The optical laser communications ground station is funded under ESA’s Optical and Quantum Communications - ScyLight programme. Construction is expected to conclude in late 2026, with widespread benefits for data-hungry commercial and institutional operators.
The innovative 5G protocol, introducing Conditional Handover, allows satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) to provide reliable connectivity whilst switching between ground and satellite infrastructures, advancing the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks.
WideNorth AS, a major Norwegian player in signal processing and satellite communication, has reached a significant milestone with the successful commercialisation of its Payload Data Handling and Transmitter (PDHT) based on Software Defined Radio. Developed under the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme, this payload is now a powerful candidate for all those missions requiring both high downlink rates and high data storage capacity.
A Belgian company specialising in cloud-based solutions for the telecommunications industry - neXat - has recently presented its newly developed product, neXat Satellite Services Aggregation Platform (neXat SAP) for the management of satellite connectivity. Featuring the capabilities of operations support system (OSS), business support system (BSS) as well as a virtual teleport functionality, the product has earned awards and recognition for offering an end-to-end managed service as the first and only satellite specific, cloud-based platform of its kind on the market.
In another win for public-private cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and an international company – Viasat plans to commercialise its new in-flight connectivity terminal technology.
The two organisations have signed a Memorandum of Intent (MoI) to collaborate on developing integrated 6G terrestrial and satellite networks.
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Security And cryptoGrAphic (SAGA) mission has entered the system definition and preliminary design phase (Phase B2), marking the beginning of the development of the first quantum key sharing mission designed for European governments. A world leading aerospace consortium led by Thales Alenia Space has won a €50 million contract to design the mission.
The next batch of the Greek In-Orbit Demonstration (IOD)/ In-Orbit Validation (IOV) CubeSat missions – developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA) – is ready for launch in November this year. Having successfully completed functional and environmental testing, the two PHASMA mission spacecraft, LAMARR and DIRAC, developed by the Libre Space Foundation, and the PRISMA Electronics-developed MICE-1, have been delivered to the launch service provider ExoLaunch, ready for launch with the SpaceX Transporter-15 rideshare mission.
ESA’s Connectivity and Secure Communications has released a new white paper – published under the Space for 5G/6G and Sustainable Connectivity programme of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) – that explores how European industry as well as lawmakers can capitalise on the opportunities created by advancing direct-to-device (D2D) technology; from sustainability solutions; all the way to disaster response.
A set of large-scale non-terrestrial networks (NTNs) trials aiming to showcase the vast utility of space-based 5G and 6G communications are set to be conducted across Europe as a part of the European Commission’s SNS JU 6G-SANDBOX project. ESA's Space for 5G/6G & Sustainable Connectivity programme has joined the initiative to lend its portfolio of 5G and 6G NTN expertise. ESA is also inviting companies and research institutions working in this domain, who are engaged in current or previous ESA contracts, to take part in the trials.