Wedoany.com Report on Feb 11th, The U.S. California-based startup Apolink and the Canadian company Galaxia recently announced a collaborative plan aimed at testing and improving in-orbit satellite data relay services. The two companies will utilize a satellite planned for launch by Galaxia in 2027 to conduct research in mission definition, system design, and link development.
Announced officially on February 9, this collaboration focuses on enhancing the performance of data relay networks. Apolink is building a low Earth orbit relay system to address communication interruptions when satellites are out of ground station coverage, enabling operators to transmit command and control signals in real-time without relying on ground passes.
Onkar Batra, founder of Apolink, noted, "Performance improvement is part of this demonstration and collaborative research." He further explained, "I can't comment on specific details, but our goal is to increase the downlink data rate from kilobits per second to megabits per second." The tests will involve connecting a Galaxia satellite with a CubeSat or an inter-satellite link demonstrator that Apolink plans to launch this year, using RF links in the S-band or X-band.
Although Apolink's network design is compatible with satellites already in orbit, through close collaboration with Galaxia, the two companies can test customized configurations to achieve higher data transmission efficiency. Batra added, "We plan to engage in similar collaborations with other bus manufacturers, especially those who build their own transceivers." This partnership will also help Apolink provide reliable service level guarantees for Galaxia's missions.
Founded in 2020, Galaxia successfully deployed its first software-defined satellite, Mobius-1, last year. The satellite allows customers to upload and run applications in orbit, suitable for scenarios such as Earth observation and data processing. Through its MissionOne turnkey service, the company provides spacecraft manufacturing, launch, and operation solutions for commercial and government clients. Lucas Rowlands, Vice President of Mission Operations at Galaxia, confirmed that Apolink's data relay service will be tested with a satellite planned for deployment in 2027 but did not disclose further details.
Previously, the Canadian Department of National Defence awarded Galaxia a contract worth CAD 2.5 million (approximately USD 1.9 million) in September last year to develop nanosatellites for testing data relay pipelines and edge computing technologies, focusing on applications in Arctic operations and national security. Apolink plans to deploy a constellation of 32 satellites by 2029, interconnected via optical links, supporting downlink speeds of up to 512 kilobits per second and uplink speeds of 9.6 kbps. This collaboration is expected to further optimize these data relay capabilities.
