ClusterSat is developing a fractionated satellite architecture that uses MIMO technology to deliver high‑capacity, direct‑to‑device (D2D) connectivity from space to standard smartphones and other mobile terminals. By reducing satellite beam footprints to roughly 2 km—comparable to terrestrial cell sizes—the system dramatically increases capacity density, enabling faster throughput for consumer, industrial, and defense applications.
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
Current satellite communication systems use large beam footprints (≈15 km) that limit capacity density, resulting in low throughput for users and requiring handover to terrestrial networks for acceptable performance. This constraint hampers both consumer mobile broadband and specialized industrial or defense communications that rely on satellite links.
Solution
ClusterSat builds a fractionated satellite architecture that employs massive‑MIMO and very large baseline (VLB) techniques to create narrow, 2 km‑diameter beams directly to standard smartphones. By distributing the antenna aperture across multiple coordinated satellite modules, the system achieves much higher throughput per square kilometre without increasing satellite size, power, or launch cost. The direct‑to‑device (D2D) link eliminates the need for terrestrial handover, providing consistent high‑capacity connectivity for both consumer broadband and mission‑critical industrial or defense applications. Data are transmitted over the space link using conventional cellular protocols, allowing existing devices to connect without hardware modifications.
Target Audience
Primary customers are mobile network operators and service providers seeking high‑capacity satellite backhaul, as well as industrial and defense organizations that require reliable, high‑throughput satellite links for remote operations.
Features
- Fractionated satellite constellation with distributed antenna elements forming a very large effective aperture
- Massive‑MIMO radio access that enables 2 km beam footprints, increasing capacity density by an order of magnitude over legacy LEO systems
- Direct‑to‑device connectivity using standard smartphone radios, removing the requirement for ground‑based base stations
- Scalable architecture that maintains low satellite mass and power consumption while delivering high throughput
- Compatibility with existing mobile network standards, facilitating seamless integration with current device ecosystems