Greenerwave, a deeptech startup specializing in shaping electromagnetic waves, is revolutionizing satcom thanks to PANNORAMIX, a cavity antenna capable of communicating simultaneously on several distinct frequency bands. Developed in partnership with the French Ministry of Defence's Innovation Agency (MINARM) since 2018, PANNORAMIX will make it possible in the near future to connect to any type of satellite constellation (defiling or geostationary) via a single antenna, instead of using one antenna per frequency band as it is generally done today. For the end user, the Greenerwave antennas will make satcom simpler and cheaper.

Agnostic to constellations, easy to produce and to install, cheap and energy efficient, Greenerwave's multi-frequency, multi-application technology opens up access to satellite connectivity for all types of platforms, in all locations. It is a direct response to the new civil and military challenges such as consumer broadband connectivity, corporate connectivity (especially backhauling), government and military connectivity, autonomous cars and the end of white zones.

PANNORAMIX: towards intelligent and low-cost satellite on the move communication with multiple satellites

Traditional antennas (satellite dishes) are massive, hard to integrate and incapable of tracking several satellites simultaneously. They are ill-suited to the mass markets targeted by mega constellations operators. To date, the solution was relying on electronic pointing antennas, which are costly, energy intensive and are not environmentally friendly, making them unsuitable for mass markets. These are precisely the issues that Greenerwave is addressing.

The French deeptech is developing a cavity antennas capable of directing waves to several specific devices, such as another antenna or satellites, while adjusting to their position in real time. Using relatively simple electronics, the costs and energy consumption are up to 20x lower. This is a promising solution to optimize and generalize new connected usages.

Compatible with the mass market, Greenerwave’s technology, applied to satcom, makes it possible to tap the full potential of satellites with a single antenna. It will be capable to connect to two or several satellites simultaneously (even on different orbits), and it will therefore allow for a response adapted to the development of new connected usages that will necessitate stable satellite connections to ensure service continuity.

These usages notably include connected health, which will be available in both dense and isolated areas (or white spots today). It is also an obvious solution for everything connected to satellite on the move communication, both for military and civilian applications. In the defense area, it is essential to ensure permanent communication between different vehicles/ships/aircrafts/people; and guaranteeing a permanent line of control between control units and positions, regardless of relief and elongation. Lastly, in civilian applications, this solution responds to today’s challenges related to megaconstellation user terminals, as well as future challenges associated with connected or self-driving vehicles, for which service continuity is primordial.

Partnerships that validate the technology

Launched in 2018, this work quickly caught the attention of the French defense ministry, which saw it as a breakthrough solution compared with conventional intelligent antennas and a French one to boot. The DGA financed a preliminary project to develop an emission module in the Ka-Band which was successfully validated during a connection with the Athena-Fidus geostationary government satellite. This was followed by a second project, still ongoing, designed to develop a product for use on the battlefield or on drones. The startup has also brilliantly demonstrated Ku-Band connectivity with a commercial satellite.

The startup will bring its first commercial Ku-Band satcom product to market in 2024, with the aim of meeting the immediate needs of users of the OneWeb megaconstellation.

How it works

Greenerwave designs metasurfaces comprising elements that shape electromagnetic waves and allow to generate and control directional beams. These metasurfaces consist of a group of elements of centimetric size called pixels that act as micro-mirrors. Each pixel can modify the sign of the reflected wave. Interactions between pixels and microwaves are managed by algorithms derived from the world of physics that direct waves after their reflection on the surface. Passive, low-cost and easy to manufacture, this technology aims to improve the use of electromagnetic waves while drastically lowering the antennas energy consumption and infrastructure costs.