Tethers Unlimited’s SWIFT TacSATCOM radio system enables tiny CubeSats to communicate directly with standard handheld UHF radios used by soldiers in the field (Credit: TUI)
BOTHELL, WA, 7 November 2013 (TUI PR) – The Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command (SMDC) has awarded Tethers Unlimited, Inc. (TUI) a Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to complete development of a communications system that will enable CubeSats to communicate directly with handheld radios used by Army troops.
TUI’s “SWIFT TacSATCOM” system combines a frequency agile software defined radio with novel deployable antennas to enable these tiny, low power, low cost spacecraft to support soldiers in the field by providing real time access to mission critical data and communications.