SES mPower Gateway Installation: Dubbo 

At the height of the COVID lockdown in early 2021, Av-Comm was approached by Comtech Ground Systems, based in the UK, to provide installation services in Australia of the CGC antenna system for the next generation SES mPower constellation. The new mPower constellation is designed to augment the legacy O3b Classic satellite constellation, and supports high throughput per terminal, predictable low latency, high network availability and flexibility. 

Due to COVID travel restrictions preventing interstate and international personnel travelling, Comtech was struggling to find experienced local operators who could complete the complex project on schedule and without technical difficulty. Thankfully, Av-Comm was able to pick up the mantle due to our local presence and extensive technical experience in building complex earth stations.  

In early November 2021, Av-Comm’s advanced technical team mobilised to site to begin building the first Comtech CGC gateway antenna at the Pivotel earth station, located in Dubbo, NSW. 

The Av-Comm team spent the next three months working, including through the Christmas break, to complete the installation within the tight time constraints to allow for SES to begin testing the gateway system with other adjacent gateways on schedule.  

Av-Comm’s field team successfully completed the installation of three proof-of-concept 5.5m Ka-Band X/Y Full motion MEO tracking systems ahead of schedule. These antenna systems were the first of their kind commissioned for the constellation in the southern hemisphere, proving to be a complex technical challenge for the team. 

The Av-Comm advanced technical team was able to overcome the challenge of installing the unique antenna systems, successfully commissioning them after completing a photogrammetry test in early 2022. After a full and successful proof-of-concept with the first three antennas, two more were later shipped to site, and Av-Comm was once again contracted to apply their technical knowledge to install and commission them later in 2022.

Av-Comm completed the building of the five satellite gateway systems including supporting logistics, installation, integration, RF testing, commissioning, troubleshooting, training, and photogrammetry on the antenna systems. Out of 50 teams that completed similar installations of the new mPower gateways across the glove, the customer informed Av-Comm that our team was the fastest team to complete a successful antenna build and the only integrator worldwide to achieve perfect reflector alignment without a single adjustment—assembled expertly by our advanced technical team. 

Today, the satellite gateways operate continuously, supporting the telemetry, tracking, and control of the SES mPower constellation.