Story ID: 
Collins Aero Tests Iridium Certus High-gain Antenna
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Collins Aerospace's higher-bandwidth Iridium Certus satcom system will be ready to enter service next year after reaching another critical milestone.
Word Count: 183
Collins Aerospace said its higher-bandwidth Iridium Certus satcom system will be ready to enter service next year after reaching another critical milestone. Recently, the company was able to connect and transmit data to an orbiting Iridium satellite using the Certus service using a high-gain antenna (HGA) affixed to the roof of its Melbourne, Florida-based aerospace lab.

A similar transmission was recorded in August with Collins’s new active low-gain antenna (ALGA). According to Collins, its Certus systems will offer business jet operators with faster data speeds while offering equipment that has lower weight and a smaller antenna footprint versus legacy satcom systems.

“This marks our second major milestone in our Iridium Certus development in only six months and is a testament to the hard work and expertise we have dedicated to the goal of bringing our customers the uninterrupted and secure data feeds they need to operate most efficiently,” said Collins Aerospace v-p of avionics engineering Leigh Parker. “We are now one step closer to rolling out what we believe will be the premier seamless satcom experience.”