Space-based surveillance has been available for more than a decade now, with satellites carrying ADS-B receivers that enable coverage in remote areas where no ground-based stations are available. Surveillance is only half of the story and to increase capacity and reduce separation in such areas, air traffic controllers (ATCOs) also need efficient two-way communications. The race for space-based aeronautical communication started in 2023, when the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) changed rules governing the space-based use of the Very High Frequency (VHF) spectrum.
Airspace Asia Pacific provided an opportunity to discuss the recent progress in this area with Juanjo Cornejo, the Director of Business Development and Intstitutional Relations at Startical, a joint venture between the Spanish Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP) ENAIRE and Indra, the technology provider.
How will space-based VHF change aviation?
For a very long time, large chunks of airspace like oceanic or desertic areas have been managed like tunnels: flights enter predefined tracks, one after the other, with significant time in between, and emerge from the other end hours later, still with sufficient separation. In a best case scenario, intermediate position reports using High-Frequency (HF) radios are be made, assuming the link could be established that day.
With space-based VHF, ATCOs and pilots will have the possibility to communicate in the usual way all over the globe, including over oceans and the North and South poles. The best part? No new equipment is required; it will use the same VHF radios that have been used for decades. Startical launched two satellites in March and June 2025 and the first tests occurred in the summer of 2025.
Juanjo observed pilots and ATCOs as part of the tests, and by personally listening to the radios and assessing the results, he was able to confirm that the technology could be used effectively. He explained that the satellites are in orbit at 580 km and transmissions comply with the standard which is 130 milliseconds, too little to make an operationally relevant difference. Startical also tested datalink services with success, using VHF Data Link Mode 2.
Three hundred satellites will launch within six years
Another factor that makes the use of this technology economically possible is the massive cost reduction of putting hundreds of small satellites in low orbit. Startical plans on having a constellation of nearly three hundreds satellites ready in 2030 and validated for operational use by ANSPs in 2031. The lifespan of such a satellite is around five years and they will need constant replacement.
This is sustainable because the cost of launches and insertion into orbit has dropped massively in recent years. Juanjo could not share details of the business plan but he confirmed that Startical is in advanced discussions with multiple potential customers.
Beyond oceanic areas and the need for globalisation
ANSPs operating over oceanic areas are the typical potential users of space-based VHF but areas like the Bay of Bengal, the Amazonia, the Sahara desert and many others have limited VHF coverage and could also benefit from this technology.
One clearly identified challenge is the need for a multinational upgrade. Coming back to the tunnel metaphor, if the ANSP that controls the entry becomes able to put more flights into the tunnel, the ANSP operating the other side has to manage that flow for the change to make sense. Juanjo notes that upgrading the procedures over the Bay of Bengal, for example, would involve India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Bangladesh, making supranational coordination a must.
There are other use cases beyond areas without coverage. Getting VHF coverage in some remote and sometimes hostile areas is very costly. Maintenance works require travel and spare hardware is needed on-site, but these challenges can be overcome with Startical’s technology. Moreover, space-based VHF makes for a great back-up system that can be purchased as a service, without any need for installation or maintenance.
Global use for airlines’ own needs, even before ANSPs
Juanjo noted that ANSPs are not the only potential users of Startical’s platform, and will not be the first. Airline operation centres, watching flight progress on a 24/7 basis, will be the first users by 2030 and full certification is expected in 2031. The ability to communicate with crews globally, with a single technology, already integrated in the flight-deck, will be a major improvement leading to better, smoother, more sustainable operations. AOC users also don’t require the high level of certification that ANSPs need.
This new technology has the potential to bring surveillance-based separations everywhere, making ATM harmonised all over the globe, simplifying procedures and making them more efficient. 2031 is set to be a transformational year for our skies!
