Gogo edges closer to launch of Eutelsat OneWeb LEO-powered Galileo

The hotly anticipated wait for Eutelsat OneWeb Ku-band Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite-powered inflight connectivity appears to be nearly over, including in business aviation where service provider Gogo says guidance from the satellite operator sees Eutelsat OneWeb business aviation services, specifically, “slated to be officially live for operators starting Jan. 1, 2025”.

Among the firms using this LEO service to bring global high-speed Internet to business aircraft, Gogo in partnership with MRO and refurbishment specialist Duncan Aviation has installed its small form factor Galileo HDX (half-duplex) electronically steerable antenna (ESA) on a Bombardier Challenger 300 testbed, and is aiming for initial type certification before year-end.

The installation, says Gogo, “consisted only of adding the fuselage-mounted antenna on top of the aircraft, running power from the aircraft to the antenna, and running a data line from the HDX back to the already-installed AVANCE L5 LRU (line replaceable unit).”

Based on Hughes Network Systems’ ESA hardware, the HDX kit can fit “on any size business aircraft” with mean speeds of 57 Mbps and peak speeds up to 60 Mbp, notes Gogo. A larger full-duplex FDX antenna, designed for larger aircraft and capable of higher speeds, will be available in the first half of 2025.

Gogo CEO Oakleigh Thorne previously expected flight-testing of Galileo HDX to begin in August. But the firm had to first address a faulty FADEC (full authority digital engine control) on one of the engines of the Challenger 300. Now flight-testing aboard the jet has commenced, and Gogo plans to test the IFC system “in extreme conditions in the northern polar region and then along some equatorial routes”, the company tells Runway Girl Network, adding:

Everything remains on track to receive certification and launch later this year.

Gogo’s implementation sees the firm offering Galileo both in standalone form as a satcom-only solution, and in a hybrid version that includes its air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity service for North American operators.

If the company can be locked and loaded with a supplemental type certificate for Galileo HDX on the Challenger 300 before the January 1 go-live date for Eutelsat OneWeb LEO, that would be a celebrated feat indeed.

There is, after all, clearly growing excitement around the imminent launch of Eutelsat OneWeb LEO service in civil aviation, though fully global coverage is not expected to be available until the ground network buildout is completed in spring 2025.

“Gogo Galileo customers will experience highly reliable service on the Eutelsat OneWeb enterprise grade LEO satellite network, which unlike competitive LEO networks, does not share bandwidth with consumer users,” says Gogo president and chief operating officer Sergio Aguirre in apparent reference to SpaceX’s Ku-band LEO-based Starlink service.

Unlike Eutelsat OneWeb, which has taken a B2B approach, SpaceX is serving the civil aviation market directly, and its Starlink Aviation solution has made some notable wins.But it’s also supporting connectivity for residential users, including in rural locations.

Elsewhere in civil aviation, Intelsat is readying to launch its multi-orbit LEO/GEO IFC solution for commercial airlines, inclusive of Eutelsat OneWeb LEO service. And Hughes is gearing up to launch Eutelsat OneWeb LEO-focused IFC in commercial aviation, with its ESA hardware for airlines slated to ship in the first half of 2025.

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Featured image credited to PRNewsfoto/Gogo Business Aviation