Vireo Ka 288
CesiumAstro
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.
Technical 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
About
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.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.