On March 18, Parsons Corporation announced it has completed integration, testing, and operational acceptance of the first Raven Defense S‑Band Phased Array Receive and Transmit Antenna Node (SPARTAN) into the company’s OrbitXchange global antenna network.
The SPARTAN system is the first phased‑array‑fed parabolic antenna of its kind deployed in an operational environment to support satellite commanding, telemetry, and mission data collection. The 6-meter full-motion parabolic dish incorporates a phased-array feed that enables eight electronically steerable downlink beams and a dedicated uplink beam, allowing simultaneous support for multiple spacecraft.
“This is a significant capability jump for OrbitXchange and for our customers offering greater operational capabilities with a single, affordable antenna,” said Ed Baron, senior vice president of Parsons’ Space Engineering Solutions. “SPARTAN delivers the performance of a traditional parabolic antenna at a competitive price point, but with the added advantage of commanding and controlling multiple satellites at once an expanded capability not available on standard ground antennas. Its flexible design allows operators to retrofit legacy antennas, scale to larger apertures for missions extending to cislunar space, or chain multiple units together to provide continuous coverage across the geosynchronous belt.”
Designed to meet the demanding requirements of national security space missions, the initial SPARTAN installation added to Parsons OrbitXchange provides the largest Unified S‑Band and Space Ground Link System (SGLS) commercial capability currently available for U.S. government customers. The system-design can also be tailored to additional frequency bands to meet emerging mission needs. SPARTAN is equipped with the Parsons Mission Link Modem (MLM), a software-defined radio that delivers flexible signal processing and supports a wide range of mission sets, waveforms, and data rates.
Baron added that Raven Defense customized the antenna for satellite commanding and telemetry operations directly from its production line. “We look forward to expanding our partnership with Raven Defense and deploying additional SPARTAN systems to meet the accelerating needs of our government and commercial customers,” he said.
Source: Parsons
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