Arralis has announced a €2 million-euro contract with the European Space Agency for a new electronically steerable Ka-band antenna. Arralis is designing and developing the antenna for use in future ESA science missions, with potential applications in observatories at the Earth-Sun Lagrange points and ESA’s Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission, designed to detect and accurately measure gravitational waves, which is due to launch in 2034.
The communication technology being developed for use in space missions will also have commercial applications back on Earth. There is growing demand for low-power, lightweight steerable Ka band RF front-ends for the delivery of high speed, low latency internet bandwidth anywhere on Earth. This technology can be deployed in LEO, MEO and GEO communication satellites to greatly improve access to broadband.
The contract was secured with the support of Enterprise Ireland and the development work will be carried out in the Arralis HQ in Limerick supporting the company’s continued growth in Ireland.
