Ibadan, 9 October 2023 – TESAT has signed a contract with Airbus to supply newly designed Quad Microwave Power Modules (Quad-MPM) for OneSat. This agreement follows from the European Space Agency (ESA) and TESAT’s development program to improve the functionalities and design of MPMs. This consequently laid the foundation for the final design and qualification process for the Quad-MPM.
Integrating TESAT’s Quad-MPM with Airbus’ OneSat will improve the satellite’s flexibility in power and frequency. In addition to this, OneSat is fully reconfigurable in orbit, capable of adjusting the coverage area, capacity and frequency “on the fly” to meet evolving mission scenarios. It builds on the heritage of Airbus’ Eurostar geostationary telecommunications satellites and the company’s constellation expertise with OneWeb. The OneSat program enjoys support from the ESA, as well as the French Space Agency (CNES), the UK Space Agency, and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
Designed for the new generation of software-defined satellites, the new Quad-MPM is a high-frequency power amplifier for Ku-Band (10.7-12.75GHz) and Ka-Band (17.7-21.2GHz) satellite downlinks. It comprises four amplifier chains, allowing operators to control four frequency channels simultaneously and comes in a mass-optimized package with Travelling-Wave-Tubes (TWT) and an Electronic Power Conditioner (EPC).
Its high reliability, increased flexibility and consequent performance in output power lead to high interest and increasing demand for Quad-MPMs. As a result, “TESAT is expanding its production capacity and extending its comprehensive RF and active product portfolio”, says Björn Klingenberg, Product Manager for Active and Passive Products at TESAT.
