Engineers at Space Systems/Loral (SS/L) in Palo Alto, Calif., needed amplifiers for two communications satellites.
They found a solution with S-band Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers (TWTAs) from Electron Technologies Inc. of Torrance, Calif.
In communication satellites, TWTAs amplify and transmit radio frequency signals back to Earth for a variety of applications, including voice, video, and data.
The satellites are being built for ICO Satellite Management LLC, and Terrestar Networks Inc. Both units are geosynchronous (GEO) satellites based on SS/L’s space-proven 1300 platform and will provide next-generation, 2-GHz mobile voice and data communications throughout the United States.
Under a $20 million contract, L-3 ETI will deliver a flight set of 130-watt S-band TWTAs for the ICO program and a flight set of 100-watt S-band TWTAs for the Terrestar program.
A subsidiary of L-3 Communications in New York, ETI makes high-reliability products, primarily TWTAs, traveling wave tubes (TWTs), and electronic power conditioners (EPCs) for space and military applications. It also offers space-qualified passive microwave payload products and state-of-the-art satellite electric propulsion systems. For more information, see www.L-3Com.com.
