A new era of low Earth orbit and flat-panel antenna VSAT is delivering faster broadband with lower latency for maritime applications
A successful launch of six satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO) this year is the start of a new period for VSAT where flat-panel antennas provide quicker connectivity for the maritime sector.
OneWeb launched the first six broadband satellites of its LEO high-throughput constellation in February 2019, starting the next generation of VSAT connectivity to vessels. Other satellite operators are building LEO constellations, and together with developments in flat-panel antennas, VSAT will change forever.
High throughput LEO satellites could provide high bandwidth communications with less latency – the delay in signal due to the distance microwaves need to travel from Earth to the satellites and back – than geostationary satellites.
Shipping has previously used LEO satellites for L-band connectivity with Iridium’s first and now second-generation constellations. However, the new LEO constellation being built will provide VSAT in Ku and Ka spectrum bands of frequencies and low latency. Just like Iridium’s constellation, they will deliver broadband to Arctic and Antarctic seas.
These LEO satellites will provide global coverage as they operate on orbits around the globe to multiple markets, including land, maritime and aviation mobility, plus to remote terrestrial hubs, enterprise, military and government clients.
They will need a new generation of antennas and terminals to access this connectivity, and these could be flat panels instead of traditional parabolic dish antennas.
Marlink president of maritime Tore Morten Olsen predicts a future for flat-panel antennas and LEO constellations for maritime VSAT. “Antennas today are for multiple bands of frequency and are software upgradable so they could be used for some LEO systems,” he says. “But, flat-panel antennas could make more sense with the LEO satellites.”
“There could be real value for maritime from LEO systems”
His group is following developments by the main developers of flat-panel antennas and LEO constellations. “There could be real value for maritime from LEO systems and we have looked into them,” he says.
There would still need to be engineers on board vessels to install and maintain the flat-panel antennas. “In maritime, flat-panel installations would still need some type of pedestal,” says Mr Olsen. He adds that there needs to be more development of onboard systems to improve LEO-based VSAT performance. “There needs to be evolution on the modem side that will allow higher bandwidth and more efficient use of this on vessels.”
Satellite operator SES is involved with three different manufacturers of flat-panel antennas, as it expects their development will increase users of its medium Earth orbit (MEO) constellation of O3b satellites and the future of O3b mPower.
SES maritime segment leader Greg Martin explains that flat-panel antennas could simplify connectivity across multiple mobility markets. “There is interest in flat-panel antennas and they are becoming more advanced,” he says.
“There are technical and commercial challenges, but we are involved as part of our mPower internal programme.”
He believes there is potential in developing VSAT covering multiple bands of frequencies and satellites in different types of orbit. “Multi-orbit technology makes sense to us as this is where the market is driving towards.”
“Multi-orbit technology makes sense to us as this is where the market is driving towards”
OneWeb, which has the backing of geostationary satellite operator Intelsat, has made the first step in LEO development.
It witnessed the launch of its first six LEO satellites aboard a Soyuz vehicle from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on 27 February. These satellites separated from the rocket in two batches and OneWeb acquired signals from all of them.
OneWeb chief executive Adrian Steckel says this is the start of the largest satellite launch campaign in history. There will be a transition from proof-of-concept development to a commercial project as OneWeb anticipates it will launch 650 satellites in two years.
Around 30 satellites are scheduled to launch each month, with demonstrations and trials in 2020 and full global commercial coverage by 2021.
OneWeb’s satellites will communicate with Earth via Ka and Ku bands. Ka-band will be used for communicating between the ground teleports and satellites. Ku-band will be used for communicating between the satellites and user terminals, which will deliver internet connectivity to vessels.
“This successful launch is a historic milestone for OneWeb,” says Mr Steckel. “It marks the start of a new phase as we begin scaling our satellite constellation in preparation to start full commercial services.”
Rival group Telesat launched a test LEO satellite in 2018 and has demonstrated its capabilities with aircraft connectivity. It expects more testing and terminal validation in 2019 and in the next decade as it invests in the constellation ready to enter commercial operations in 2022.
Demonstrations and contracts
These demonstrations are expected to include flat-panel VSAT on vessels after Telesat announced a contract with maritime communications provider OmniAccess in February 2019. Both companies expect to deliver LEO connectivity to the superyacht market. OmniAccess has become the first broadband provider worldwide to contract for Telesat’s LEO services, which could be concentrated on areas of high demand, such as major shipping lanes and ports.
OmniAccess chief executive Bertrand Hartman says Telesat LEO will deliver land-based fibre connections to vessels. “Onboard systems and services will no longer be restricted by the limits imposed by today’s geostationary and MEO-based technologies,” he says. “This will be a major game-changer for the maritime industry, profoundly impacting many social and technical aspects of vessel operations.”
LeoSat Enterprises is developing a rival LEO constellation and intends to build a constellation of 108 satellites. It has secured more than US$1.5Bn in pre-launch customer agreements to deliver broadband connectivity to land mobility and fixed hubs.
In response to LEO investment, entrepreneurs have developed different types of flat-panel antennas. Kymeta Corp and Phasor were early developers and have tested prototypes on land and vessels.
Kymeta tested its KyWay and mTenna terminals on yachts with distribution partners e3 Systems and Speedcast in 2017 and 2018. These were powered by IntelsatOne Flex for maritime services and bundled with Kymeta’s Kalo internet access. E3 Systems has installed flat panels on eight yachts in Europe and the US. Multiple panels can be installed to eliminate shadow from vessel structures.
There have also been sea trials on the US Government’s small vessels in inland waterways and up to 100 nautical miles offshore.
Phasor has partnered with OmniAccess to test flat-panel antennas on superyachts. The Phasor maritime quantum aperture terminal includes electronically steerable antennas. It has demonstrated return-link speeds of more than 24 Mbps using a single 71-cm equivalent aperture over Intelsat’s EpicNG high-throughput satellites.
Future technology
Sales growth: US$11Bn by 2028
Terminals growth: 1.4M by 2028
Non-geostationary constellations: OneWeb, O3b, LeoSat, Telesat
Main markets: maritime, aviation, connected vehicles
Revenue: 94% of all revenue from mobile applications
Technology: phased array, electronically steered
Main players: Kymeta, Phasor, Alcan Systems, Isotropic Systems, and ViaSat
© 2023 Riviera Maritime Media Ltd.