PlaneWave Inc. is a new RF/antenna company with focus on design and manufacturing of RF and antenna subsystems for space applications.
In this article we discuss their growth over the last 12 months, look ahead to the company’s plans and ambitions in 2024, and share further information about their portfolio.
Contents
- PlaneWave’s growth in 2023
- PlaneWave’s ambitions for 2024
- Insights from the supply chain
- PlaneWave’s portfolio
- Further reading
PlaneWave in 2023
We asked PlaneWave what the company’s biggest wins in 2023 were. They replied with the following information:
PlaneWave had a very successful year where our fist batch of space antennas flew on a LEO mission.
In addition to deploying our line of spaceborne antennas, we have been working with several space startups designing their communication system architectures and future mission hardware.
PlaneWave in 2024
PlaneWave also shared the company’s strategic aims and ambitions for this year:
We have already booked several new spaceborne antennas for varieties of missions and space vehicles and will release the first batch of a new line of antennas designed specially for long-term missions in LEO environments.
In addition to the customer-driven designs, we have a few very intriguing ideas for emerging space applications for our R&D departments including mm-wave antennas, integrated antennas and Controlled Radiation Pattern Antennas (CRPA).
Insights from the supply chain
PlaneWave also shared a useful piece of advice for any space mission designer:
Space is a very harsh environment and very unforgiving to any complacency in the design or test. We cannot leave any t’s uncrossed or any i’s undotted.
This is the reason that our team is composed of seasoned players in the RF and digital fields with a bend towards efficient prototyping and iteration as well as a strong emphasis on designing with manufacturability and robustness.
Whether the need be of the Navigation, Communications, IoT, or specialized RF hardware, front-end or Antenna design variety, PlaneWave is ready to meet your needs.
PlaneWave’s portfolio
This section includes a variety of PlaneWave’s products available on the global market today. Click on the links to open pages with more detail on each system.
You can then make requests for quotes, documents, or further information, and we’ll handle these for you (find out more about how this simple process works on this page). You can also submit an open tender here and our expert procurement team will get back to you ASAP.
The PW1515-001 is an Active GPS L1 Antenna designed for satellite applications. It features an axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for reliable space vehicle navigation. The integrated LNA and filter further improve signal fidelity and make this antenna suitable for applications where interference may be an issue. PW1515-001 is radiation tolerant, lightweight and easy to integrate.
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The PlaneWave PW1515-201 GPS L1 LNA is designed for satellite applications. It is the LNA-only version of the PW1515-001 antenna. It shares identical features and design with PW1515-001 in every aspect, except for the absence of the radiating element. Instead, the input of the LNA section is connectorized. This configuration facilitates connectorized tests, including Hardware-In-The-Loop test (HITL), irradiation test, noise figure active gain test and verification, and more.
The PlaneWave PW1515-301 is a GPS L1 Test Hat developed for space applications. It serves as the perfect companion for testing the link during the integration of PlaneWave antennas on the space platform. All of the PlaneWave’s space antennas include Test Hat mounting features which eliminate the need for adding extra brackets on the platform.
The PlaneWave PW2020-000 is an Active S-Band RHCP RX Omni Antenna designed for space applications. It is a high-performance uplink antenna designed for TT&C applications in harsh space environments. It features an excellent axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for demanding and reliable space communication links.
The PlaneWave PW2020-110 is a high-performance uplink S-Band Dual-CP RX Omni Antenna designed for TT&C applications. It features an axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for demanding and reliable space communication links. This antenna is suitable for multiple space applications, including LEO, MEO, and GEO. It is lightweight and easy to integrate. It is also available with Test Hats to facilitate testing and integration.
The PlaneWave PW2020-310 is a S-Band Dual-CP RX Omni Test Hat designed for satellite applications. It serves as the perfect companion for testing the link during the integration of PlaneWave antennas on the space platform. All of PlaneWave’s space antennas include Test Hat mounting features which eliminate the need for adding extra brackets on the platform. PlaneWave Test Hats are compact in size, and without significantly impacting antenna matching, they provide strong coupling to the antenna which enables consistent, accurate, and reproducible measurements.
The PlaneWave PW2222-101 is a high-performance downlink S-Band RHCP TX 2x2 Antenna designed for TT&C applications. This antenna is suitable for a variety of space applications in LEO, MEO, and GEO. It features an axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for demanding and reliable space communication links. It is lightweight and easy to integrate. It is also available with Test Hats to facilitate testing and integration.
The PlaneWave PW2222-110 is a high-performance downlink S-Band Dual-CP TX Omni Antenna developed for TT&C applications. This antenna is suitable for a variety of space applications in LEO, MEO, and GEO. It features an axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for demanding and reliable space communication links. It is lightweight and easy to integrate. It is also available with Test Hats to facilitate testing and integration.
The PlaneWave PW2222-301 is a S-Band RHCP TX 2x2 Test Hat designed for satellite applications. It serves as the perfect companion for testing the link during integration of PlaneWave antennas on the space platform. All of the PlaneWave’s space antennas include Test Hat mounting features which eliminate the need for adding extra brackets on the platform.
The PlaneWave PW2222-310 is an S-Band Dual-CP TX Omni Test Hat designed for satellite applications. It serves as the perfect companion for testing the link during the integration of PlaneWave antennas on the space platform. All of PlaneWave’s space antennas include Test Hat mounting features which eliminate the need for adding extra brackets on the platform.
The PlaneWave PW8282-101 is a X-Band RHCP TX 2x2 Antenna designed for space applications. It is a high-performance antenna designed for high trhoughput downlink applications in harsh space environments. It features excellent axial ratio over the entire frequency band, making it ideal for demanding and reliable space communication links.
The PlaneWave PW8282-301 is an X-Band RHCP TX 2x2 Test Hat designed for satellite applications. It serves as the perfect companion for testing the link during integration of PlaneWave antennas on the space platform. All of the PlaneWave’s space antennas include Test Hat mounting features which eliminate the need for adding extra brackets on the platform.
Further reading
The links below will take you to other satsearch resources where you can learn more about some of the topics mentioned on this page: