Vireo Ka 288 is CesiumAstro's TRL 8, multi-beam active phased array Ka-band communications payload for proliferated LEO satellite constellations, shipping today to Rocket Lab for SDA's Tranche 2 Transport Layer.
Vireo Ka 288
Vireo Ka 288 is CesiumAstro's TRL 8, multi-beam active phased array Ka-band communications payload for proliferated LEO satellite constellations, shipping today to Rocket Lab for SDA's Tranche 2 Transport Layer.
Description
Vireo is CesiumAstro's flagship multi-beam active phased array communications payload family, built for high-throughput satellite constellations. The Vireo Ka 288 variant is a flight-qualified, TRL 8 Ka-band payload designed for SDA Tranche-class proliferated LEO architectures, combining separate transmit and receive active electronically scanned array antennas with a Reconfigurable Processing Unit that handles Ka-band routing and signal processing. Using next-generation AESA technology, Vireo creates multiple steerable, shapable beams with electronic beam steering and dynamic per-beam power allocation, enabling near-instantaneous beam-hopping to share and focus capacity across the field of view. It supports up to 4 transmit and 4 receive channels with switchable RHCP/LHCP polarization and DVB-S2X waveform. Primary applications include high-rate data downlink and telemetry, tracking and control. The payload targets prime integrators and government/defense programs building cost-effective, scalable Ka-band constellations, notably the Space Development Agency's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. Flight heritage includes selection to provide payloads to Raytheon Technologies for SDA's Tranche 1 Tracking Layer and current shipment of flight-qualified hardware to Rocket Lab for SDA's Tranche 2 Transport Layer constellation.
Specifications
| Transmit frequency | 20.2-21.2 GHz (Ka-band) |
|---|---|
| Receive frequency | 30-31 GHz (Ka-band) |
| Channels | Up to 4 transmit, up to 4 receive |
| Polarization | RHCP or LHCP, switchable in orbit |
| Data throughput | 800 Mbps |
| Waveform | DVB-S2X |
| Mass | 24.1 kg total payload |
| DC power | 361 W |
| Technology readiness level | TRL 8 |
| Primary applications | Data downlink; telemetry, tracking & control |
| Flight heritage | Flight-qualified hardware shipping to Rocket Lab for SDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer; selected by Raytheon Technologies for SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer |