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Jun 24, 2024 9 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Looking at the antenna elements ( printed dual polarization dipole antenna) and the frequenzy used
(DMSP)

We could be looking at one of the ALT/dual use cases being an MPAR Multi-function Phased Array Radar (MPAR)

1/n


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What type of tricks might such an array be capable of?

Just like BlueWalker 2 was built in a reverse communications experiment there are more of those. One has an array here in Sweden.

2/n


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Here are some of its trick. If it was out in space looking in it would add another dimension of monitoring the surface.

3/n

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Here are some more.

Add to this skill-set the ability to do radio communications, like 3gppp 5G and you have a very versatile tool.

Even more so if the entire satellite is software dfefined.

Like the EISCAT radars the BB1s will be in a certain relative configuration initially.
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How did I learn of EISCAT you might wonder?

By browsing the internet intensively for the type of antenna elements I see in ASTS imagery.

These. They certainly look like printed dual polarization dipoles most likely angled a bit.

5/n

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A disclaimer is in place in that no official coms from company exists about other use cases than communications.🤫

So my post is speculative ofcourse.
And if this dual use is why they prioritized the FPGA line remains to be seen.

But to me it shows the opportunity of dual use.
Antenna elements comparison.

Which is what lead me down this rabbit hole along with the ground network frequency used and a few other things.

If I happend to be right:

All my sources are open, none are MNPI, one company rep knows my identity and I truly am just a 🇸🇪 farmer👩🏼‍🌾


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A third type of printed dipole
MPAR (Multi purpose Phased Array Radar) antenna that can be considered intermediate type of the two shown above. This one is for much higher frequencies and thus smaller. But has the printed dipole flange concept, just crossed.


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More from @CatSE___ApeX___

Aug 11
Quarterly report thread. $ASTS

Excellent initial impression.

August delivery of FM1 !

5 launches before Q1 -26

1.5Bn+ at hand

🧶🐈‍⬛

1/

stocktitan.net/news/ASTS/ast-…
Signed two additional early-stage contracts for the U.S. Government end customer, bringing the total to eight contracts to date with the U.S. Government as an end customer.

This is huge.

The rate at which company adds DoD contracts is staggering. It’s not in analyst models.

2/
Service Rollout: Nationwide intermittent service in the US by end-2025, followed by UK, Japan, and Canada in Q1 2026. Expected revenue: $50-75M in H2 2025 from government and commercial customers. Supports full voice, data, and video at up to 120 Mbps peak speeds per cell.

/3
Read 27 tweets
May 20
Old and new FM1 Mission overview.

Gone is ”technology pathfinder”

And gone os that it is enhanced ..”to support the higher throughput”.

It’s simply ”.. an enhanced satellite bus (controlsat)”

Now how to do that?

🧶🐈‍⬛ Image
Image
Meet Aces 1 - 4 a technology pathfinder mission for DARPA Blackjack.

Notice modular design.

Piggy back payload.

Build your own satellite by adding modules.

This was the early vision on how to do golden dome / PWSA type satellites. Image
Image
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Notice how a ”module” goes on top of bus.

It has two parts, antenna and connectivity module with laser links.

They were launched. Lessons learned.

And this concept is a 2017 brain child. As is $ASTS

3/ Image
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Read 14 tweets
Apr 11
🚨STARLINK DRAINS BATTERY 🚨

Why the Starlink 🪫 d2c earth moving cells are a really bad design choice can fill a book.

Carrying around an app that rapidly drains your battery in a disaster scenario isn’t optimal.

1/n
I’d like to focus not on how these rapid-fire beam to beam handovers causes dropped texts. Not on how that type of beams cause more border interference. Etc.

But on battery.

Starlink 🪫 d2c does not like
AST 🔋SpaceMobile fix the beam onto you with adaptive beamforming.

2/ Image
Starlink 🪫 d2c does just shines their beams down in a static fixed manner and as the satellites traverse the sky you are in a whole set of beams that hand over to eachother,

It does not track you.

3/
Read 6 tweets
Mar 21
🚨 $ASTS TO LAUNCH SATELLITE 🚨

🐈‍⬛ BREAKING NEWS AFTER CLOSE 🐈‍⬛

AST SPACEMOBILE TRADING ON NASDAQ AS $ASTS FILES NEW STA FILING WITH THE @FCC. ASKS TO LAUNCH HUGE SATELLITE.

ASKS OK BEFORE APRIL 21.

SATELLITE SLATED FOR LAUNCH IN Q2 THIS YEAR. TENTATIVE MAY LAUNCH.

🧶🐈‍⬛

/1
Image
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As we assumed AST uses STA instrument for the first Block 2 satellite.

Which is to be launched by ISRO

The narrative. Link:

.

And snapshots.

2/n apps.fcc.gov/els/GetAtt.htm…Image
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The satellite feature a new formfactor.

Besides the 15.456 x 15.456 m dual use phased array/solar panel sandwich with cut corners we expected. It also has a 30m2 shark fin solar panel orthogonal to the solar panel of the array.

This is to get power more of the time.
3/n Image
Read 4 tweets
Mar 8
🚨FCC WAIVER IMPLICATIONS🚨

📓DEEPDIVE DD EXPLAINED 👨🏼‍💻

Let’s start:

The way you can differentiate emmissions in space [where] and in time [when] and in strength [how much] you can also differentiate in the frequenzy domain [which channel].

That you transmit in.

🧶🐈‍⬛

1/n
The transmissions are ”good signals” if they’re [when], [where], [as strong] and [which channel] combo that is needed to do the transmission that is sought for.

Another combo is ”a waste”.

But some other combos also do harm.
”Bad signal”

2/n
This is a result showing AST SpaceMobile technology to maximize the signal to which channel it is wanted in (blue) ”good signal” while minimizing it elsewhere, which is adjacent channels. (Green). ”Bad signal”

This is industry excellence.

3/n Image
Read 15 tweets
Feb 15
🚨SPACEMOBILE $ASTS FULL FCC GRANT FOR 🇺🇸 BLOCK 1 β-TESTS🚨

✅$ASTS REGULATORY READINESS NOW ON PAR WITH STARLINK D2C

✅$ASTS TECHNOLOGICAL READINEDS WAY BETTER,

⏳ WHICH IS ABOUT TO BE SHOWCASED 🎬🎥🍿

🧶🐈‍⬛

1/n Image
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As a ten tweet primer the competition in the form of Starlink regenerative architecture(green👇) is having severe problems with handovers.

As also can be seen AST is a different architecture altogether.

You’ll notice:

One single core.
gNBs (5G)

V/S

Two cores
eNB & gNB

2/n Image
But it is far from the only differentiator.

Here is a primer to another difference needed as background.

Starlink uses earth moving cells, EMC.

AST SpaceMobile uses earth fixed cells, EFC. Picture hex grids all over the planet each cell having it’s own cell ID.

Fixed.

3/n Image
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Read 22 tweets

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