Mary-Louise Hoffman
Inmarsat and Singapore-based communications firm Addvalue Innovation have introduced a service to facilitate data transfer between low-Earth orbit small satellites and ground stations.
The partnership commissioned the Inter-satellite Data Relay System service Nov. 12 on Sequoia, a Capella Space synthetic aperture radar microsatellite, and launched the IDRS offering after completion of a live data connectivity demonstration, Inmarsat said Monday.
The system is designed to help satellite operators manage a constellation in real time and comprised of Inmarsat's data relay service and Addvalue's onboard terminal.
Todd McDonell, president of Inmarsat's global government business, said the in-orbit connectivity segment represents a new growth area for the two companies.
McDonnell added that Capella Space became the first LEO operator to adopt the service.
