New generation of small, lightweight UAV satellite terminals

With the aim of seeding the market, Gotonomi will offer low size, weight, and power satellite terminals for uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) as flight trial development kits to partners. The terminals will be compatible with Viasat’s Velaris global connectivity solution, and have been developed as part of the revolutionary Iris air traffic modernisation programme, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and powered by Viasat’s ELERA satellite network.

Velaris provides secure communications for commercial UAVs to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and seamlessly integrate with aircraft in commercial airspace. It allows operators to send their UAVs on long-distance flights and access various applications, such as real-time monitoring, to ensure safe integration with air traffic.

Once connected to the Velaris service, Gotonomi's terminals will offer an always-available 200kbps secure datalink between vehicles, remote operators and UAV Traffic Management (UTM) systems. Users can choose between three initial variants:

• Velaris 200 – satcom only, fully integrated antenna
• Velaris Module – satcom only core module
• Velaris Multi-link Module – satcom core module and LTE hybrid terminal with edge compute

With hybrid connectivity, users have the benefit of low latency, high-speed 4G communications backed by a resilient satellite connection almost anywhere on the planet – providing seamless connectivity through the intelligent routing of data.

Tristan Barkley, Head of Satellite and Space at TTP, said: “We want Gotonomi to play a lead role in growing the ecosystem of resilient universal communications for autonomous vehicle safety, offering cutting edge products made possible by TTP know-how.”

Anthony Spouncer, Viasat’s Senior Director of Advanced Air Mobility (AAM), said: “It’s exciting to see TTP launch Gotonomi to service the huge potential that this market has to offer. Backed by the engineering expertise of TTP, and using our highly resilient Velaris service, Gotonomi customers will have a unique combination of long-range communications capability onboard their UAVs.”

Alongside satellite terminals, Gotonomi aims to play a key role in developing the market for safety products and services across a range of autonomous and remotely piloted vehicles on land, sea, and air. For example, systems that will aid detect and avoid (DAA) – a key element for the safe operation of UAVs in commercial airspace.