Australia uses waveform technology to deliver satellite-enabled push-t…

In a recent demonstration to the ADF, Fleet Space Technologies applied the Beagle waveform technology to deliver push-to-talk capabilities using its Centauri 4 LEO satellite (pictured). (Fleet Space Technologies)

South Australia-based Fleet Space Technologies has used communications waveform technology Beagle to demonstrate satellite-enabled push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities to the Australian Defence Force (ADF).

Janes understands Beagle is a design framework developed by Australian company Safety from Space to generate efficient radio frequency (RF) signals that can transmit small and large amounts of data. The radio signals are carried on electromagnetic waves and the data is encoded and mapped using modulation techniques to determine the form. The waveform generated is specified by a complex mathematical representation.

The Beagle waveform was applied on Fleet Space's Centauri 4 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite to deliver tactical PTT during the demonstration, which was announced by the company on 12 March. The demonstration was conducted as part of Defence Space Command's (DSpC's) ASCEND2LEO programme, which aims to develop a LEO satellite communication (satcom) system leveraging Centauri satellites to deliver tactical voice and data transmission where connectivity is limited.

For the demonstration, the waveform configured a core executable module that ran over multiple software defined radios (SDRs) in the Centauri 4 satellite and ground terminals. The satellite has complementary transmitter and receiver functions at both ends that connect it to ground terminals, which provide application interface.

The custom Beagle waveform, developed under the ASCEND2LEO programme, was uploaded onto the satellite and combined with a small ground system and operating application to enable voice signals to be decoded in orbit. Fleet Space's payload, which is built around an RF system-on-chip (RFSoC) field-programmable gate array (FPGA) platform, also received an update that allowed Beagle to interface with the satellite's antenna system.