TTP spins out satellite connectivity company for drones
UK consultancy TTP has launched a spin off company to commercialise lightweight technology to connect drones to satellites.
Gotonomi has used TTP technology to develop a range of small, lightweight terminals that connect drones to Viasat satellites.
The terminals have been developed as part of the Iris air traffic modernisation programme, led by the European Space Agency (ESA) and use Viasat’s ELERA satellite network and Verlais connectivity system.
The terminals are based around the OMAP ARM processors from Texas Instruments and provide secure communications for commercial drones to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and seamlessly integrate with aircraft in commercial airspace. This allows operators to send drones 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.
There are three initial variants. The Velaris 200 is a satcom only system with fully integrated antenna based around the Velaris OMAP Module. The Velaris Multi-link Module combines the satcom core module and LTE hybrid terminal with edge compute from a NXPi.MX 8M MINI application processor SOM module.
The hybrid connectivity combines 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.
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“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,” said Tristan Barkley, Head of Satellite and Space at TTP.
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.
TTP has worked on projects developing user terminals and antennas for satellite connectivity, including for UAVs, 5G Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTNs), intersatellite links and space sustainability.
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