The next generation of inflight connectivity continues to evolve, and electronically steered antennas (ESAs) will be a major part of that progress. Both Satcom Direct and Gogo made progress on that front this week, offering updates to their terminal development and testing.
Gogo prototype in hand
Gogo announced its Galileo program in 2022 (albeit without the catchy brand name), with OneWeb as the satellite partner. Just a few weeks later the company announced an exclusive deal with Hughes to provide the ESA for its service. This week Hughes delivered the first “fully constructed prototype” of the half-duplex antenna to Gogo’s offices in Broomfield, Colorado.
The delivery kicks off software integration and engineering testing of the hardware. As part of its recently announced deal to upgrade the NetJets fleet, Gogo indicated it still expects to being the Galileo program online for aircraft owners in the back half of 2024.
Satcom Direct shows off Gilat ESA to customers
For Satcom Direct the LEO world involves many more partners. While the company will also use satellite capacity from the OneWeb constellation it is leaning on multiple partners for antenna hardware, including Gilat, QEST, and Stellar Blu. While the Gilat partnership was the last to be announced, it was the one hyped this week at SD’s Connecting with Customers event in California.
The Gilat terminal is a full duplex design and SD previously indicated it expects commercial availability for customers in early 2025. This week the companies confirmed they expect test flights to begin this summer but did not provide an update to the overall program timeline.
A very competitive landscape
The Gogo and Satcom Direct progress comes as SpaceX’s Starlink program is gaining ground in the business aviation inflight internet segment. Multiple STCs are now available for different aircraft types and installs are underway for multiple fleet operators.
To say that the field is wide open is an understatement. And it is going to be very interesting to see how the players secure share.
More recent BizAv inflight internet news:
- Starlink now certified for Global Express installs
- Viasat issues type certification for Satcom Direct Plane Simple Ka-band terminal
- NetJets plans IFC upgrades with Gogo
- Trans-Exec picks Starlink for biz jet internet
- Inflight internet drives BizAv innovation
- Starlink set to fly on Flexjet fleet
A favor to ask while you're here...
Did you enjoy the content? Or learn something useful? Or generally just think this is the type of story you'd like to see more of? Consider supporting the site through a donation (any amount helps). It helps keep me independent and avoiding the credit card schlock.
Leave a Reply