Sweden developing next-gen low-cost LEO terminal
July 12, 2021
Swedish public innovation agency, Vinnova, has awarded a SEK 4 million development grant to a Swedish project group aimed at boosting development of a next generation, low-cost LEO (Low Earth Orbit) satellite terminal. The award is part of Vinnova’s Electronic components & systems – research and innovation projects 2021.
The project group, led by Satcube and including Chalmers University of Technology, Gapwaves and Forsway Scandinavia, have joined forces to develop a benchmark satellite terminal featuring dramatically lower cost, size and weight compared to existing LEO offerings.
As the most important cost driver for a highly cost-efficient terminal is the antenna, the collaborators will focus primarily on developing a planar Ka-band antenna array, assessing features such as electronic / mechanic beam steering, gap waveguide technology and receive-only architecture.