At this month’s International Space Summit in Paris, Eutelsat and Skynopy announced a partnership establishing software-defined ground infrastructures for current and future satellite services.

These include Earth observation, in-orbit services, orbital data centres and various telecommunication services.

Bringing together Eutelsat’s global footprint and Skynopy’s software technologies and commercial traction, the Global AKAR partnership aims to build on existing infrastructure to create a resilient, scalable and software-defined network capable of delivering near-real-time connectivity for low Earth orbit (LEO) services.

French start-up Skynopy has developed proprietary orchestration software and virtualised modem technology that can leverage existing ground antennas and give satellite operators a single interface to access them. It operates 17 sites to serve several dozens of satellites. This partnership brings the service to a larger scale: it will enable selected Eutelsat ground station sites to serve a broader range of satellite operators and applications, while continuing to support Eutelsat’s own networks and customers.

Global AKAR’s ambition is to leverage Eutelsat’s global network of ground stations to create a data backbone for multi mission constellations in S, X and Ka-bands. The partnership is set to deploy more than 100 operational antennas at select sites by the end of 2029, enabling a near-real-time service at a very high-throughput for the fast-growing LEO services market.

The service is designed to reduce data latency (less than three minutes compared with the current state of the art around one hour) while delivering up to 10Gbit/s throughput through a software-defined ground network, compared with the current state of the art of 1 to 2Gbit/ps.

The programme builds on the initial phase, already under way and partially supported by the French government, which demonstrated technical feasibility through a three-antenna proof of concept for Earth observation. The same infrastructure is designed to support a new generation of in-orbit services, enabling satellites to transfer data more efficiently and interact with in-orbit computing capabilities through secure, high-capacity, high-throughput connectivity.

Eutelsat brings sites from its globally distributed network of ground stations, nearly five decades of satellite operations expertise, and relationships with institutional and commercial users worldwide. Skynopy combines cloud-native technologies, expertise in Earth observation RF systems and commercial traction, demonstrated over the past year by delivering ground station service to players such as Airbus and many international satellite operators. Together, they combine global operational scale with software innovation to accelerate the deployment of gateway infrastructure to serve the booming LEO economy.

Global AKAR customers should benefit from access to a secure, high-capacity and globally distributed network without having to build and operate their own ground systems. The service is designed to support commercial constellations by reducing data latency and increasing network flexibility, while its secure architecture and interfaces will also make it suitable for military and other sensitive applications.

“Satellite operators keep telling us the same thing: they need their data on the ground faster, everywhere and without building the infrastructure themselves,” said Pierre Bertrand, CEO of Skynopy (skynopy.com). “With Global AKAR, Eutelsat and Skynopy turn the world’s most extensive gateway network into an on-demand service that delivers exactly that: near-real-time data and global coverage through a single integration, for the fastest-growing constellations in Earth observation and, increasingly, across the whole LEO economy.”

Jean-François Fallacher, CEO of Eutelsat (www.eutelsat.com), added: “Eutelsat’s global ground station network is a significant asset supporting our satellite operations and customers worldwide. Global AKAR will extend the value of that infrastructure, opening it to new customers and applications while continuing to support our own requirements. By combining Eutelsat’s global footprint and operational expertise with Skynopy’s technology, we are creating a new commercial offering to meet growing demand across the LEO market.”