[SatNews] ASC Signal Corporation has been awarded a contract by ARTEL, LLC, working in collaboration with Boeing Commercial Satellite Services, to provide the first in a series of wideband, 9.4-meter Ka-band gateways that will form a global network of antenna systems operating on the Inmarsat Global Xpress network. ASC Signal will begin deployment of the multi-million dollar South African gateway system in September 2013, and will be responsible for the entire manufacturing, integration and installation package of this high-performance antenna.
“ASC Signal’s tracking technology exceeded the high-precision needs set out by ARTEL and Boeing,” said Keith Buckley, President and CEO of ASC Signal. “Our specialized antenna feed systems, along with our NGC controller and sub-reflector tracking, will provide ARTEL and Boeing with the performance they need to service their demanding government customers.”
“Providing mission-critical services at the higher Ka-band frequencies takes enormous precision and reliability,” said ARTEL CEO Ted Hengst. “We chose ASC Signal because of the significant value its high-performance antennas deliver for applications where failure is not an option.”
The gateways will use ASC Signal’s patented sub-reflector tracking (SRT) technology and advanced environmental control systems, along with its monopulse feed system and ASC’s Next Generation Controller (NGC) to ensure the most accurate tracking possible in an antenna system of this size. ASC’s SRT, which provides 6-axis tracking of the satellite beam, allows significantly reduced movement of the main reflector, while actively compensating for thermal distortion caused by changes in temperatures at the earth station location. Adding to that, ASC’s new environmental control system, which integrates with the NGC, further minimizes thermal effects on the main antenna reflector. The monopulse feed system, which is also available in dual-band versions, adds additional tracking stability, and all of the antenna subsystems, including all tracking equipment, are controlled by the highly-versatile NGC.
The system is one of nearly 300 Ka-band gateways, from 3.5m to 9.4m, that ASC Signal has deployed around the world. ASC Signal adds its installations for Global Xpress to the gateways it has built and installed for Ka-band networks that include IPSTAR, Wildblue, DirecTV, Hughes and many others.
