Harris Corporation (HRS) will provide 81 ADS-B 1090 Extended Squitter (ES) receiver payloads to Aireon LLC, to be hosted on the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation under a five-year contract that will ultimately transform air traffic management (ATM) with a global satellite-based aircraft tracking system. Iridium NEXT is the next-generation satellite constellation planned to start launching in 2015 by Iridium Communications Inc. (IRDM). Aireon is a planned joint venture between Iridium and NAV CANADA.
The Harris contract for 81 ADS-B payloads represents the largest implementation of a hosted payload solution to date and positions Harris as a leader in the hosted payload market.
ADS-B receiver payloads will be mounted on each Iridium NEXT satellite to operate independently and perform the air traffic surveillance function separately from the main mission of the spacecraft. ADS-B payload power will come from the main satellite bus and it will be designed to work with other sub-systems such as thermal management or communications systems. By sharing Iridium’s on-orbit capability and ground infrastructure, these commercially hosted payloads illustrate how to avoid the cost of building and launching separate satellites – reducing the expense and time required to get mission capabilities into space for government and private organizations alike through a public-private partnership model.
Currently, the ground-based systems primarily use radar to provide aircraft surveillance. As part of the global ATM modernization, air navigation service providers (ANSPs) such as the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and NAV CANADA are implementing new Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) systems that requires all airplanes to be equipped with on-board ADS-B transmitters to broadcast GPS position and other useful data. However, ADS-B networks are limited by the ground-based ADS-B towers which collect this data for the ANSPs. The ground-based ATM infrastructure cannot monitor flights over oceans or remote regions of the globe where placing an ADS-B tower is not feasible.
Under the agreement, Harris will supply a satellite-based ADS-B payload to perform the ADS-B receiver function from the Iridium NEXT satellite constellation, which consists of 66 low Earth-orbiting satellites, six on-orbit spares and nine ground spares. The payload is based on AppStar(TM), Harris’ reconfigurable payload platform. The Harris supplied payload will receive the ADS-B messages containing position and other information from each airplane and stream it to Aireon’s ground segment, which will then provide it to the ATM systems of the ANSPs to determine precise aircraft location in near real-time. This approach will allow more optimized air traffic control by ANSPs anywhere in the world. The availability of ADS-B information in near real time at a high update rate, and the reliability of satellite-based aircraft tracking will enable air traffic controllers to safely reduce the mandated separation between aircraft and will allow aircraft to fly more directly from one point to another over remote areas.
As a part of the agreement, Harris and Iridium have entered into a broader strategic relationship to potentially jointly pursue other business opportunities requiring advanced communications solutions. The Iridium global communications constellation, coupled with Harris’ highly reliable handheld radios and communications infrastructure, provide a powerful value proposition for key customers in the public safety, defense and maritime markets.
“Iridium NEXT, with its global constellation of satellites, will be recognized as the premier hosted payload platform. This program and the strategic alliance with Iridium secure Harris’ position as a major player in this emerging market, while providing exciting opportunities to expand our offerings to other customers,” said Sheldon Fox, group president, Harris Government Communications Systems. “This program leverages our leadership in space systems and reconfigurable payload platforms, and also enables us to help the FAA and air navigation service providers around the world meet their modernization goals.
“Aireon has selected the premier leader in the industry by choosing Harris to supply this vital service to such a ground-breaking program,” said Don Thoma, president and CEO, Aireon. “The combined, powerful offering our collective organizations will offer to the global air traffic community will transform air travel.”
High-resolution photos are available at www.aireon.com
About Harris Corporation
Harris is an international communications and information technology company serving government and commercial markets in more than 150 countries. Headquartered in Melbourne, Florida, the company has approximately $6 billion of annual revenue and about 17,000 employees — including nearly 7,000 engineers and scientists. Harris is dedicated to developing best-in-class assured communications(R) products, systems, and services. Additional information about Harris Corporation is available at www.harris.com.
About Iridium Communications Inc.
Iridium is the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Iridium enables connections between people, organizations and assets to and from anywhere, in real time. Together with its ever-expanding ecosystem of partner companies, Iridium delivers an innovative and rich portfolio of reliable solutions for markets that require truly global communications. The company has a major development program underway for its next-generation network — Iridium NEXT. Iridium Communications Inc. is headquartered in McLean, Va., U.S.A., and its common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol IRDM. For more information about Iridium products, services and partner solutions, visit www.iridium.com.
