Page 64 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

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Roccor Completes Key Tests of Link 16 Satellite Antenna

Roccor has completed radio frequency
testing of the antenna scheduled for launch
later this year on the satellite housing
Viasat’s Link 16 military communications
terminal. The firm known for deployable
spacecraft structures, is working with
BluFlux, an antenna technology specialist,
to complete environmental testing of the
helical L-band antenna for XVI, an Air Force
Research Laboratory (AFRL) program to
demonstrate communications relay with a
Link 16 terminal on a small satellite. U.S.
military and NATO allies share information
through Link 16 terminals mounted on boom. Roccor developed the antenna challenging deployable antenna structure,”
aircraft, ships and ground vehicles. Viasat boom under a 2017 AFRL Small Business Davis told SpaceNews. Testing was
won an AFRL contract last year to mount a Innovation Research (SBIR) contract. another hurdle. The antenna is both large
Link 16 terminal on a small satellite. Viasat Since then, customers have deployed and delicate. BluFlux found a commercial
then selected Blue Canyon Technologies Roccor’s carbon-fiber booms successfully facility where the antenna can remain
to manufacture the 12-unit XVI cubesat on three satellites, including HSat1, Harris upright during tests of the deployment
and Roccor to supply the antenna. Since Corp.’s first smallsat, said Bruce Davis, mechanism and antenna performance,
the XVI satellite does not offer much room Roccor director of space antenna and said Ben Wilmhoff, BluFlux president and
for a deployment mechanism, Roccor deorbit products. Roccor and BluFlux founder. Roccor plans to continue evolving
worked with BluFlux, both of Louisville, faced an array of challenges in developing its Link 16 antenna design to create a
Colorado, to develop and test a two-meter- and testing an antenna large enough to production-ready model under a $3 million
long helical antenna that stows inside the communicate in a range of frequencies with SBIR contract awarded after Air Force
volume of a two-unit cubesat and extends terrestrial receivers. “What it came down Space Pitch Day in November.
on-orbit thanks to a slit-tube composite
to was a fast turnaround time to develop a

Viasat to Consolidate and Standardize Broadband Services Billing Ops with

Netcracker

Netcracker Technology has announced that global communications
company Viasat will standardize and consolidate its broadband
services billing operations onto a single, global billing platform
using Netcracker’s next-generation Digital Business Support
System (BSS). The Waltham, Massachuisetts-based vendor’s
Digital BSS Solution is expected to streamline Viasat’s business
processes, reduce operational costs and improve customer service
engagements ahead of the global ViaSat-3 constellation service
launch. By moving to Netcracker’s BSS, Viasat expects to achieve
better billing management, operations and automation; reduce
operational costs associated with enhanced BSS efficiency and
consistency; and provide customers with optimized billing, sales
and engagement experiences. As part of the BSS transformation, ability to offer new services and gain increased flexibility with
Netcracker will replace Viasat’s current billing systems with the Netcracker rating and billing manager is a crucial part of
Netcracker’s next-generation Digital BSS solution. This will enable implementing our international growth strategy.” “This program
Viasat to reduce time-to-market for new products, centralize demonstrates Netcracker’s commitment to delivering an end-to-
and consolidate core processes and systems and improve the end global consolidation of multiple BSS solutions that will help
customer experience. Viasat will also leverage Netcracker’s Viasat meet its aggressive growth strategy worldwide,” says Rohit
Hosted, Managed and Professional Services to execute this Aggarwal, general manager North America at Netcracker. “We are
transformation program. Kevin Harkenrider, president, Broadband pleased to expand our partnership with Viasat and support the
Services at Viasat commented, “Viasat expects to expand its organization’s ongoing business and technology evolution.”
network capacity dramatically in the next several years. The

64 MAY 2020