The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Army, through the innovative Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, are evaluating the ability of Isotropic Systems’ optical beamforming antenna to enable frontline armed forces to access high-speed, real-time data simultaneously over multiple commercial and military satellites.

First phase dual-beam tests conducted at the Harwell Science, Technology and Innovation Campus near Oxford, UK, have successfully demonstrated transformational optics at the core of Isotropic Systems’ multi-beam terminal that are fully capable of linking with multiple satellites at the same time.

Over-the-air (OTA) trials conducted at an SES teleport in Port St. Lucie, Florida, also part of phase one, have verified the Isotropic Systems’ high-performance multi-beam platform meets military requirements to acquire and track SES’ O3b MEO satellites.

Phase two trials will test Isotropic Systems’ latest antenna prototype over links with SES satellites in geostationary orbit (GEO) and medium earth orbit (MEO), demonstrating seamless satellite-to-satellite transitions and a redundant, resilient leap in wartime communications. 

The DEUCSI trials will wrap up in 2021, ahead of the commercial launch of Isotropic Systems’ optical multi-beam antenna production scheduled for 2022, and in time to support SES’ new high-throughput MEO constellation satellites coming online, the groundbreaking O3b mPOWER system.

“The armed forces and defense agencies are incredibly good at acquiring actionable information, but they run into bottlenecks when they try to distribute that mission-critical data over single beam parabolic antennas and other outdated infrastructure,” said Scott Sprague, Isotropic Systems CCO. “These milestone trials with the U.S. Army and Air Force are successfully demonstrating the multi-beam, multi-orbit connectivity and capabilities our high-performance terminals will put in the hands of frontline warfighters and decision-makers across the government sector and battlespace.”

First phase dual-beam tests…have successfully demonstrated transformational optics at the core of Isotropic Systems’ multi-beam terminal that are fully capable of linking with multiple satellites at the same time.

“Next-gen satellites and constellations need equally robust and resilient terminals and ground infrastructure to meet the government’s ’Fighting SATCOM’ vision,” said Pete Hoene, President and CEO of SES Space and Defense, Brigadier General, USAF (Ret.). “Interoperability and multi-orbit capabilities are essential to achieving this vision, and these collaborative trials with the armed forces demonstrate how Isotropic Systems’ multi-beam antenna can successfully deliver robust connectivity across our vast MEO and GEO fleet. Each successful phase is a prime example of how the government and commercial partners can develop capabilities in parallel, which is especially important to us as we ready to launch our O3b mPOWER constellation and SES-17 satellite this year.

“Without affecting the main communications link, the Isotropic Systems multi-beam terminal can use a second or third link to evaluate the environment to preemptively decide the best routing option at any given time to maximize performance,” explained Brian Billman, Vice President of Product Management for Isotropic Systems. “That’s the level of differentiating capabilities our terminal roadmap leads to as a result of these important trials with the U.S. military.”

For additional information click HERE to read the official announcement from SES Space and Defense and Isotropic Systems.

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The military has long relied on satellite communications to deliver connectivity and communications to the tactical edge. However, the large size of the terrestrial infrastructure needed to deliver satellite connectivity – including antennas and terminals – has restricted the use cases for satellite.

The Air Force and Army’s evaluation of next-generation high-throughput satellites and revolutionary advancements in optical beamforming antennas could change that – making low-latency, high-bandwidth satellite communications accessible with a significantly smaller footprint.

Working hand-in-hand with SES Government Solutions (SES Space and Defense) and Isotropic Systems, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Army Research Engineering Team will evaluate Isotropic Systems’ multi-beam terminal over SES’s O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation and its ability to deliver next-gen connectivity across the battlefield.

The U.S. Air Force and Army, through the innovative Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, will review a prototype of Isotropic Systems’ optical beamforming antenna and its ability to connect simultaneously with two satellite constellations at GEO and MEO.

The unique multi-beam capability will enable the armed forces to deliver data at the tactical edge by leveraging capacity from multiple commercial satellites and a military satellite over a single antenna platform.

“The Isotropic antenna will deliver high throughput, at low latency over a MEO constellation with simultaneous resilient GEO capacity,” said Pete Hoene, President and CEO of SES Space and Defense. “This will be a game-changer for the U.S. Army.”

The first phase over-the-air (OTA) is scheduled to be completed by early fall, followed by phase two in early 2021 where the Isotropic Systems optical lens technology will be utilized to demonstrate a two full performance beam connection. One beam will link with an SES geostationary (GEO) satellite, while another full performance optical beam will establish a simultaneous connection with SES’s O3b MEO satellite constellation.

“Isotropic Systems’ collaborative tests with SES Space and Defense in support of the U.S. military is an important milestone on our roadmap leading to a multi-beam, multi-frequency terminal that allows the government and armed forces to utilize every bit of capacity in the sky,” said Scott Sprague, Chief Commercial Officer of Isotropic Systems. “That is the ultimate goal for the defense market, which is currently grappling with disparate networks to deliver connectivity to the battlespace.”

It is the first customer contract between Isotropic Systems and SES Space and Defense and follows on from the significant developmental partnership currently ongoing between the two companies to produce scalable, cost-effective terminals capable of providing government, military, and commercial access to commercial satellite connectivity from MEO and GEO.

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