Isotropic Systems secures funding for multi-beam antenna

Technology News | February 8, 2021

By Jean-Pierre Joosting

Wireless Communications RF transmission

Isotropic Systems has fully secured funding of over $40 million providing the necessary capital required to develop its game-changing multi-beam antenna. The round brings together equity and grant funding support from the UK Government and market leaders in aerospace and telecommunications. SES led the round, along with participation from specialised space investors Orbital Ventures, UK government’s Future Fund and existing investors Boeing HorizonX Global Ventures, Space Angels and Firmament Ventures.

Demand for the oversubscribed round was driven by recent development contracts for Isotropic Systems’ transformational terminal, advanced over-the-air testing, and the accelerated development and roll-out of its phase one terminal expected early 2022.

Isotropic Systems plans to accelerate its production phase in time to support new constellations and satellites launching in all satellite orbits from 2022 onwards. The company will also open a 20,000 square foot technology and testing facility near the company headquarters in Reading, UK, and will create an additional 150 highly skilled engineering roles over the next two years.

Isotropic Systems’ patented radio frequency optics technology enables the high-performance multi-beam antenna to simultaneously link with multiple satellites in multiple orbits without any compromise in the performance of each link. This unlocks the global satellite ecosystem for unprecedented connectivity across a broad range of markets, including government, defense, maritime, enterprise, and aerospace. With multiple new space constellations being launched by organisations including OneWeb, Inmarsat, Intelsat, SpaceX, Amazon, SES and Telesat, innovation in space needs to be matched by innovation on the ground and air.

“Isotropic Systems is extremely well positioned to unlock a new age of high-powered, multi-orbit connectivity with our next-gen multi-beam antenna,” said John Finney, Isotropic Systems Founder and CEO. “As one satellite constellation after another is announced for launch in future years, our technology is unique in that it allows service providers and end users to take the best of the many thousands of satellites going into orbit using a single integrated terminal, unlocking the demand for the satellite industry as a whole, radically changing the way bandwidth services are delivered to end-users and vastly exceeding the capability of any single satellite system.”

Brian Schettler, Senior Managing Director, Boeing HorizonX Global Ventures: “Our continued investment in Isotropic Systems, underlines our commitment to strengthening the global satellite ecosystem. The development of Isotropic’s unique RF optical technology will further accelerate the expansion of space-based connectivity to meet the growing demand for satellite data, transportation and mobility connectivity, and broadband services.”