2021-01-18

L3Harris Technologies demonstrates antenna technology for US space force satellite communications

Source: L3Harris Technologies
Curated by: Gert Jan Wolf - Editor-in Chief for The Critical Communications Review

L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has successfully completed a technology demonstration, under a Defense Innovation Unit prototype contract, for the U.S. Space Force satellite communication system to improve communications with the agency’s growing number of satellites.

L3Harris developed a Multi-Band Multi-Mission (MBMM) phased array ground antenna system and integrated it with the Space Force’s Satellite Communication Network system in order to demonstrate multiple simultaneous satellite contacts. Traditional parabolic or radio antennas can contact only one satellite at a time.

The MBMM system’s all-digital architecture established 16 simultaneous contacts during the demonstration. The system can scale up to support hundreds of concurrent satellite connections from a single phased array antenna system, reducing the physical footprint needed for ground antennas and lowering the infrastructure cost per satellite contact.