Disrupting the global satellite ground station market

• A prototype was successfully developed to form the baseline for a production version that can be deployed as part of a demonstration network

• Next generation system will provide 100% global availability, greater than 100 times lower costs, and more than 20 times the capacity of traditional systems

• Extending the project into a three-unit demonstrator network – next phase of development – to be funded by other programmes

• Receiving ‘very strong commercial interest from a number of locations’

• Attracting significant private investment to enable the global rollout

• Talking to University of Surrey about further design iterations and additional next generation developments for satellite communications

Martin Philp, CEO and Co-founder of Clutch Space Systems, said: “The demand in satellite communications has risen exponentially due to the growing number of satellite launches. However, the antenna systems currently in use in the industry are still comparable to systems used in the Apollo era. After developing our software-defined RF signal processing chain, we realised the need for an equally flexible, robust, and novel antenna system, which is an essential part of our aim to deliver a fundamental change in the way satellites are operated and used in LEO.

“We’re strong on the space interface side but developing new and novel antenna concepts was something on which we were looking to improve. Considering that the 5G and 6G Innovation Centres at the University of Surrey have extensive experience in antenna development and testing, defining and driving this leap of technology through strong academic research support, funded by SPRINT, was pivotal to the success of the project.”

“We now have an independently-tested, working prototype – all achieved within the within the SPRINT project. This is a massive gain for us and the relationship with the team at the University of Surrey has benefitted us enormously. The project has helped us to accelerate our market launch and growth.”

Dr Tim Brown, an academic in Radio Frequency Engineering at the University of Surrey, added: “We took on the SPRINT project as an engineering problem to find a viable alternative to using massive dish antennas on the roofs of buildings in order to reach satellites and coordinate from multiple earth stations. As well as delivering the prototype system, the project has also greatly inspired our teaching and learning.

“With the growth of LEO satellites there’s a growing demand for low-cost antenna solutions suitable for satellite links to be scattered over the globe. This work plays an important part in that world-changing engineering plan.”