What is the story about?
What's Happening?
Eutelsat has partnered with Skynopy, a French satellite connectivity startup, to explore using spare capacity on OneWeb's ground stations for Earth observation purposes. The collaboration aims to utilize the 600 Ka-band antennas across 42 OneWeb sites worldwide, expanding from Skynopy's current network of 30 S- and X-band antennas. This initiative seeks to provide near real-time connectivity for Earth observation satellites, with Ka-band downlinks offering speeds up to five times faster than current X-band networks. The partnership will retrofit OneWeb antennas for Earth observation applications and add Skynopy's antennas at OneWeb sites.
Why It's Important?
This collaboration represents a significant advancement in Earth observation capabilities, offering faster data transmission and near real-time connectivity. The use of Ka-band technology can enhance data freshness and rate, crucial for applications like defense and disaster response. By leveraging OneWeb's existing infrastructure, Eutelsat and Skynopy can address the growing demand for high-speed connectivity in the Earth observation market. This partnership also highlights the potential for satellite operators to transition from X-band to higher-bandwidth Ka-band services, driven by the evolution of onboard payload technologies.
What's Next?
The partnership will begin a one-year beta testing program for selected satellite operators interested in Ka-band capabilities, with a full-scale rollout targeted within five years. The project, supported by French government funding, aims to establish the first Ka-band ground station network for real-time, high-speed connectivity in Earth observation. Eutelsat plans to unlock the commercial potential of its OneWeb ground station network, addressing a new market segment complementary to geostationary satellites and broadband LEO constellations. The transition to Ka-band services will continue to evolve as onboard payload technologies generate increasing volumes of data.
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