US-European partners to develop dedicated satellite constellation for air traffic surveillance

US and European aerospace partners are aiming to develop a new global air traffic surveillance system featuring a dedicated constellation of over 100 satellites. The companies – US-based space data specialist Spire Global, French firm Thales, and European Satellite Services Provider – intend to certify the service and commence operations by 2027. It will be based on collecting ADS-B transmissions from aircraft, and relaying this data back to ground stations. ADS-B provides a means of conveying a flight’s position when the aircraft is outside of conventional radar coverage, and space-based ADS-B expands its potential by removing need for line-of-sight communication. Spire Global will develop the space segment – focusing on satellite and payload manufacture, and data collection – while Thales will provide the ground-based segment of the air traffic management system. “Through our strategic partnership…we are poised to offer the first real alternative to the aging systems that exist today,” says Spire general manager of aviation Philip Plantholt. He describes the initiation of a dedicated air traffic satellite constellation as a “groundbreaking development” for the sector.<br/>