Kratos and hiSky Partner to enable Kratos’ OpenSpace® and hiSky’s Smartellite™ solutions for IoT and more

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS) and hiSky are partnering together to enable the delivery of hiSky satellite network services, including IoT as a fully orchestrated capability, using Kratos’ OpenSpace® dynamic, software-defined ground system.

The partnership will allow satellite and other communications network operators to offer IoT connectivity services to their commercial and government customers, taking advantage of the scale, economics and operational benefits of a modern, cloud-enabled network architecture.

The partnership between Kratos and hiSky will enable IoT services to employ virtual and cloud-native network architectures, thereby reducing costs and greatly increasing scalability and service flexibility. hiSky’s solution provides customers around the globe an exceptionally agile answer for satellite IoT applications with easy-to-deploy Smartellite™ terminals today connecting to a conventional hardware-based hub.

Kratos is working closely with hiSky to fully virtualize the hiSky hub within the OpenSpace platform, enabling it to run in the mainstream public cloud,” said Greg Quiggle, SVP of Product Management at Kratos. “Doing so will enable hiSky and Kratos customers to offer a new breed of on-demand and dynamically scalable IoT services at a much lower cost than conventional hardware-based systems.”

Shahar Kravitz, co-founder and CEO at hiSky, said, “With the results of this partnership, satellite operators will be able to spin-up new carriers upon demand at any enabled teleport with a touch of a button, without the need for new hardware at the teleport and the associated plumbing. It’s a new era of flexibility, scalability, speed of service enablement and redundancy.”

Kratos has also launched their redesigned corporate website at www.kratosdefense.com. The site introduces Kratos’ new brand tagline, “Readiness Delivered,” which encapsulates the company’s mission-driven focus on enabling U.S. and allied defense forces to deter and defeat threats in a rapidly changing global security environment, today, affordably, and in mass.

C-COM receives U.S. patent for innovative Ka-Band phase array antenna in package technology

C-COM Satellite Systems Inc., (TSXV: CMI and OTCQB: CYSNF) has been granted U.S. patent No.:12,381,318 B2 for the firm’s invention of a Ka-band 2D Phased-Array Antenna in Package.

This is the 12th patent C-COM has been granted and is the result of its ongoing research and development of a new Electronically Steerable Ka-band Phased Array Antenna,.

This antenna is being developed in partnership with...

► University of Waterloo
► Ontario Centers for Excellence (OCE)
► Canadian Space Agency (CSA)
► Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

This unique, low-cost and efficient millimeter-wave phased array antenna in a package comprises an antenna array with an integrated passive beamformer network and at least one actuation mechanism.

The passive beamformer network comprises a phase shifter with a transmission line having a slow-wave structure and a ceramic.

“This new technology looks very promising for the development of next-generation hybrid (passive/active) phased array antennas, which can be applied in large-scale phased array antenna systems,” said Bilal Awada, Chief Technology Officer of C-COM.

“This patented invention provides further recognition of the quality of the innovation being carried out by C-COM’s research team in partnership with the University of Waterloo,” said Leslie Klein, President and CEO of C-COM Satellite Systems Inc. “We intend to incorporate this technology into future generations of affordable phased array antennas. The Company continues to innovate and modernize the mobile SATCOM business by offering the highest quality, cost-effective, and most reliable products, coupled with fast delivery and top-grade customer support.”

The company also reported receiving $2 million worth of orders for the company’s iNetVu® Manpack antenna systems, next generation 1200+ Ku-band and 98G Ka-band Vehicle Mount systems.

A number of these antenna systems have already been delivered to resellers in Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Asia with the remaining scheduled for delivery over the next few months. The orders include a quantity of iNetVu® Manpack systems, destined to military customers in Asia.

These highly portable antennas can be carried by a single person, rapidly assembled without tools, and can locate the desired satellite in less than a minute with the simple press of a button.

In addition to the Manpack order, the Company has also received multi-unit orders for its best-selling iNetVu® 1200+ fully motorized auto pointing Ku-band and 98G Ka-band vehicle mount antenna system. These antenna systems are designed to be mounted on the roof of vehicles or transportable structures and are equipped with a highly advanced one button iNetVu® 7715 controller, which supports DVB-S2X as well as OpenAMIP protocol.

ClearSpace welcomes UK Governement’s publication of Stage 1 RPO Sandbox Report

ClearSpace welcomes the publication of the Stage 1 Independent Public Report on the Regulatory Sandbox for Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and UK Space Agency.

Photo token at a side event of the 64th Legal Subcommittee of COPUOS. Delegates from
left to right: Romain Buchs (ClearSpace), Vini
Aloia (Astroscale UK), Lauren Payne (D-Orbit UK),
Matt Bull (UK Space Agency), Mary Mulholland
(NZ Space Agency), Aarti Holla-Maini (UNOOSA),
Ayo Iwamoto (Astroscale Japan).Image credit:
UK Space Agency (edited by ClearSpace).

The report highlights ClearSpace’s joint leadership, alongside Astroscale and D-Orbit, in delivering the first stage of this innovative regulatory tool designed to advance UK space policy and practice.

The RPO Regulatory Sandbox—the first of its kind in the UK—addresses the regulatory challenges associated with licensing missions in which one spacecraft approaches, operates near, docks with, and provides services to another. These operations include satellite disposal, transport, and refuelling.

RPO capabilities are foundational to emerging in-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (ISAM) markets, which are projected to reach £2.7 billion globally by 2031, with the UK aiming to capture up to 25% of this market according to a UK government report. These capabilities are key to unlocking a serviceable in-space ecosystem, ensuring the sustainability and resiliency of the space infrastructure.

ClearSpace co-led the development of more than 60 recommendations. These include clarifying operational requirements, streamlining licensing processes, and removing regulatory barriers that hinder innovation. These recommendations are designed to:

► Provide greater certainty to UK RPO operators, their customers, and investors
► Encourage inward investment in advanced in-space services such as active debris removal, refuelling, and satellite repair
► Support the UK’s ambition to lead in safe and sustainable RPO missions.

Stage 1 of the Sandbox has already informed ongoing work in Stage 2, which will focus on more specific licensing issues for RPO missions. Its findings will also support the delivery of the UK’s first-ever active debris removal mission, scheduled to launch by 2028, demonstrating the technology needed to safely remove defunct satellites from orbit.

Rory Holmes, COO & UK Managing Director of ClearSpace, said, “Working alongside our partners, ClearSpace has been proud to jointly lead Stage 1 of the RPO Regulatory Sandbox, a vital step towards building a safe, sustainable, and commercially vibrant UK space sector. This process has brought together government, regulators, insurers, and operators to close knowledge gaps and reduce uncertainty around licensing in-orbit servicing missions. Through the RPO Operators Consortium, we have helped develop comprehensive recommendations on safety, sustainability, security, and liability measures that can strengthen the UK’s regulatory framework and benefit all satellite operators. By establishing a clear, proportionate, and predictable approach, these proposals position the UK to lead globally in this strategically vital field. We are committed to turning this framework into action, supporting its implementation, and advancing the vision of secure, resilient, and sustainable space operations.”

Australia and New Zealand expand SouthPAN program with Viasat through AUD$252 million award

Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has received a AUD$252 million award from Geoscience Australia (GA) and Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) to deliver additional satellite services for the region’s world-class Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN).

This expands on a previous SouthPAN award for the company and the estimated net incremental value for Viasat from this agreement is $214M AUD.

SouthPAN is a collaborative satellite-based augmentation system developed jointly by Australia and New Zealand. It provides precise positioning and navigation services to support a number of sectors, including aviation, maritime, agriculture, surveying and emergency response.

SouthPAN serves growing end market use cases, including in agriculture to increase productivity through applications like precision spraying, yield mapping, controlled traffic farming, inter-row seeding and livestock management. It is also capable of improving personnel safety on mine and construction sites through smart geo-fencing technologies to accurately identify the location of workers operating vehicles and heavy machinery.

This marks the second such award for the company, after Inmarsat—which has since combined with Viasat—was awarded a contract in May 2023 to deliver a satellite payload for SouthPAN. The new agreement, which amends the previous award and comes under Viasat’s Communication Services segment, covers the continuation of services from Viasat’s existing in-orbit satellites as well as a new payload, marking a significant extension of Viasat’s partnership with both Governments.

SouthPAN is delivered by Geoscience Australia in partnership with Toitu Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand, with early services available to both countries since 2022.

Todd McDonell, President, Viasat International Government, said, “Viasat is thrilled to expand its support for SouthPAN and enable improved positioning and navigation services across Australia and New Zealand. SouthPAN represents extraordinary potential for the region: It can save lives by enabling precision safety tracking, help farmers improve productivity through automated device tracking, and even support transport management systems of the future. We have a long history providing advanced PNT and safety services across the world, so we are of course excited to be expanding this work and collaboration with GA and LINZ.”