Sep 29, 2022Technology research organization CEA-Leti and global satellite Internet of Things (IoT) network operator Astrocast have collaborated on a bidirectional communication module designed to allow corporations to communicate with their remote assets in areas not covered by terrestrial networks. The module's L-band chip, based on an architecture developed by CEA-Leti, allows Astrocast's customers to communicate with assets in the field via its network. The system was completed earlier this year in a project between the two organizations and is embedded in Astrocast's RF module, known as Astronode S.
The companies have partnered on a bidirectional communication module enabling businesses to communicate with remote assets in areas not covered by terrestrial networks.
According to the companies, the chip's architecture is split over the RF core and digital processing and control units, and it supports Astrocast's dedicated bidirectional ground-to-satellite protocol. The chip embeds low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite-specific features, such as satellite detection and robustness to Doppler shift. The miniaturized, surface-mount module communicates with terrestrial devices via Astrocast's constellation of LEO satellites. Using the L-band spectrum, the network primarily targets maritime, oil and gas, agriculture, land transport and environmental applications requiring ubiquitous coverage.
The Astronode S module
"Terrestrial IoT networks cover only about 15 percent of the planet, which leaves vast remote and rural areas where our global satellite network provides coverage that is crucial for our target markets," said Laurent Vieira de Mello, Astrocast's COO, in a prepared statement. "Leveraging its expertise embedded in a preliminary version of the RF chip, CEA-Leti developed its chip and delivered the final prototype to meet our requirements and time-to-market goals. They managed the chip technology transfer to our industrialization, qualification and production partner."
The project's critical time-to-market window was managed via a flexible collaboration model covering both prototype and industrialization phases, the partners explained. "An accelerated time-to-market goal drove this project from the outset," said Michel Durr, CEA-Leti's business-development manager, in the prepared statement. "We pioneered this RF technology in 2019, and our team customized it for Astrocast up to production in only three years."
CEA-Leti's industrial tester used for characterization was key to accelerating from prototype to production, Durr noted, enabling prototype characterization in parallel on the tester and in the lab. "This process provided a short-loop debug capability with all skills available at CEA-Leti, and enabled us to deliver fully validated inputs to Astrocast's industrialization partner for an easier industrial test-program development," he added in the statement.
