AESA Payloads to be Provided to Raytheon by CesiumAstro

Raytheon Technologies has selected CesiumAstro to provide its AESA phased array communications payloads for seven space vehicles supporting Space Development Agency’s (SDA’s) Tranche 1 Tracking Layer.

“By integrating AESA technology as part of our overall solution, we are setting an unprecedented standard, allowing for the swift transfer of critical information and giving our military forces a decisive advantage.”

David Broadbent.

The Vireo ASEA (active electronically scanned array) RF communications payload will be the first Ka-band, multi-beam communications system operating in SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA). Using next-generation AESA technology to create multiple steerable, shapeable beams, Vireo is a step change from legacy, single-beam systems optimized for connecting to single, static ground stations. The system’s groundbreaking modular slice-based design and software-defined backend will set a new standard for resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport to simultaneous users.

“With the recent launch of Tranche 0, SDA is setting a new pace of innovation and deployment,” said Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. “We are proud to provide the first AESA for the PWSA, enabling multi-beam RF mission data support for the warfighter."

AESA will Allow Missile Tracking from LEO

Raytheon’s space vehicles are part of Tranche 1 Tracking Layer, SDA’s first operationally capable set of low-Earth orbit (LEO) infrared missile warning and missile tracking satellites. When deployed, the constellation will integrate with the Transport Layer’s low-latency meshed phased array communications network, enabling conventional and advanced missile tracking from LEO.

“These types of missions require speed and resilience,” said David Broadbent, president of Space and C2 at Raytheon Intelligence and Space. “By integrating AESA technology as part of our overall solution, we are setting an unprecedented standard, allowing for the swift transfer of critical information and giving our military forces a decisive advantage.”

CesiumAstro designed the Vireo system to support a wide range of defense and commercial missions. Vireo’s reconfigurable architecture allows for rapid deployment with maximum flexibility. CesiumAstro builds high-throughput, software-defined phased array communications payloads for airborne and space platforms, including satellites, missiles, UASs, and more.

(Source: CesiumAstro news release. Images provided and from file)