A combination of companies and expertise will better serve the smallsat market. The two companies are...

Orbital™ Research Ltd., a provider of frequency conversion products for SATCOM industries,  announced a new partnership with Tethers Unlimited Inc. (TUI), a private aerospace company headquartered near Seattle, Washington.

Based on the 20 GHz low noise block converter (LNB) Orbital Research will manufacture a space-based 26 GHz Ka-band receiver to be used as a modular component of TUI’s line of SWIFT software-defined radios. These radios provide high-performance communication for CubeSats and other small satellites. 

Orbital Research

Orbital’s CEO, Ian McEachern said that they’re thrilled to partner with TUI on this project. They’re doing some really interesting things with advanced cognitive radio capabilities. Together they can help SmallSat ventures get to market faster with exceptionally high throughput and flexibility for challenging mission and regulatory environments.  

The low-power, small-footprint SWIFT radios with Orbital receivers will specifically target the small satellite Tracking, Telemetry and Control (TT&C) market – and help customers overcome the challenge of spectrum congestion.

Dr. Rob Hoyt, TUI’s CEO TUI is delighted to be working with Orbital on their new SWIFT radio solutions for mid to high Ka-band CEO. Their LNBs are known for high performance and reliability in demanding environments – and that’s exactly what they need.

Orbital is also planning on developing a ground-based LNB at higher Ka frequencies to relieve congestion on the other end.