WASHINGTON — U.K.-centered Hanwha Phasor intends to launch its first flat panel antenna this summer to join a surge of multi-orbit broadband terminals entering the market in 2024.
The Phasor L3300B is created to link land vehicles for government and commercial users seeking connectivity from Ku-band satellites, like those in Intelsat’s geostationary fleet or the low Earth orbit (LEO) OneWeb network.
With a weight of 30 kilograms and a thickness of 15 centimeters, the electronically steered antenna is mainly targeting users of military and first responder vehicles.
Hybrid antennas promise customers more network backup and the flexibility to access the advantages of different orbital regimes without needing multiple terminals, making them particularly fitting for vehicles on the go. Hanwha Phasor plans to release its first flat panel antenna this summer to join a wave of multi-orbit broadband terminals coming to the market in 2024. Hanwha Phasor intends to introduce its initial multi-orbit terminal in the upcoming summer.
Hanwha Phasor has a terminal development agreement with OneWeb and plans to finalize tests with the operator over the next few months, according to Hanwha Phasor chief operating officer Dominic Philpott. The company is also in early talks with other operators to test Phasor L3300B with geostationary satellites.
Speaking to SpaceNews here after announcing plans March 20 to start shipping the terminals sometime between July and September, Philpott said Hanwha Phasor is talking with potential military customers across the United States, Europe, and South Korea.
“We haven’t taken any orders yet,” Philpott said, “but we suspect in the next three months that’s going to change.”
He said internal development work for a separate flat panel, multi-orbit Ku-band terminal designed for aircraft is also on track to be completed this summer, but flight safety certification processes will likely push out its commercial release to the second half of 2025.
“We’re getting a huge amount of interest from lots and lots of people from different domains.” he added, marking “the start of a successful future for the company.”
Hanwha Phasor’s premier antenna is set to hit the market four years after South Korean defense firm Hanwha Systems bought the company following its bankruptcy due to lack of cash for technology development.
Hanwha Systems, part of South Korean conglomerate Hanwha Group, was also an early investor in OneWeb and has intentions for its own low Earth orbit network.
“While we are part of Hanwha Group, we function as an independent entity,” Philpott mentioned, adding that Hanwha Phasor is not involved in any plan for a South Korean network.
With Hanwha's financial backing, he noted that Hanwha Phasor has expanded from nine employees at the time of its sale in 2020 to 110 individuals.
U.S.-centered Kymeta unveiled on March 18 that it had commenced shipping its military-focused Osprey u8 HGL terminal, the first flat panel antenna capable of connecting to Ku-band satellites in geostationary and low Earth orbit.
Other manufacturers with multi-orbit flat panel terminals planned for release this year include U.K.-based All.Space, Israel’s GetSat, and Requtech of Sweden.
