HummingSat is a new family of small, compact communications satellites co-developed with the European Space Agency through a public-private partnership and customers including Intelsat and Viasat.
Keysight Technologies is developing intelligent data processing solutions
There is no room for error in communications satellite launches. Once in orbit, each satellite is a complex system, and the payload systems must operate flawlessly. As a result, satellite manufacturers must thoroughly test every part of a satellite during manufacturing and assembly, to confirm the payload’s performance on the spacecraft before it leaves the launch pad.
Scheduled to launch in 2026, Intelsat 45 will provide broadcast services to media companies and broadband connectivity to telecommunications providers via Ku-band transponders. Keysight’s PTS solution provides SWISSto12 with a complete suite of instrumentation, signal shaping and measurement calibration hardware, and control software to exclusively test the HummingSat RF payload reliably.
The PTS connects the HummingSat payload to a modular switching matrix platform, which includes interchangeable CalPod Assembly Modules for calibration of uplink and downlink paths without disconnection. This creates a software-shiftable calibration plane, simplifying the manufacturing process flow by ensuring that routine calibrations do not interrupt operations.
The Keysight PTS solution uses high-quality test equipment and has a flexible, modular structure that is easy to upgrade. The SWISSto12 PTS configuration includes the E8257D PSG Analog Signal Generator, the M9837A PXIe Vector Network Analyzer, and the N9030B PXA Signal Analyzer.
“With the goal of optimizing and industrializing the HummingSat assembly and test process, we are pleased to announce the selection of test leader Keysight Technologies and Keysight’s Payload Test System to validate that our GEO satellite payload systems meet all performance parameters critical to mission success,” said Emile de Rijk, CEO and founder of SWISSto12.
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