The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved Gogo Business Aviation’s earth station in motion (ESIM) regulatory license for its Galileo HDX and FDX satcom antenna terminals, which will operate on the Eutelsat OneWeb low-earth-orbit satellite network. The approval allows Gogo to commercialize and operate the terminals “on U.S.-registered aircraft, and those registered in other countries within U.S. territory, including territorial waters.”
Designed for turboprops and light jets, the smaller HDX antenna weighs 21.6 pounds and measures 24 by 11.8 by 2 inches. The larger FDX measures 24 by 24 by 2 inches and weighs 40 to 45 pounds. Both electronically steered antennas were developed by Gogo and Hughes Network Systems.
Gogo expects Galileo global satcom service to launch later this year, first with the HDX antenna. Testing is expected to start in the second or third quarter, following installation of the HDX on Gogo’s Bombardier Challenger 300 testbed.
“Receiving the ESIM license for the HDX and FDX terminals represents an important milestone in bringing the Gogo Galileo service to market by year-end,” said Crystal Gordon, executive v-p, general counsel, and corporate secretary for Gogo. “This regulatory milestone also paves the way for additional regulatory authorizations in other countries.”