Wideband RF Recorder saves data… and missions
When critical missions are on the line, having the appropriate technology in place makes all the difference. In today’s rapidly evolving technology landscape, and dynamically expanding scope of operation, capturing every bit of information is imperative to mission success.
During a recent mission from one of the keystone pioneers of technology and exploration, a Wideband Systems’ RF Recorder played a pivotal role in ensuring mission success, earning high praise across the site. From mission operations to test & development teams, the impact of Wideband’s cutting-edge RF recording technology was recognized and appreciated.
During the operation of a cutting-edge mission, pushing the boundaries of technology as we know it, mission support teams encountered unresolvable discrepancies during data acquisition of the vehicle telemetry signals being captured by antennas at the ground station. This interruption during transitional phases of the mission threatened to derail critical mission objectives. This is where the WSI RF Recorder came into play, capturing the raw RF signals containing the mission data.
Operators were able to reconstitute the mission’s signals and dub it into their standard equipment using the high fidelity of the RF signals captured in real-time during the mission. The ability to faithfully reconstruct the mission’s RF signals proved invaluable, demonstrating why WSI’s recorders are the preferred choice for high-stakes telemetry environments. Recognition Across the Base
Following the mission, feedback from organizational leadership, mission operations, support, and technical teams highlighted the recorder’s essential role, and all acknowledged the impact, with comments emphasizing that Wideband “saved the day” by providing a safety net, and considerable cost-savings, for critical mission data.
Even departments outside the immediate mission scope took notice. The performance of the RF Recorder sparked conversations about its broader applications, such as high-data- rate operations, amongst others, opening the door for future discussions on expanded use cases.
Beyond this successful support effort, the event has reinforced the importance of high-fidelity RF recording and real-time signal analysis in modern mission environments. There is now increased interest in leveraging Wideband’s solutions for reliably capturing critical mission data.
The aforementioned success case underscores Wideband Systems’ commitment to delivering mission-critical telemetry solutions. Whether supporting flight tests, range and launch operations, or satellite tracking, WSI’s recorders continue to set the standard for reliability and performance.
www.delta-telemetry.com
SSC building ‘pathways to primes’ for subcontractors through first-time initiative
U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command’s Small Business Office, in collaboration with SpaceWERX, recently hosted their inaugural Sub-contracting Forum to accelerate the space acquisition process by connecting small businesses with space and defense industry prime contractors and Department of Defense (DoD) experts in El Segundo, California.
SSC Small Business Director, Aaron Parra
(left), moderates a panel aimed at informing
small businesses about avenues to connect
with primes.
(U.S. Space Force Photo by Van Ha)
SSC manages a $15.6 billion acquisition budget, working in partnership with industry to deliver systems varying from a new satellite or launch vehicle to ground-based sensors and communications equipment.
In most cases, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) lead partner on such programs is a prime contractor from the private sector, often a large aerospace or defense company whose name is a household word. In turn, primes are supported by scores or even hundreds of subcontractors, usually smaller companies that supply components or services to the larger company, and whose contribution to the overall program is managed by the prime. The large and small business categories are defined by the federal government using a variety of criteria.
“SSC, historically, has had a focus on buying the entire system: an entire satellite, or an entire satellite constellation,” said Aaron Parra, a contracting specialist who leads SSC’s Small Business Office. “Today, we are introducing agile, innovative small businesses to our supply chain via subcontracting opportunities both to broaden our access to cutting edge technologies and to work faster on behalf of our warfighters.”
Expanding the number of potential subcontractors and potentially helping some of the same companies make the move to serving as a prime contractor is the responsibility of SSC’s Small Business Office, which oversaw the award of contracts valued at almost $945 million in 2024 to qualified small businesses.
Although impressive, that amount is less than a tenth of the total SSC procurement budget that is open to small businesses—some $11.5 billion—most of which, instead, went to large businesses. The engagement at this event provided an opportunity for small businesses to engage prime contractors in support of USSF mission areas aimed at enhancing warfighting lethality and efficiency in support of nation defense.
Deidra Eberhardt, a senior SSC official who oversees the command’s commercial, business, and acquisitions functions. “This is a relationship that we need to nurture to improve the opportunities for small business and for fortifying the prime contractor supply chain.”
At the forum, panelists discussed the roles of primes, how to bid as a subcontractor, and mentor-protégé programs for both primes and subcontractors facilitated by the Defense Department and the U.S. Small Business Administration.
“We need you, our small businesses. We need to increase resiliency in our supply chain,” said Patricia Pierson, Lockheed Martin Space’s manager of Small Business Programs, who spoke at the forum. “We’re going to accomplish this by inserting more competition in our supply chain to reduce single source dependencies, utilizing new, innovative, small business partners.”
With the success of the forum, SSC’s Small Business Office is planning for this to become an annual event in Los Angeles, and to potentially host similar events in other markets where the SSC operates, including California’s Central Coast, home to Vandenberg Space Force Base, and Central Florida, where Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station are located.
“We do have small business professionals at Patrick and Vandenberg, so we are hoping to do more localized outreach in those regions,” Parra said. “There is a wide range of needs—and opportunities—at those installations and others across the country, and we really want to make certain we can bring subcontractors with the capabilities we need on board, no matter where they are located. This should be a win- win-win, all around, for all of us.”
Resources for small businesses looking for opportunities with Space Systems Command or other DoD organizations:
Space Systems Command Commercial Space Office
The Commercial Space Office (COMSO) is responsible for accelerating commercial partnerships to deliver fight tonight capabilities aligned with warfighter needs.
Space Systems Command Small Business Office
The Small Business Office works specifically with small business owners who are interested in contracting opportunities with Space Systems Command.
Space Systems Command Front Door
The Front Door effort exists to help early-stage start-ups and innovative commercial enterprises explore opportunities to collaborate with USSF.
The Space Enterprise Consortium
The Space Enterprise Consortium, or SpEC, was created in 2017 through what was then the Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, today’s SSC, at Los Angeles Air Force Base (LAAFB).
Space Industry Days
Space Industry Days, and Reverse Industry Day events, provide industry an opportunity to receive presentations from USAF, USSF, and SSC’s senior leadership on current and emerging opportunities.
Lisa Sodders, Space Systems Command Public Affairs
Square Peg expands RLS-2100 to meet transformative space economy demands
Square Peg Communications has added software enhancements to the company’s RLS-2100 Radio Link Simulator—the simulator will be the first to enable up to 2 GHz bandwidth in a single compact solution for ultra-wide bandwidth hardware-in-the-loop testing and will also allow defense agencies, satellite operators, manufacturers and integrators to conduct dynamic and precise 5G non-terrestrial network (NTN) testing of new use cases, and enable seamless OpenAMIP modem to antenna integration.
The three new features will ensure satellite communications operators are able to test and simulate their systems for reliability and resiliency under the most demanding conditions prior to deployment. They include:
2 GHz Bandwidth Support for Ultra-Wideband Testing
The RLS-2100 is the only platform offering 2 GHz bandwidth in a single compact device, enabling ultra-wideband RF testing. The added bandwidth is significant as data throughput demands increase, particularly in defense communications, Earth observation and other satellite applications. This capability enables military and government customers, with access to wide spectrum resources, and commercial LEO satellite operators to consolidate multiple carriers for greater efficiency and cost-reduction. Operators and integrators have the flexibility to add extra bandwidth or channels to the “future-ready”
RLS-2100 later to test emerging ultra-wideband applications— delivering higher throughput, faster downloads and unmatched performance when needed.
Dynamic 5G NTN Testing to Synchronize Satellite Movement and Networks
A new real-time satellite ephemeris streaming feature enables operators to use the RLS-2100 to accurately test real-time 5G NTN satellite positions and to set up fully synchronized scenarios to relay data to user terminals through 5G protocol messages. This synchronized test platform enables critical verification of low-latency, high-speed connections in 5G systems. Square Peg pioneered this technology when it was previously selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop an emulation environment for testing scenarios across multiple satellite constellations as part of its Space for 5G and 6G Strategic Program Line. In partnership with WORK Microwave, and with support from the Canadian Space Agency and ESA, Square Peg delivered a solution that models dynamics, controls channel impairments, and spans nearly 30 GHz, meeting ESA’s advanced requirements.
OpenAMIP Integration for Realistic Antenna Control Simulation
Square Peg’s RLS-2100 is also the first platform to offer fully-integrated OpenAMIP simulation, making testing in the lab as realistic as field conditions. Modern satellite systems rely on dynamic antenna adjustments, especially in mobile and maritime satellite networks. OpenAMIP integration lets satellite operators needing realistic test scenarios easily simulate these real-world antenna behaviors in a lab to avoid expensive failures in the field, while minimizing test setup complexity and facilitating optimal use of channel emulation resources.
“As satellite communications advances and continues to require higher bandwidth for an increasingly data- driven future, it also increases the complexity of testing and simulation prior to launching into orbit,” said Michael Gertsman, president, Square Peg Communications. “Square Peg is leading the way with the RLS-2100 platform, adding breakthrough capabilities to meet the increased need for greater bandwidth, robust 5G NTN satellite communications testing and OpenAMIP integration for realistic simulation of antenna control — all from a single compact and cost- effective box.”
Square Peg Communications will showcase this technology at booth #1214 at the SATELLITE 2025, March 10-13.
About Square Peg Communications
Square Peg Communications specializes in satellite systems engineering and the development and manufacture of DSP-based ground, airborne and spaceborne satellite communications products for customers worldwide. Led by a senior team with many decades of industry experience, Square Peg has a proven track record of delivering state-of-the-art mobile satellite solutions including the industry-leading RLS-2100 radio link simulator, satellite terminal qualification equipment, satellite modems, and earth stations.
squarepeg.ca
UK’s new satellite deal to boost military operations, jobs and growth
Armed forces personnel will have access to the latest space-based imagery for military operations, following a deal signed for a new satellite system, named Oberon.
The £127 million deal with Airbus will support around 200 skilled jobs in Stevenage and Portsmouth, boosting the UK’s space capabilities and delivering on the Government’s Plan for Change.
The Oberon satellite system, made up of two Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites, will be able to capture day and night-time images of the Earth’s surface, strengthening the UK’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities. Expected to launch in 2027, Oberon will have advanced imagery sensors, building on the capabilities of Tyche, UK Space Command’s first satellite which successfully launched in August last year.
The deal comes as UK Space Command has published the first images captured by Tyche. The images of Heathrow Airport, Sydney, Washington DC, and the California wildfires, demonstrate Tyche’s ability to capture imagery from anywhere on Earth when Defense needs it.
Both satellites form part of the Ministry of Defense’s space-based Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance program, known as ISTARI, which will deliver a constellation of satellites and supporting ground systems by 2031.
These satellites will support military operations, for example by monitoring adversary activities, and contribute to other government tasks, including natural disaster monitoring, the development of mapping information, and tracking the impact of climate change around the world.
UK Space Commander, Major General Paul Tedman, said, “Through UK Space Command, defense is partnering with industry and continuing to invest in advanced and innovative space technologies. Oberon, alongside Tyche and other satellites in our ISTARI constellation, will allow us to observe what’s happening on Earth from jobs and growth space at any time and through any weather. This will enable and enhance UK and allied military operations around the world.
“The contract for Oberon was awarded via competitive procurement to Airbus, which worked with Small and Medium- Sized Enterprises across the UK to leverage innovative new technologies for the 400 kg satellites. The antennas for the spacecraft will be supplied by Oxford Space Systems, which has developed carbon fiber structures that stow away in very small volumes for launch but spring into shape once in orbit.
“Oberon will play a key part in securing critical UK skills in the growing global space sector. The aerospace sector added almost £40 billion to the economy last year, a growth of 50% in the last 10 years, and employs tens of thousands of people. The project will also help inform the procurement strategy for future space capability requirements.
?Space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance offers unparalleled earth observation, operating over any part of the globe. Constellations of ISR satellites can use different sensors and cameras, allowing focus to move quickly from one area of the world to another.
In contrast to conventional cameras, Oberon will use SAR to capture imagery in all- weather conditions.
Ben Bridge, Airbus Defense and Space UK Chairman, said,“Oberon’s satellites will give the UK a much-needed sovereign capability and greatly enhance its space surveillance autonomy. Airbus in the UK has more than 45 years’ experience in the design and build of high-resolution radar satellites and, once in orbit, these spacecraft will play a vital role in keeping our Armed Forces safe around the world.”
Paul Russell, Space team leader at DE&S, said, “This has been a superb team effort by members of DE&S, Space Command, DSTL and industry. With the award of the Oberon contract, we will deliver the next in a series game changing capabilities to UK Space Command providing the UK military with leading Space Based Synthetic
Aperture Radar whilst helping to keep our nation safe and prosperous. We are looking forwards to working with Airbus as our Mission Partner to deliver this important capability together.”
gov.uk
