Startical deployed its first operational satellite for ATC this month, heralding the start of a testing phase for its space-based air traffic control technology – and the company's transformation into a satellite operator.
The Madrid-based firm, which is a joint venture between Spanish ANSP ENAIRE and ATC and Space technology supplier Indra, wants to establish a constellation of at least 200 satellites in orbit. These will provide continuous communication channels for aircraft over oceanic and unpopulated regions, where real-time quality voice coverage and tracking are currently unavailable.
Operational testing
The IOD-1 (In-Orbit Demonstrator-1) satellite is the first step towards achieving this goal. It will assess the limits of using CubeSats – compact, cost-effective, and energy-efficient satellites – for aeronautical communication. IOD-1 will be tested for compliance with existing aviation standards and its capability to support the continuous, high-quality voice and data channels needed to facilitate communication between pilots and controllers.
The 25kg satellite was launched on March 15 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on board SpaceX’s Transporter-13 rideshare mission. IOD-1 is equipped with a novel VHF communication payload including a 3m (8ft) long antenna to enable direct communication with aircraft, and an ADS-B surveillance system.
A mission control centre has been deployed in Madrid and will be used to manage the test and demonstration activities, which will be conducted in Gran Canarian airspace first and then in the South Atlantic corridor over oceanic regions in Portugal, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast and Brazil before the end of the year.
"For us, it's very exciting," said Juan Enrique González Laguna CEO of Startical. "We have been working on this for several years. Our shareholders were developing this concept even before the creation of Startical."
IOD-1 will demonstrate operational space-based air traffic control for the first time and is part of the EU-cofunded ECHOES project, which is managed by the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) and supported by the SESAR Joint Undertaking. ECHOES aims to evaluate how space-based ATM services can improve and reduce the environmental impact of flights.
Satellite commissioning
Startical’s engineers will spend the next two months commissioning IOD-1, which is the first of two test satellites for the mission.
“Our first satellite is a 16U CubeSat. We want to see how far we can push the limits of miniaturized technology for air traffic applications,” says González-Laguna. “The second satellite will feature a more advanced payload, increasing our technical margins and bringing us closer to the final constellation configuration.”
IOD-2, which is also part of the ECHOES project, was delivered to Spain’s National Institute for Aerospace Technology (INTA) in Madrid during February for testing. It is scheduled to launch during the summer.
The payload of IOD-2 was designed and built by Indra, which has significant expertise in ground-based air traffic systems. This project also aims to strengthen Indra’s presence in space technology.
Data from the test campaign will be used to inform the design of a satellite that is optimised for Startical’s ATC application.
“It is essential that the price and performance are right. The final satellite we will use for the constellation won’t be a standard platform,” says González-Laguna.
Industry partnerships
A previous R&D program called VOICE has already tested the technology on the ground. Essentially, ECHOES takes that technology into space to test it.
The tests will be carried out with the ANSPs ENAIRE, NAV Portugal, ASA, ASECNA, and DECEA. Several airlines are also involved, including Air Europa, Iberia, TAP Portugal, Vueling and Plus Ultra.
“This type of testing has never been done before with real satellites, standard VHF frequencies, and airlines,” says González-Laguna. “We won’t be changing basic procedures or protocols for the pilots or controllers during the tests, and that is the aim with the final service.
“The aircraft is the same, the pilot will communicate with controllers using VHF in the same way, but we will be tracking and providing frequencies with our satellites.”
Any technical changes will be minor with in principle, none to the avionics, and certifications will have to be updated. “There will be no need for new equipment for ANSPs,” says González-Laguna. “They will simply buy a service provided by Startical.”
Antennae are being installed close to the control centres for the IOD proof-of-concept testing to avoid latency. “We understand that ANSPs may want critical hardware under their control”, says González-Laguna.
Safety benefits
Like all systems in ATC, Startical is developing its solution to be as safe as possible and have multiple layers of redundancy. This is why so many satellites are needed – to not just provide coverage but also provide two or three “spares” in case one goes offline.
The increased tracking and communications of Startical’s space-based service provide clear safety benefits. More precise and timely commands can be implemented, and the need for large separation distances will be eliminated. It will also give airline pilots the ability to react better in critical situations such as weather-related route changes or onboard medical emergencies.
But safety is not the only benefit of developing space-based ATM systems. With improved communication, the flight path can be optimized, minimizing fuel consumption and reducing emissions. For airlines that means less spent on fuel.
More test satellites will be launched after IOD-1 and 2, which will be closer to the final constellation configuration, and more sophisticated tests performed.
However, González-Laguna believes it will be challenging to fully deploy its services this decade. He says, “We want to launch our constellation as soon as possible. But to do that, we need to work with regulators, and the regulations are developing slowly.
“We will have a more concrete deployment strategy by the end of next year. There may be some limited services offered before 2030, but offering a full service before the end of the decade will be difficult.
“The technologies involved are not new, but the development process is tough. We have to work with the frequencies, and some of the challenges around the size of the satellites, the power requirements, and the costs are not easy to solve.”
European capabilities
On the other hand, there is no doubt about González-Laguna’s pride in the launch and the change of Startical into a space company. “We want to be a satellite operator, to control the procurement and for the first time provide real-time communications for these flights,” he says.
“It will be the first time continuous communications have been achieved between a spacecraft and aircraft, but we need to deliver it in a competitive way to the market.”
Establishing large constellations of communications satellites in Low Earth Orbit may draw comparisons with other space companies, but González-Laguna does not see Startical as the Spanish Starlink.
“Startical is a very specialised focused service. You cannot compare it to Starlink or other initiatives, which intend to compete with it,” he says. “Nevertheless, Europe needs to develop its capabilities in this area of space-based ATM.
“Our stakeholders don’t see this as just a Spanish program, it is European. It is not acceptable with today’s technology that an aircraft can be lost to ATC in the middle of the Ocean – we want to solve that.”