PRION: most compact, low-power VDE-Sat payload

Written By Peter-John Freeman

We are thrilled to finally announce the launch of PRION, our latest satellite software defined radio payload, which marks a significant advancement in maritime digital connectivity through the VHF Data Exchange System (VDES). As leaders in next-generation AIS development, expanding our VDES offering to include a satellite component was a natural progression for S3C Communications.

The PRION VDE-Sat payload is a crucial addition to our comprehensive VDES suite. With this launch, our customers can now upgrade their existing AIS product range including shore stations, mobile transceivers, and satellite platforms to be fully AIS 2.0 (VDES) compatible. Our commitment to enhancing maritime connectivity and delivering robust digital solutions to the global maritime industry is stronger than ever.

Building on our flight heritage from 2018, the PRION ensures backward compatibility with its satellite AIS receiver predecessors. It is fully upgradeable in-orbit with its compact software image, future-proofing any satellite constellation. This advanced SDR technology spans the entire maritime band, supporting applications beyond only VDE-SAT, thereby offering unparalleled flexibility and capability.

We are proud to share that S3C Communications has been chosen to provide the VDES satellite payloads for LusoSpace’s groundbreaking constellation of 12 satellites.

SUMMARY

  • Most compact, lightweight & power-efficient VDE-SAT payload available

  • Optimised for small satellite applications and in-orbit reconfiguration

  • Digitises the full maritime VHF band, allowing applications beyond VDES

  • NextGen satellite transceiver, empowering your satellite constellation

KEY FEATURES

  • CubeSat form factor (PC/104-plus) Software image <5Mbyte

  • Digitises full VHF Maritime Band Data storage 512Mbyte

STANDARDS

  • ITU-R M.2092-1 (VDE-SAT, TER) GSFC-STD-7000A (Environmental)

POWER

  • 6 W (Receiving)

  • Single 5 V supply

  • Optional 12 V for PA efficiency Various low-power modes

MECHANICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Dimensions 90 x 96 x 23 mm Weight 240 g

  • -20°C to +65°C Vibration (GSFC-STD-7000A)

RECEIVER

  • RX sensitivity better than -118 dBm

  • Concurrent receivers supporting: 2x AIS, 2x ASM, 2x VDE-SAT

TRANSMITTER

  • Fully integrated PA +30 dBm output power

DIGITAL INTERFACES

  • 1 x 100baseT Ethernet

  • 1x CAN, 2x UART, 1x SPI, 1x I2C, 1x 1 PPS, 4x GPIO

Peter-John Freeman
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