Exciting news in radio comms.

Recent exciting news in radio communications includes major investments in satellite and quantum communications, the continued global rollout of DAB+ digital radio, and the application of AI and 5G technologies. 

Technological Advancements and Innovations

1. Quantum Communications: The UK Space Agency is funding Toshiba Europe and its university partners to develop space-qualified quantum components for secure quantum communication systems in small satellites.

2. Satellite Communications (Satcom): There have been several investments in new satcom technologies, including advanced high-power amplifiers, Earth observation systems with satcom connectivity, and a new service by BAE Systems to detect and track radio signals from Earth for defense and civil use.

3. 5G Integration: The integration of 5G New Radio (5G NR) technology is blurring the lines between traditional radio and mobile networks, ensuring seamless content access across various devices.

4. Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC): Converged communication solutions using PoC are being deployed in large-scale commercial and public safety environments to enhance operational efficiency and connectivity, addressing communication blind spots in complex areas like large retail complexes and university hospitals.

5. Mesh Networking and LoRa: New, cheap devices using LoRa (Long Range) technology are emerging, allowing for mesh networking without a license over relatively large distances, fostering communication systems that are more resilient to censorship and central control.

6. Deep Space Communication: NASA successfully restored full observational data communication from the Voyager 1 probe, currently 15 billion miles away, by remotely fixing corrupted code, a significant engineering feat in deep space radio communication. 

7. Environmental Factor

   Climate Change Impact: Research from Kyushu University suggests that increased CO2 levels in the atmosphere could disrupt shortwave radio communications. The cooling effect of CO2 on the ionosphere decreases air density and accelerates wind circulation, potentially causing small-scale plasma irregularities that interfere with radio signals. 

Space and Satellite Communications

• Satellite Signal Tracking: BAE Systems is developing a satellite-based service that can detect and track radio signals from Earth for both defence and civilian applications, enhancing global monitoring capabilities.

• Quantum Communications: Toshiba, with university partners, is working on space-qualifying quantum components to integrate them into secure quantum communication systems for small satellites, promising highly secure data transmission.

• Deep Space Restoration: NASA successfully restored full communication and observational data reception from the Voyager 1 probe, the furthest man-made object from Earth (over 15 billion miles away), by remotely fixing corrupted code. All four of its scientific instruments are now returning usable data.

• UK Space Agency invests £17 million to drive next wave of space innovation - for seventeen UK space projects through its National Space Innovation Programme (NSIP), unveiled today at Space Comm Expo in Glasgow https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-space-agency-invests-17-million-to-drive-next-wave-of-space-innovation This new investment from the UK Space Agency builds on the UK’s £18 billion space sector, which continues to grow rapidly and is a leading destination for space investment globally. 

Projects:

1. 1. Magdrive Ltd receives £2 million to ready a powerful propulsion system for small satellites for mass production. 

2. B2Space Ltd with partners SuperSharp Space Systems and University of South Wales receives £2 million to create a UK-led Earth observation system using high-altitude platforms with advanced sensors, satcom connectivity and onboard AI. 

3. Lightricity Ltd with partners AVS Added Value Solutions UK Ltd and IQE PLC receives £1.9 million to create a fully flexible roll-out foldable solar panel for small satellites that can generate several kilowatts of power. 

4. BAE Systems Digital Intelligence receives £1.47 million to develop a satellite-based service to detect and track radio signals from Earth for defence and civil use. 

5. Toshiba Europe Ltd, together with Heriot-Watt University and Cambridge, University has secured £1.45 million to space-qualify critical quantum optoelectric components and integrate them into a UK-developed secure quantum communication systems for small satellites.  

6. Filtronic Broadband Ltd receives £1.18 million to build a high-powered amplifier system for satellite communications using advanced UK technology. 

7. Lodestar Space Ltd with partners Magdrive Ltd and Cranfield University receives £1 million to develop autonomous, modular robotic tools to service spacecraft in orbit. 

8. Protolaunch Ltd with partners University of Southampton and Naicker Scientific Ltd receives £1 million to develop a water-based propulsion system that combines chemical and electric thrust for sustainable and dynamic satellite movement. 

9. University of Bristol with partners University of Bath, Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd, University of Strathclyde and University of York receives £980,000 to create a UV-based secure communication devices for smaller size and longer distance inter satellite CubeSats links. 

10. University of Edinburgh with partner UK Astronomy Technology Centre (STFC) receives £850,000 to develop a compact, high-resolution CubeSat instrument to measure pollution from space, with global coverage. 

11. The University of Southampton has received £800,000 and partnered with Cranfield Plasma Solutions to develop a plasma torch system for simulating the extreme thermal conditions of spacecraft atmospheric re-entry. This innovation will fill a key UK capability gap by providing high-fidelity, contamination-free material ablation testing, supporting sustainable space operations. 

12. University of Birmingham with partner Alan Turing Institute receives £610,000 to design an AI-powered satellite radar system to understand the shape and structure of objects in space. 

13. University of Strathclyde with partner BAE Systems PLC receives £540,000 to develop a new satellite navigation system that avoids relying on GPS by maintaining an agreed time through synchronisation. 

14. University of Leicester with partner TWI Ltd receives £485,000 to build a robot-mounted welding system for in-space repair and structural joining, validated through vacuum and simulated-environment testing. 

15. Orbit Fab Ltd with partner TAS UK receives £340,000 to create a refuellable electric propulsion system for satellites by developing a fluidic flatsat. 

16. HR Wallingford receives £320,000, with support from Southern Water, Thames Water, and Evenlode Catchment Partnership to build an AI tool that uses satellite data to assess how farming affects water quality. 

17. STFC RAL Space receives £260,000 to develop a new technology to support the calibration of next-generation meteorological satellites using UK-made electronics.