UAV SATCOM Industry Skyrockets Thanks to LEO Constellations

The unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) industry has been rapidly evolving in recent years, with significant applications in multiple fields, such as civil and marine surveillance, crop monitoring, field mapping, and disaster management.

Advancements in satellite networking and communication are making these UAVs more responsive and data-receptive day by day.

With effective satellite communication (SATCOM), UAVs can act as airborne relays to transmit data to and from remote locations. However, traditional satellite communication systems have limitations, including limited bandwidth and high latency.

In order to address these limitations, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations are being developed, which would enable high-speed, low-latency connectivity between UAVs and ground stations.

As the demand for UAV satellite communication continues to grow, companies in the industry are scrambling to take advantage of this new technology.

With the advent of LEO constellations, the UAV SATCOM industry is poised for explosive growth, with new players entering the market and existing companies expanding their offerings.

In this blog, we will take a closer look at the UAV SATCOM industry and how LEO constellations are transforming the landscape.

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What are LEO satellite constellations?

LEO satellite constellations are a network of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites that provide global coverage for communication and observation purposes.

These satellites orbit the Earth at an altitude of around 2000 km, which is much lower than the traditional geostationary satellites. The lower orbit means that the satellites can provide faster communication services with lower latency.

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Enhancing UAV SATCOM: Advantages of LEO Satellite Constellations

LEO satellite constellations offer a range of advantages that enhance UAV satellite communication, including:

1.????Global Coverage

Global coverage refers to the ability of a communication network to provide uninterrupted and reliable connectivity to any location on the planet.

Traditional ground-based communication networks, such as cellular or Wi-Fi networks, have limited coverage areas, and communication can be lost or unreliable in areas with poor signal strength or obstructed by geographical barriers.

This limitation restricts the operations of UAVs in certain areas and poses significant challenges for industries such as mining, forestry, and oil and gas exploration.

LEO satellite constellations overcome this limitation by providing global coverage to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which enables them to maintain constant and reliable communication with their ground stations, even when operating in remote or hard-to-reach areas.

2.????Multiple Frequency Bands

Multiple frequency bands refer to the various radio frequency bands that are available for communication between UAVs and LEO satellite constellations.

LEO satellite constellations offer UAVs access to multiple frequency bands, including the Ka-band, which provides higher signal strength and improved coverage than lower frequency bands. This allows UAVs to operate at further distances while still maintaining reliable communication with the ground station.

The Ka-band operates at a frequency range of 26.5 to 40 GHz, providing higher bandwidth and improved data transmission rates than lower frequency bands.

The high frequency of the Ka-band also makes it less prone to interference from weather or other environmental factors, making it a reliable choice for UAV communication.

Higher bandwidth also enables UAVs to transmit large amounts of data quickly and efficiently, making it possible to capture high-resolution images and videos and transmit them in real time, which are crucial for remote sensing operations.

Moreover, LEO satellite constellations offer access to other frequency bands with higher bandwidth, such as the Ku and C bands.

The ability to access multiple frequency bands also allows for greater flexibility in UAV operations. UAVs can switch between different frequency bands depending on their location, environmental conditions, and the type of data being transmitted.

This flexibility enables UAVs to adapt to changing conditions and operate more efficiently, ultimately improving the overall performance of the system.

3.????Low Latency

Low latency refers to the amount of time it takes for data to travel from one point to another in a communication network.

Traditional communication satellites operate in geostationary orbit, which is around 36,000 km above the Earth's surface. This high altitude results in a long distance for the data to travel, which can cause delays or latency in communication.

In contrast, LEO satellites operate at altitudes ranging from 500-2000 km above the Earth's surface. This results in a shorter distance for the data to travel, reducing the latency or delay in communication between the UAV and the ground station.

The lower latency provided by LEO satellite constellations is critical for many real-time applications where reliable communication is essential and where even a small delay in communication can have significant consequences.

For example, in search and rescue operations, low latency enables the UAVs to transmit real-time video and location data to the ground station, allowing rescue teams to respond quickly and accurately.

Similarly, in military operations, low latency enables UAVs to transmit real-time data to commanders, allowing them to make informed decisions related to attack or defense.

Latest Update in UAV SATCOM

On April 11th, 2023, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) announced a successful demonstration of flight maneuvers using artificial intelligence (AI) and low Earth orbit satellite communication (LEO SATCOM) with its MQ-20 Avenger drone.

GA-ASI is the military contractor and subsidiary of General Atomics that manufactures UAVs and radar systems for the U.S. military and commercial applications.

The demonstration showcased the live collaborative combat aircraft ecosystem that allows for greater human-machine teaming and autonomous decision-making.

During the demonstration, the drone conducted combat maneuvers in real time while AI pilots autonomously adapted and retrained through reinforcement learning algorithms.

The artificial intelligence (AI) pilots were guided through LEO SATCOM using two L3Harris technologies, namely, Rapidly Adaptable Standards-compliant Open Radio (RASOR) multi-functional processors with a transceiver card and a behind-line-of-sight (BLOS) Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) controller.

This marks the first deployment of an LEO SATCOM connection to guide an AI-piloted combat aerial vehicle.

Michael Atwood, senior director of advanced programs at GA-ASI, said, "It displayed effective BLOS command and control through the collaboration between three defense primes. This showcases our rapidly maturing collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) mission system suite and moves us one step closer to providing this revolutionary capability to the warfighter."

The demonstration is a significant step forward for GA-ASI and the military, as the technology allows for quicker response times and adaptability in combat situations.

Moreover, with the deployment of LEO satellite constellations, the demand for UAV SATCOM terminals is expected to grow rapidly, leading to growth in the market.

According to data insights from BIS Research, the global UAV satellite communication (SATCOM) market is estimated to reach $10.7 billion in 2033 from $9.36 billion in 2022, at a growth rate of 1.34% during the forecast period.

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Conclusion

The emergence of LEO satellite constellations has made it possible to offer high-speed, low-latency connectivity to UAVs, which is crucial for applications such as remote sensing, real-time video streaming, and beyond-visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations.

Moreover, other advancements, such as the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in UAV SATCOM systems, as well as the development of new antenna technologies, are also contributing to the growth of the industry.

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