Passengers flying on Italy’s national carrier ITA Airways will experience fewer flight delays and greener travel thanks to pilots being able to use satellites to route their planes.

The ESA-backed Iris for aviation system connects pilots digitally to air traffic controllers via satellites, so that flight routes can be optimised. Pilots will be able to fly the most efficient routes, saving time and fuel, while cutting emissions of greenhouse gases.

UK-based Krucial, a satellite-enabled communications scaleup with backing from ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) Core Competitiveness programme, has developed a flexible satellite-enabled product capable of delivering off-grid connectivity to businesses operating in remote areas. The successful trial in Scotland marks an important step towards meeting the growing global need for equality in the provision of industrial internet of things (IIoT) connectivity. 

SatixFy have agreed the first sale of their Prime 1 beamformer into the terrestrial 5G market, in a significant deal with India-based Astrome. Developed with the support of the UK Space Agency via the European Space Agency’s ARTES Core Competitiveness Programme, the beamformer chip has enjoyed extensive interest in the space sector since its first sale in 2018, but this deal marks a new venture for SatixFy into the highly-competitive terrestrial 5G market. 

Keeping connected always to everyone and everything whether in remote areas or travelling by car, boat or plane is crucial in today’s digital world.

ESA is collaborating with telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom to help improve connectivity by using satellites to complement existing ground-based connectivity technologies to ensure that people and devices stay connected even when terrestrial systems are unavailable.

ESA is inviting private space companies in Europe and Canada to create a shared commercial telecommunication and navigation service for lunar missions by putting a constellation of satellites around the Moon.

A study backed by the European Space Agency has successfully demonstrated the viability of using optical wireless communications in satellites, in a move that could help reduce mass and costs by removing the need for cabled connections.

Satellite modems using a novel satellite return link access technology developed with the support of the ESA ARTES Core Competitiveness (CC) programme.

ESA is actively working to accelerate the use of space within the automotive sector, celebrating the signing of Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with the 5G Automotive Association (5GAA) and BMW Group.