As part of its W-Cube mission, Kuva Space (Helsinki, Finland) recently transmitted 75-GHz signals from an orbiting satellite to an Earth-based ground station. The mission was meant to provide a glimpse of the capabilities of wide bandwidths at mmWave frequencies to be made available from orbiting systems for applications such as climate monitoring and secure internet interconnections.
The W-Cube mission (see image above) was accomplished by Kuva Space working with leading European research partners and funding from the European Space Agency (ESA).
Janne Kuhno, co-founder and lead engineer of satellite technology at Kuva Space, explained the significance of the four-year mission. “Demonstrating a 75-GHz signal in a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) mission validates that satellites can operate at frequencies that unlock much greater bandwidth.”
Kuhno added, “This four-year mission demonstrates Kuva Space’s strong heritage in building and operating microsatellites for scientific missions reliably. Our mission now is building the world’s most extensive hyperspectral constellation, and all the learnings from W-Cube and past missions contribute to our future success.”
The W-Cube mission builds upon Kuva Space’s earlier work on the Sunstorm mission, monitoring solar X-ray activity and its effects on weather.
