Flat Panel, Electronically Steered Antenna Boasts First of Its Kind Technology

With over half a century of innovation under its belt, Hughes continues to push the envelope and pioneer new groundbreaking technology. The announcement of a new flat panel antenna technology for OneWeb Low Earth Orbit (LEO) applications is the latest in a series of complex engineering feats achieved by the Hughes team.

A prototype of the new electronically steerable, flat panel antenna was unveiled for media at SATELLITE 2022 by John Corrigan, senior vice president of engineering. Mr. Corrigan shared a recording of the antenna performance as it connected to the constellation within seconds, streamed 4K video and browsed several websites with a quick and smooth experience.

The sleek and innovative design of the phased array antenna is low profile and contains no moving parts, making it ideal for both fixed and mobile connectivity. This high-performing technology is a game-changer for LEO service implementations around the world. During tests, the antenna supported speeds of 190 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up with roundtrip latency averaging 55 ms. Capable of seamless handoffs from one satellite beam to the next every 11 seconds and one satellite to the next every three minutes, this antenna is unlike any other technology developed to date.

Engineered specifically for OneWeb LEO service, the antenna will be manufactured by Hughes in its factory in Maryland, U.S.A., and is expected to be available in early 2023.

As a technology partner, investor and service provider for OneWeb, Hughes designed and is deploying the gateway electronics for the worldwide ground system and also developed and manufactures the core module used in every user terminal. The company has decades of LEO expertise, having developed ground system technology for both the Iridium and Globalstar systems.

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