optimistic than not. An update from one inflight connectivity provider this week calls some of that optimism into question, however.
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Stratolaunch takes flight, upsetting a 71-year old record
After more than 71 years there’s a new superlative in flight. Scaled Composites’ Stratolaunch now holds the title of largest (by wingspan) aircraft to fly, displacing the Spruce Goose. Will the future of Stratolaunch differ from its historical connection??
Aireon space-based ADS-B data helps in driving decision on 737 MAX groundings
It took a review of additional data but Transport Canada now joins the global collection of aviation regulators that grounded the Boeing 737 MAX. That additional data came from satellite-based aircraft tracking provider Aireon, and Transport Canada is not the only regulator with the details.
Ball Aerospace successfully tests phased array antenna with Telesat LEO satellite
Score another successful test of existing antenna hardware on the new, LEO satellite technology. This time it is Ball Aerospace and its electronically steered flat panel kit linking up with Telesat’s LEO 1.
Inmarsat signs on as first commercial launch customer for MHI’s H3 rocket
Inmarsat secured a new way into space. The company signed on with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as the first commercial customer for the H3 launch vehicle. The launch is expected in 2022(ish).
PaxEx Premium: A LEO milestone for Global Eagle, Telesat
Global Eagle took Albatross One, its flying testbed, on a field trip to Canada last week and the results proved incredibly positive. The inflight connectivity provider partnered with satellite-operator Telesat to deliver data across the Phase 1 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite and geostationary Anik F3 using a common on-board antenna from Qest and modem from Gilat. The test flight proved that transitions from the GEO satellite to LEO and back can work on the company's gimbal-mount Ka-band antenna solution. During inflight testing, the team successfully demonstrated industry-leading data upload speeds from the aircraft, engaged in uninterrupted video chatting and movie streaming, and experienced the lowest latency of any satellite connection to date.
The test flights are the latest step in Global Eagle's efforts to position itself as a technology leader in the inflight connectivity world. Company executives have talked up the new constellation since the test satellite launched at the beginning of 2018. During the recent APEX EXPO in Boston LEO connectivity was a frequent topic of conversation. For Alexis Steinman, SVP Aviation Solutions, there is no subtlety in the company's plans: "We are betting big on LEO." With this latest successful test expect that bet to continue to grow.
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PaxEx Premium: LEO connectivity testing reaches new heights
Low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations promise higher capacity and lower latency for connections. They also bring significant challenges, mostly owing to far more frequent satellite switching to maintain a connection. Add in an airplane moving though the sky and the complexity increases further. Multiple vendors are now moving through the testing process, with plans to deliver functional solutions as early as 2019, well ahead of the satellite constellations being ready for such connections.
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