Revolutionary Space Tech Startup Passes Major Development Milestone
In a significant breakthrough, Northwood Space, a cutting-edge startup founded by former TV star and singer Bridgit Mendler, has successfully connected with Planet imagery satellites in orbit, marking a crucial step forward in its mission to transform the space connectivity landscape.
By leveraging phased array technology, Northwood’s innovative Portal system aims to outperform traditional parabolic dish antennas, enabling simultaneous connections with up to 10 satellites at once. This marks a significant departure from the current standard of one to three connections.
Mendler, CEO of Northwood, envisions a future where ground stations are mass-produced, providing a seamless and efficient link between Earth and orbit. “We’re introducing a new standard for connectivity, eliminating blackouts and super expensive networks,” she explained.
The startup’s ambitious plans have drawn parallels with the cellular industry, where shared assets have led to greater efficiency. Northwood sees ground stations as the “third leg of the stool” in space technology, alongside rockets and satellites.
In a remote testing site in North Dakota, the Northwood team successfully deployed its prototype antenna, dubbed “Frankie,” connecting with a Planet satellite in both S-band and X-band frequencies. The achievement has been hailed as a “major milestone” by Planet, which boasts over 150 imagery satellites in orbit.
Northwood’s Portal system is designed to support up to 10 simultaneous satellite connections, with data rates exceeding 1 gigabit per second per beam. The company plans to deploy its first Portal sites in the U.S., Europe, Australia, and New Zealand next year.
With this breakthrough, Northwood Space is poised to revolutionize the Ground Station as a Service market, paving the way for a new era of efficient and cost-effective space connectivity.
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