editorial

Marlink will upgrade the hybrid network onboard the fleet of Alpha Adriatic, including cutting edge cyber security tools.

Alpha Adriatic will benefit from Sealink NextGen’s combination of VSAT and LEO internet, together with robust back-up and Marlink’s Advanced Threat Detection, Unified Threat Management and Endpoint Detection cyber tools.

Marlink will once again leverage its experience as a managed services provider to upgrade the hybrid network solution onboard, integrating Starlink to enhance options available for business applications and improving connectivity available to crews.

The solution provides Alpha Adriatic with several benefits, including:

• High bandwidth, low latency communications via Sealink NextGen to support smarter, digitalised fleet operations
• Enhanced cyber security to provide compliance with industry certification standards and reflect tighter regulation for vessel operators
• Hybrid solution offers improved uptime and reliability with secure communications and data transfer

Headquartered in Pula, Croatia, and listed on the Zagreb Stock Exchange, Alpha Adriatic operates in the dry bulk and tanker sectors, offering full ship management services to third parties. The Group holds ownership interests in one oil/chemical tanker and three bulk carriers, while also providing third-party ship management services for an additional bulk carrier and three oil/chemical tankers.

Alpha Adriatic is committed to being a modern and innovative company, focused on the high-quality growth of its fleet and the enhancement of services provided to our partners and clients. We rely on the extensive knowledge, experience, and adaptability of our teams both onboard and ashore to ensure safe, efficient, and sustainable operations.Vojko Braut, Technical Director at Alpha Adriatic. 

Marlink added to its cyber capabilities in 2024 with the acquisition of Croatia’s Diverto and then Port-IT, to enhance the breadth of cyber solutions available to remote maritime users. By combining this expertise with a hybrid network solution we can deliver smarter vessel operations to Alpha Adriatic.Tore Morten Olsen, President, Maritime, Marlink.

About Marlink
For companies operating in the world’s most challenging environments – from merchant vessels to offshore and onshore energy operations, from humanitarian organisations to cruise ships and superyachts – Marlink creates and delivers possibilities, anywhere. Marlink is a managed service provider and global leader in remote ICT solutions with annual revenues surpassing $800 million and 1,500 employees operating in more than 30 countries. Wherever our customers are in the world, we deliver them possibilities to work smarter and to operate more effectively, more safely, more sustainably – without the limitations of technology. With our possibility platform, we enable a comprehensive suite of end-to-end managed solutions (Connectivity, Network, Cyber Security, Cloud & IT, IoT & Apps), supported by professional services, unmatched global operations and delivery capabilities and local support teams.

As the frequency of natural disasters continues to rise, IEC Telecom has launched RDK 2.0, a next-generation, Rapid Deployment Kit designed to provide uninterrupted, high-speed connectivity to first responders and humanitarian teams.

With Starlink Mini at the core, this intelligent solution comes with an advanced network management toolkit and off-grid power supply, expanding possibilities of aid operations.

The increasing prevalence of climate-related disasters underscores the urgent need for robust communication solutions.

According to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the frequency of natural disasters has surged by 83% over the past two decades. From floods to fires, hurricanes to landslides, these events require immediate and coordinated action.

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) reports that more than 75% of first responders identify dependable connectivity as the single most critical factor for operational efficiency.

Reflecting this demand, the market for mobile satellite services in disaster management is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.5% through 2030. IEC Telecom, with more than 30 years of experience supporting the humanitarian sector, is uniquely positioned to address these challenges. As an authorized reseller of Starlink, IEC Telecom integrates advanced satellite technology with proprietary network management tools, delivering tailored solutions that empower emergency response teams to operate effectively in high-stakes scenarios.

RDK 2.0, powered by the innovative Starlink Mini, sets a new benchmark for reliable high-speed low-latency satellite connectivity and in the field. Featuring a compact terminal equipped with WIFI 5 technology, the smart case can seamlessly support up to 128 devices. Designed for ultimate autonomy, RDK 2.0 is fitted with batteries, enabling uninterrupted operation without dependence on external power sources. It can also be fitted with a car-mount kit for the Mini, enabling users to stay connected on the move.Seamless integration with IEC Telecom’s OptiView dashboard offers real-time monitoring giving teams full visibility and control over their network, ensuring entire teams stay connected during critical missions.

“RDK 2.0 was designed to redefine the end-user experience with Starlink, taking it to an entirely new level. Our solution enables autonomous, off-grid operation of the terminal. Integrated with OptiView, our advanced network management ecosystem, each kit can be remotely accessed for troubleshooting, ensuring seamless support in the field. In critical situations where every minute counts, RDK 2.0 delivers a comprehensive connectivity solution tailored to the specific needs of aid operations,” said Alf Stian Mauritz, Chief Strategy Officer of IEC Telecom Group.

“We believe that RDK 2.0 represents a significant leap forward in disaster response capabilities,” added Alf Stian Mauritz. “By combining Starlink’s state-of-the-art satellite technology with our expertise in network engineering, we’re equipping first responders with a reliable, portable tool that enhances their agility and effectiveness in the field, ultimately saving lives.”

IEC Telecom Group is a leading international provider of satellite voice and data services, with over three decades of expertise in network management solutions. The company plays a pivotal role in driving digitization at sea and across remote regions where GSM coverage is limited or unavailable. For urban enterprises, IEC Telecom ensures business continuity with resilient satellite backup solutions. With a comprehensive portfolio covering the entire communications lifecycle—from POC development to installation and maintenance—IEC Telecom also provides a wide range of value-added services, including cybersecurity, welfare communications, tracking, and more. IEC Telecom maintains a strong regional presence across eight countries, supported by a vast distribution network and global stock availability, ensuring seamless worldwide delivery.

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute (S3VI) has released their 2024 State-of-the-Art Small Spacecraft Technology report.

This accomplishment was made possible by the contributions of numerous dedicated people across NASA who graciously supported the preparation of the document as authors and reviewers. We also want to extend Our gratitude is also extended to all the companies, universities and organizations that provided content for this report.

The report is also available in PDF format as a single document containing all report content as well as individual chapters available on their respective chapter webpages. This 2024 edition reflects updates in several chapters to include: the Formation Flying and Rendezvous and Proximity Operations section within the “Guidance, Navigation, and Control” chapter; the Additive Manufacturing section within the “Structures, Materials, and Mechanisms” chapter; the Free Space Optical Communications section within the “Communications” chapter; and the Hosted Orbital Services section within the “Complete Spacecraft Platforms” chapter.

As in previous editions, the report contains a general overview of current state-of-the-art SmallSat technologies and their development status as discussed in open literature. The report is not intended to be an exhaustive representation of all technologies currently available to the small spacecraft community, nor does the inclusion of technologies in the report serve as an endorsement by NASA. Sources of publicly available data commonly used as sources in the development of the report include manufacturer datasheets, press releases, conference papers, journal papers, public filings with government agencies, and news articles.

Readers are highly encouraged to reach out to companies for further information regarding the performance and maturity of described technologies of interest. During the report’s development, companies were encouraged to release test information and flight data when possible so it may be appropriately captured. It should be noted that technology maturity designations may vary with change to payload, mission requirements, reliability considerations, and the associated test/flight environment in which performance was demonstrated.

Suggestions or corrections to the 2024 report toward a subsequent edition, should be submitted to the NASA Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute for consideration prior to the publication of the future edition. When submitting suggestions or corrections, please cite appropriate publicly accessible references. Private correspondence is not considered an adequate reference. Efforts are underway for the 2025 report and organizations are invited to submit technologies for consideration for inclusion by August 1, 2025.

NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology program within the Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the Small Spacecraft Systems Virtual Institute.

Eutelsat America Corp. and OneWeb Technologies Inc (EACOWT), operating in combination as a wholly owned independent U.S. proxy company and subsidiary of Eutelsat Group, have announced a contract with Hughes Network Systems, LLC (Hughes), an EchoStar company (Nasdaq: SATS), to develop an enterprise-grade OneWeb capable LEO modem transceiver Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) that will support EACOWT’s contract with L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) for the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) Call 003 program.

This hybrid SATCOM technology will deliver resilient Eutelsat OneWeb LEO broadband connectivity to the L3Harris RASOR Ecosystem, a scalable and configurable waveform solution that unifies multiple line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight capabilities into a single unit. It will provide military users with flexible software-defined multi-orbit connectivity for critical Comms on the Pause (COTP), Comms on the Move (COTM) and Aero applications through the AFRL’s DEUCSI Call 003 program. The partners will deliver this future-proof Eutelsat OneWeb LEO capability, helping to augment military communications by leveraging agile, commercial satellite innovation, beginning in 2025.

As a Eutelsat OneWeb and EACOWT distribution partner, Hughes has delivered and developed the OneWeb gateway electronics and core modules that enable military users to access OneWeb LEO broadband connectivity.

EACOWT is a leading provider of satellite services for the U.S. government and its allies, committed to ensuring customers’ access to the most reliable SATCOM capabilities available. Together, EACOWT and Hughes have delivered OneWeb LEO capabilities in the Arctic region for AFRL since 2021.

“Hughes is developing this solution leveraging its deep expertise in the OneWeb gateway electronics, Satellite Subscriber Module (SSM) and systems architecture,” said Ian Canning, CEO of EACOWT. “In addition to its engineering capabilities, Hughes is a long-standing distribution and technology partner. They are well placed to support EACOWT to deliver seamless and innovative connectivity solutions to address military users’ multi-orbit mobility needs.”

“Hughes looks forward to developing this critical, multi-orbit solution, which will integrate Eutelsat OneWeb’s resilient LEO broadband connectivity into L3Harris’ innovative RASOR Ecosystem,” said Raghunandan Janardhan, vice president at Hughes Defense and Government Systems. “By collaborating with EACOWT, we are meeting military requirements for innovative, resilient satellite communications worldwide.”

Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) will soon launch a satellite on a dedicated Electron mission, the first of a bulk order of multiple new missions for real-time space-based intelligence company BlackSky (NYSE: BSKY).

The mission, named “Fasten Your Space Belts”, will launch from Rocket Lab’s private orbital launch site, Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, in New Zealand during a launch window that opens on February 18^th UTC. The mission will launch the first Gen-3 satellite in BlackSky’s mid-inclination, Earth-imaging constellation to a circular 470 km orbit. The mission is the ninth launch for BlackSky since 2019, making Rocket Lab the most prolific launch provider for BlackSky’s constellation to date.

The mission will bring the total number of satellites delivered to space by Rocket Lab to 210 and follows a record year of 16 successful launches 2024. Each mission for BlackSky includes a Rocket Lab Motorized Lightband separation system for BlackSky’s satellites, demonstrating Rocket Lab’s vertical integration strategy and ability to provide commercial launch, satellite, and spacecraft components solutions across the mission spectrum.

“Fasten Your Space Belts” will be Rocket Lab’s second mission of 2025 and its 60^th Electron launch overall. Rocket Lab’s 2025 launch manifest includes Electron missions for commercial and government customers, as well as HASTE missions from Launch Complex 2. Launch windows for each will be announced in due course.

Rocket Lab founder and CEO, Sir Peter Beck, said, “Electron is a trusted and reliable constellation builder for companies like BlackSky, allowing them to be in control of how, when, and where to deploy their constellation. BlackSky is one of our earliest and longest-standing commercial satellite customers, and it’s great to be heading back to the pad with them once again to continue to advance and expand their constellation.”

“This launch represents a major inflection point for our global defense and intelligence customer base as BlackSky introduces low-latency, very high-resolution Gen-3 satellite to our dynamic, high-frequency monitoring constellation,” said Brian O’Toole, BlackSky CEO. “As more Gen-3 satellites complete production, we expect a regular cadence of additional launches over the coming year.”

ICEYE, the global leader in Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite operations for high-fidelity Earth Observation (EO), and SATIM, a world-leading provider of AI-based solutions for Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) on SAR imagery, have signed a partnership agreement for joint product development.

The companies will combine ICEYE’s industry-leading satellite imagery with SATIM’s cutting-edge AI-powered imagery analytics solutions into new products enabling prompt, high-confidence detection and classification of vessels, aircraft, and land vehicles. After an initial pilot phase, the partners plan to release a series of generally-available products in 2025. 

ICEYE owns and operates the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation, providing customers unprecedented access to 25 cm high-resolution imagery of any location on Earth, regardless of the weather conditions or day/night conditions. ICEYE’s unique, innovative satellites provide imagery with the industry’s highest resolution and scene sizes up to 840 km2, and hourly revisit rates for points around the globe. ICEYE has launched 44 satellites for its own and its customers’ use since 2018 and plans to launch more than 20 new satellites annually in 2025, 2026, and beyond.

SATIM is a world-leading AI technology company specializing in Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery.  Harnessing the power of AI and SAR imagery, SATIM offers three highly accurate AI-based solutions that enable fast, highly accurate detection, classification, and identification of targets —anywhere, anytime. These advanced solutions are data-agnostic, near real-time, and cover a wide catalog of objects.

Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE, said, “Our partnership with SATIM is an important step on our journey towards becoming the global source of truth. By combining our world-leading SAR imagery and capabilities with SATIM’s powerful AI-driven SAR image analytics, we will be able to serve our customers with easy, direct access to actionable intelligence and insights. Improving situational awareness with satellite-based intelligence will enable informed and rapid decision-making where it is needed the most.”

Jacek Strzelczyk, CEO and Co-founder of SATIM, said, ”At SATIM, we continue to set the standards in AI-powered SAR analytics, and our collaboration with ICEYE, a leading SAR imagery provider, is an important milestone in our pursuit of excellence. This partnership marks a significant step in our commitment to advancing space-based solutions that provide critical insights for those on Earth. As we continue to explore new ways to advance the field, this partnership represents an exciting step ahead, and we look forward to what lies ahead in this evolving landscape.”

The UK Ministry of Defence has announced that the Oberon Earth Observation (EO) synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite mission has been awarded to Airbus Defence and Space, with Oxford Space Systems as a key supplier.

The program will be using the innovative Wrapped Rib Antenna developed by Oxford Space Systems, enabling the deployment of both a primary reflector and secondary surface from a uniquely compact launch configuration. The Wrapped Rib Antenna incorporates carbon fiber and knitted gold-plated metal mesh components built in house at Oxford Space Systems facilities in Harwell and Abingdon, UK, together with manufactured parts from a predominantly UK supply chain, to form a large parabolic dish on deployment.

For this application, the Wrapped Rib Antenna is being used to provide Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capabilities and is part of a family of Wrapped Rib Antenna products which have both government and commercial use capabilities covering radar, communications and frequency monitoring applications over a range of radio frequencies, and with strong potential sales in selected export markets.

The Wrapped Rib Antenna development program has been supported over more than 7 years from inception by government programs including those from Innovate UK, National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), DSTL, DASA, ESA and UKSA; through commercial collaboration including with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) and Airbus Defence and Space, and through Oxford Space Systems equity investment.

Sean Sutcliffe, Chief Executive at Oxford Space Systems, said, “We are delighted to be part of the consortium selected to deliver the next generation intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance radar spacecraft for the UK. Oxford Space Systems is supplying the deployable antenna for this mission and is therefore a key enabler for this high performance capability at a competitive cost. The selection of Oxford Space Systems technology for this demanding and critical application is a testament to the many years of work that we and our partners have put into extensive development and testing of our innovative wrapped rib design, to be able to deliver and assure its performance and reliability. This success has been enabled by the support for the technology development and capability building given by our equity partners as well as by Government programs.”