Filtronic Gets UK Space Agency Funding for Digital Ground Segment Tech

Sedgefield-based Filtronic has secured funding from the UK Space Agency to develop RF over IP technology for next-generation satellite ground networks.

The funding has been awarded through the UK Space Agency’s Ground Station Innovation Programme, supported by the European Space Agency’s ARTES programme. The project is focused on modernising ground segment infrastructure as satellite networks move toward software-defined, cloud-based and multi-orbit architectures.

Traditional satellite gateways typically rely on analogue intermediate frequency systems, frequency converters, modems and extensive cabling between antennas and processing equipment. As satellite networks become more flexible and virtualised, this infrastructure can become complex, costly and difficult to scale.

Filtronic’s RF over IP approach moves the IP interface directly to the antenna, allowing RF signals to be carried over standard Ethernet networks. This enables RF processing to be centralised in data centres or cloud environments while still supporting existing RF hardware.

The ARTES-backed project will develop a demonstrator capable of transmitting and receiving up to 100Gb/s of optical data, while supporting multiple simultaneous transmit and receive channels. The system is designed for emerging wideband X-, Ka- and V-band satellite applications.

Filtronic expects the technology to integrate with its future portfolio of millimetre-wave solid-state power amplifiers, block upconverters and low-noise block converters, creating a new generation of digitally enabled RF products for satellite communications networks.

The project aligns with wider industry moves toward automated and software-defined satellite infrastructure. As multi-orbit networks expand, digital ground segment technologies will be increasingly important for scaling gateway operations and integrating satellite capacity into modern network environments.