Space Agencies invest in Methera LED low-cost user terminal programme

Methera, in conjunction with the European, UK and Norwegian space agencies (UKSA, ESA and NOSA), the receipt of a €6.5m grant towards a major and innovative programme to develop a family of low-cost satellite user terminals. This initiative will directly support the Methera constellation and other MEO, GEO and LEO systems. It will not only make Broadband Internet more accessible for all but also enable more innovative service opportunities through major cost, performance and availability improvements. Methera has partnered with Global Invacom Ltd, Riverbeck Ltd and TSAT AS to create a strong and experienced consortium to design, develop and deliver the system.

The project will support the growth of a number of UK companies including those directly involved in the project and through the supply chain that will be created once the product goes to market.

Chris McIntosh, CEO Methera said:
“Access to affordable and high-speed broadband connectivity anytime and anywhere in the world is a key Methera tenet; dramatically reducing terminal costs is therefore essential to deliver significant competitive and performance benefits to Internet connectivity service providers and, more importantly, to the ever-increasing population who fall on the wrong side of the digital divide.

“The support from ESA, the UKSA and the NOSA is a firm endorsement of our business strategy. This grant will accelerate implementation of the Methera Broadband Service and directly increase the utility of satellite broadband connectivity. In addition to the space agencies and our consortium partners, I must also thank the Seraphim Space Camp team for their excellent strategic advice and support, that directly assisted our grant application and approach.”

Fabrizio De Paolis, ESA Technical Officer, added:
“Methera’s ambitions to play a major role in the satellite communications ecosystem are well justified by their understanding of the user requirements and by their commitment to the user terminal development.”

Tony Taylor, Executive Chairman of Global Invacom, commented:
“This project is a great opportunity for our business, enabling us to develop our next generation of low-cost tracking terminals for use with data over satellite on NGSO constellations. Collaborating with Methera on such an exciting project is testament to the strength of our partnership that has been in place for many years.

“With our highly experienced RF, mechanical and software teams, we are well-placed to deliver on both the discrete design packages and overall system integration.”

Riverbeck’s Managing Director, Graham Leach said:
“Riverbeck are delighted to announce development of a new generation of broadband satellite transceiver for Methera. The design and application are extremely compelling for us and we are excited to join this successful and innovative consortium”.
BCS Bureau