IAI Introduces: Mini-Satellite Communication and Virtual Ground Station for Satellites | Israel today

The World Space Congress (IAC) opened in Dubai this morning, with the participation of huge space industries from around the world, and on the occasion of the event, the aerospace industry unveiled an innovative concept for communications satellites: Which will allow a longer connection time with the satellite.

The mini-satellite in question is based on the capabilities developed for "Dror-1", the national communications satellite of the State of Israel, which includes blue and white technologies developed in the aerospace industry, such as advanced digital communications payload technology, and "smartphone in space" capabilities that allow communication flexibility throughout Years of activity in space The satellite control software and the development architecture enable applications to be loaded from the ground into space while performing its mission in space, thus enabling adaptation and change of mission to the satellite in accordance with the changing communication needs.

IAI booth at the Space Conference in Dubai, Photo: IAI

The innovative satellite weighs about 650 kg. Due to its relatively low weight, the satellite is suitable for launching in combination with other satellites and thus significantly reduces the cost of launch. The mini-satellite, which is expected to last about 14 years, is designed to provide advanced regional communication services to customers Or to countries with diverse communication needs.

The Dror 1 and MCS communications satellites are developed and built in IAI's Missile and Space Systems Division, the belief in the development and construction of Barak's groundbreaking air defense systems, the 2 + 3 + 4 Arrow weapon system, missile systems, advanced satellite systems such as observation satellites, nano-satellites , Satellite launchers and the Genesis spacecraft that reached the moon and more. IAI is a center of national and global technological knowledge in the fields of air defense, radars, satellites, unmanned aerial vehicles, civil aviation and cyber.

At the same time, IMI unveiled a new unique development that allows the availability of information received from satellites to increase: the

system

. The satellite has a large number of communication stations around the world that receive real-time information from it and share the information in the cloud so that live information can be accessed at any given moment from any point in the world.

The construction of the virtual ground station in the cloud makes it possible to produce products with higher availability from the satellite, regardless of the time window in which the satellite passes over the information station of its main operator. In this way, the satellite can transmit the information collected through it to a cloud, thus allowing the ground station to "transfer" or "pull" the information immediately, regardless of the reception stations located in different regions of the earth. This is a unique concept formulated by the company's space engineers and developed in a rapid procedure at the IAI Innovation Center's innovation center in collaboration with the international accelerator (accelerator) Starburst, which specializes in the aerospace worlds - all as part of IAI's intra-organizational entrepreneurship processes.

IAI Space Plant Manager Shlomi Sudri

: "Developing cloud technologies have enabled a unique development led by a team of space plant engineers to the Blue Sphere system that makes satellites available 24/7. "Improving the operationality of the satellite system from end to end. The concept has been proven and these days we are promoting an advanced version of the virtual ground control and monitoring station for the benefit of our various customers around the world."

Sudri added that "the development of the innovative MCS satellite reflects the extensive space capabilities of the aerospace industry. It is an elite space technology in a solution that is budget-adjusted for countries and communications operators that do not need a communications satellite of the current size."