BeetleSat, the Israeli satellite startup formerly known as NSLComm, today announced the successful deployment of its lightweight antenna that operates at a high data rate in space. The deployment of the parabolic antenna, with a diameter of 60 cm, from a nanosatellite in orbit around the Earth marks an important milestone towards the deployment of a constellation of communications satellites and also proves the economic feasibility of the technology of antennas deployed in space.
In early January, BeetleSat launched the NSLSat-2 satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) at an altitude of 530 km using the SpaceX Falcon 9 launcher; SpaceX is itself a leading player in the communications satellite constellation market. As its name implies, the 9 kg satellite is the Company’s second, and is supported by the Israel Space Agency in the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. The satellite will provide customers in the public and commercial sectors with very high data rate communications services: up to 2 Gbps. For the sake of comparison, a communications satellite of the same size typically provides a data rate of only 20 Mbps. However, the more interesting story, as previously mentioned, lies not only in the performance of the individual satellite, but in its joining up with the first satellite, which was launched in 2019.
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Together with the NSLSat-1 satellite, the two launches represent an important milestone in the company's strategy to become one of the world's leading satellite service operators, through the creation of a low Earth orbit constellation (LEO). The planned cluster, which is expected to number 264 satellites in the future, is designed to enable secure broadband cellular and internet communications in the Ka frequency range with a wide coverage on the Earth's surface.
The antenna, which will link the various satellites in orbit, is a critical component of the company's plan and will be based on the antenna deployment technology developed by the company. The success in deploying a folding antenna from a relatively small satellite (6U CubeSat) is an important demonstration of the economic feasibility of the company's vision. One of the most significant price components of the launch is the mass and volume of the satellite. An antenna that operates at high rates, that is lightweight and deployable, has the significant potential to reduce costs.
"We are thrilled to have achieved this important milestone," said BeetleSat President Patricio Northland. "The successful deployment of the antenna is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team and partners, and we are proud to be at the forefront of satellite technology."