With over half a decade of expertise, Antwerp Space offers a wide range of solutions for different types of customers, governmental as well as commercial.
While it is a self-standing entity, Antwerp Space benefits, on request, from the full support of the other members within the OHB group in addition to its own capabilities. OHB staff includes specialists for all fields of satellite design, AIT and operations.
Governments
As communication specialist, Antwerp Space offers secure communication solutions and equipment, as well as Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) detection, geo-location and countermeasure equipment to secure the operation of space-based governmental communications or other RF- based systems (e.g. instruments).
Precise PNT (Positioning, Navigation and Timing) payloads and equipment form another part of the technologies offered.
Agencies
Based in ESA member state Belgium, Antwerp Space supports ESA in its science missions with communication equipment and subsystems, e.g. the complete communication subsystems for ExoMars and JUICE. Besides the science programs, Antwerp Space is active in the programs executed by ESA for the European Union in communication, navigation and Earth observation domains, within the Galileo and Sentinel systems.
Satellite Integrators
As expert in communication systems and their integration into Prime contractor satellites, Antwerp Space can offer complete communication subsystems in the different frequency bands (S-Band to Ka-Band) for LEO through to deep space missions. Such activities do not only develop the subsystem, but they also deliver co-engineering support for best satellite overall performance, integration into the satellite platform (typically at Prime premises) and the joint testing of the communication subsystem. Antwerp Space has shown these capabilities recently in the JUICE and ExoMars programs.
By extending its activities to the smallsat and cubesat market, Antwerp Space also offers customized highly integrated communication on-board units, such as satellite interlinks, to overcome the current shortcomings of these small satellites. A main point in Antwerp Spaces design is the provision of a highly dependable communication link and QoS, but also of an in-orbit reconfigurable design (bandwidth, frequency, “ModCod”, data routing..) to be prepared for changes in the customer base of the satellite operator.
Payload Integrators
The Antwerp Space communication or RFI equipment can equally be integrated into payloads. Examples for such equipment are the modems for Intersatellite Links (ISLs) just mentioned, communication signal processing units, as well as LEO and deep space transponders.
Different communication technologies, as SDR, integrated photonics circuits, customized RF designs were developed and qualified during the last years of cooperating with ESA in Science, GSTP and ARTES, as well as within the Horizon-2020 program.
This broad spectrum of technologies allows Antwerp Space to identify and propose the best-fitting technology & budgetary solution to the customer, ranging from Class 1 EEE part solutions (typical ESA or governmental projects), Class 3 or defense class EEE Parts solutions (for highest QoS applications) down to automotive/COTS EEE part solutions (for smallsat and cubesat markets).
The further ability to combine the RF domain with integrated photonics, based on our novel PIC developments, addresses communications equipment design more effectively in the higher frequency bands: K-, Ka-, Q-,V- and beyond then the current μ-wave technology alone.
Antwerp Space has strong experience in the design and integration of complete communication payload for different use cases.
Satisfied customers include OHB, Airbus Defence and Space, TAS, MDA, etc.