Gogo Business Aviation has completed end-to-end connectivity with the Eutelsat OneWeb low-earth-orbit (LEO) satellite network with its HDX electronically steered antenna. The HDX antenna is being used for ground-based testing of the Gogo Galileo broadband satcom service, which will begin commercial service later this year. Gogo plans to begin flight testing the HDX system in the third quarter.
Two antenna sizes will be available for the Gogo Galileo service—the smaller HDX for turboprops and lighter jets and the larger FDX for heavier airplanes. The antennas are made by Hughes Network Systems, with Gogo and Hughes collaborating on their design and engineering.
The FDX measures 24 by 24 by 2 inches and weighs 40 to 45 pounds, while the HDX is 24 by 11.8 by 2 inches and weighs 21.6 pounds. Max power output for the HDX is 110 watts and the FDX is 330 watts.
“This successful test of the Gogo Galileo HDX on the Eutelsat OneWeb network is a meaningful milestone, and extremely timely ahead of our launch of aviation connectivity services later this year,” said Jason Sperry, head of business aviation for Eutelsat OneWeb. “Our LEO constellation is fully deployed, and we are finalizing the ground infrastructure to deliver seamless, low-latency, and high-performance broadband connectivity to business jets no matter where they fly.”