Tag Archives: ST Engineering iDirect

News, Space

ST Engineering iDirect achieves European Space Agency certification, advancing aerospace manufacturing capabilities

The company will provide soldering services to QinetiQ, opening the door to further opportunities in the spaceflight sector

Herndon, Va. and Erpe-Mere, Belgium June 14, 2022 – The spaceflight industry planted a new flag in Belgium today as ST Engineering iDirect announced that it will be manufacturing components used in flight systems for spacecraft to European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards at its Manufacturing Competence Center (MCC) in Erpe-Mere, Belgium.

Following the stringent certification process by the European Space Agency (ESA), ST Engineering iDirect will help to make components for QinetiQ, the British multinational defense and space technology company. This makes ST Engineering iDirect the sole subcontracting company offering these services in Belgium.

ST Engineering iDirect’s MCC will provide its specialist manual and automated soldering services to QinetiQ for its ADPMS-3 satellite board computer systems and for the International Berthing and Docking Mechanism (IBDM) currently in development with ESA, enabling vehicles carrying cargo or passengers to dock softly, with less force. Furthermore, it will also assist in building components for payload projects.

“The process of becoming ESA-certified has been incredibly thorough in assuring the quality, the education and capabilities of the MCC and its workforce. This accreditation and the additional commencement of our automated soldering activity will open doors for our company to broaden our footprint in the industry, as well as strengthen the Belgian spaceflight ecosystem,” said ST Engineering iDirect’s MCC Sales and Marketing Manager, Danny De Smet. “We’re very appreciative of the support from QinetiQ and their recognition of our capabilities in providing larger scale component soldering.”

Erik Masure, QinetiQ’s Managing Director in Belgium said, “We’ve been consistently impressed by ST Engineering iDirect’s – and specifically the MCC team – ability to rise to the challenge of becoming ESA-accredited over the past few years. Working with a partner in close proximity to our space facilities in Kruibeke, Belgium, is incredibly beneficial for the success of our relationship. We look forward to deepening our partnership and working together in the future.”

ST Engineering iDirect’s MCC has Factory of the Future status, the highest possible recognition for the manufacturing industry in Belgium. It provides manufacturing and repair services and specializes in electronic assembly, testing and repair for a range of customers in the satellite and aerospace sectors including OHB and Panasonic.

For more information about ST Engineering iDirect, please visit: https://www.idirect.net/

News

ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA® MRC return technology leveraged by X2nSat and Dejero for Cloud Media Production and IP Newsgathering

Satellite service and solution providers take advantage of most powerful return technology to deliver agile and resilient connectivity

Herndon, Va., April 24, 2022 – ST Engineering iDirect, a global leader in satellite communications, announced today that satellite service provider X2nSat is leveraging its breakthrough Mx-DMA® MRC return technology on the Newtec Dialog® platform to power their Smart Blending Technology developed by its partner Dejero. Featuring blended cellular and Ku-band satellite communications, the Smart Blending Technology is a resilient connectivity solution that allows the delivery of live broadcasts and enables transmission continuity and disaster recovery by broadcasters and public safety agencies.

Tapping on Mx-DMA MRC’s efficiency and bandwidth capabilities, Dejero’s Smart Blending Technology intelligently combines cellular connectivity from multiple mobile network providers with Ku-band satellite communications from X2nSat to reliably deliver the bandwidth needed for critical communications from the most remote locations and facilitates real-time tactical video and other data-intensive applications required by public safety agencies.

ST Engineering iDirect’s Mx-DMA MRC technology is an award-winning, patented multi-access waveform that incorporates the scalability of MF-TDMA with the efficiency of single channel per carrier (SCPC) into a single return technology. It enables service providers to cover a myriad of use cases in a single return link sharing capacity across multiple terminals and applications without making tradeoffs between speed, efficiency and scale, lowering their total cost of ownership.

The combination of the Dialog platform and Mx-DMA MRC allows Dejero to utilize a portable satellite terminal and dynamically amalgamate the available cellular networks with a satellite signal over a single return link, reducing operational complexity and enabling the benefits of statistical multiplexing to deliver high quality connectivity in rural locations. Dejero is able to cover all remote production scenarios over a single platform, maximizing bandwidth and operational efficiencies, including news gathering, sports and live event coverage and temporary remote connectivity.

“Demand for Cloud Media Production (CMP) is higher than ever, and crews are deployed to the most remote and hostile of places, so the ability to film in any location and collaborate in the cloud is critical,” said Darren Ludington, Regional Vice President, ST Engineering iDirect. “Furthermore, the use of IP Newsgathering is enabling remote news crews to cover breaking news from anywhere whilst utilizing IP connectivity to send large files and access the internet and email applications, streamlining the entire production process. Our Mx-DMA MRC technology is the power behind Dejero’s solution and enables those teams in the field to get on with the task in hand without worrying about where their connectivity is coming from whilst eliminating the need for service providers to choose between speed and efficiency and scale and cost.”

“We at Dejero are impressed by ST Engineering iDirect’s commitment to deliver powerful solutions that are cost-effective, reliable and leverage the power of Mx-DMA MRC technology,” said Yvonne Monterroso, Director of Product Management at Dejero. “Along with our partner, X2nSat, we see huge value in this latest solution which will enable the bandwidth efficiency and cost-effectiveness to better support our customers.”

“X2nSat has always kept the customer’s experience top of mind. This technology allows us to bond all available cellular communications with our Ku-band satellite to offer our users cost effectiveness and peak performance from anywhere at any time,” said Garrett Hill, CEO of X2nSat. “We are incredibly optimistic about what this means for our broadcast and public safety clients who understand the criticality of reliable connectivity.”

To find out more about the award-winning Mx-DMA MRC technology and the benefits it brings to a whole spectrum of use cases, visit ST Engineering iDirect at Stand #W5505, NAB Show, Las Vegas from April 23-27, 2022.