NEC Corporation will develop a small technology demonstration satellite to conduct in-orbit verification of key technologies essential for realizing future optical communication satellite constellations, including optical communications, high speed network routing design and high-capacity mmWave band communications. The design of the satellite-mounted equipment (payload) for this demonstration has now been completed. Moving forward, the payload will be manufactured and integrated into the satellite bus, the common functional component of the satellite, which is scheduled for launch into Earth’s orbit in fiscal year 2027.
In satellite constellations where numerous satellites collaborate and function together, optical communication is increasingly favored over conventional radio for satellite-to-satellite communications. This shift aims to avoid communication interference and enable high-capacity data transmission. However, in order to equip a large number of small satellites with optical communication devices, it is necessary to shorten the development and manufacturing times and reduce costs. Therefore, it is important to utilize general-purpose technologies that are highly functional, high-performance and have a proven track record of mass production.
Furthermore, in optical communication satellite constellations — which consist of tens to thousands of satellites and function as high speed, dynamically moving mesh networks — high computational power is required for routing processes that enable low-latency, high-capacity communications in orbit. Consequently, high-performance applications are needed that differ from routing designs based on terrestrial network environments.
Against this backdrop, NEC will conduct demonstrations of the underlying technologies needed to solve these challenges.
Overview of the Technology Demonstration Satellite
The technology demonstration satellite will conduct the following demonstrations in orbit. This will enable the acquisition of insights that are difficult to obtain using ground-based test facilities, thereby enhancing competitiveness.
1. Demonstration of Radiation-Hardened Design for Commercial Optical Transceivers
NEC will evaluate the radiation-hardened design for space environments of low-cost, high-performance commercial optical transceivers capable of enabling high-capacity transmission even on small satellites.
2. Demonstration of High Speed Network Routing Processing Technology in Space
NEC will conduct operational verification using a Versal(TM) Adaptive SoC(*1) device manufactured by U.S.-based AMD, Inc.(*2) for high-performance signal processing, as a key technology required for high speed network routing processing of data transmission via optical communication satellite constellations. Furthermore, aiming to enhance future satellite development, NEC will also demonstrate the effectiveness of an application development methodology that integrates NEC’s accumulated satellite technology assets with generative AI.
3. Demonstration of Next-Generation mmWave Band Communication Technology
In anticipation of a future shift to higher frequency bands that will enable high speed, large-capacity data transmission, NEC will demonstrate the operation of mmWave Q/V-band transceiver equipment.(*3) The equipment will also communicate with ground stations to acquire data on radio wave propagation characteristics.
The bus, which constitutes the common functional component of this satellite, will consist of the compact Aries satellite bus, an existing product of U.S.-based Apex Technology.(*4)
“NEC is exactly the kind of partner we built Apex for — a world-class technology leader pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in orbit. By pairing NEC’s advanced optical communications with our configurable and productized satellite bus, we’re accelerating time to orbit and reducing risk. This mission is a strong example of how mass-manufactured spacecraft can enable next-generation constellations globally. We’re proud to support NEC’s on-orbit demonstration and to expand Apex’s footprint internationally as we help partners deploy resilient, high-performance space infrastructure at scale,” said Apex Technology CEO, Ian Cinnamon.
“NEC aims to create social value through safety, security, fairness and efficiency, positioning space utilization as a means to solve challenges in achieving these goals,” said NEC Satellite Constellation Department General Manager, Yasushi Yokoyama. “Since the 1990s, NEC has been developing technologies in the field of space optical communications to support this vision. We are very pleased to conduct this demonstration with the cooperation of APEX, a company based in the U.S. — where satellite manufacturing innovation is advancing — and a leader in the industry for its rapid provision of small satellite buses. The results of this demonstration will also be utilized in the research and development conducted under the Economic Security Critical Technology Development Program ‘Development and Demonstration of Satellite Constellation Core Technologies for Optical Communications, etc.’ (NEDO) and the Space Strategy Fund Project ‘Technology Development for Optical Communication Satellite Constellation Construction and System Demonstration’ (JAXA), both of which NEC is contracted to undertake. Going forward, NEC will continue advancing technological development with the goal of providing new space digital infrastructure.”
References
(*1) https://www.amd.com/en/products/adaptive-socs-and-fpgas/versal.html
(*2) https://www.amd.com/en.html
(*3) These results were obtained from the commissioned research project (No. JPJ012368C06702) “Research and Development of Wireless Communication Technologies Utilizing Unused Frequency Bands for Beyond 5G Space Networks,” by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), Japan. NEC subsequently acquired this technology through R&D investment.