QuinStar Technology, a leading provider of microwave and millimeter-wave products, commemorates a decade of success with its Solid-State Power Amplifiers (SSPA) onboard the Alphasat satellite in collaboration with Italian Space Agency (ASI) and European Space Agency (ESA).
In 2013, QuinStar developed and delivered cutting-edge Q-band SSPAs to amplify the signal power of the Alphasat’s Q/V-band communication Technology Demonstration Payload (TDP). This ASI-funded payload, identified as TDP5 and named “Aldo Paraboni,” embarked on the Alphasat satellite to study communication links and propagation phenomena at Q/V Bands.
Originally planned as a three-year mission, the Alphasat project’s outstanding performance led to three extensions, with the experiment now celebrating its tenth year of continuous operation. QuinStar’s SSPAs have been pivotal to the mission’s success, enabling groundbreaking research, leading to numerous published papers, and influencing the global adoption of Q/V band microwave communication.
Beyond the Alphasat mission, QuinStar’s commitment to technological advancements has expanded its SSPA technology to frequencies ranging from below K band to well above W-band, utilizing Gallium Nitride (GaN) device technology. These versatile SSPAs have been utilized in critical applications across defense, remote sensing, and scientific missions, catering to national and global interests.
For more information about the Alphasat mission, visit ESA Alphasat.
To explore QuinStar’s SSPA and related products, visit www.quinstar.com or contact sales@quinstar.com.