News
Anywaves Deploys the First Commercial Reflectarray in Orbit
Back to our news
A World-First in High-Performance Antennas for Small Satellite Communications
Anywaves has reached a major milestone in space communications by becoming the first commercial equipment provider to deploy a Reflectarray antenna in orbit. This breakthrough confirms Anywaves’ ability to design, manufacture, and deliver next-generation antennas tailored for satellite platforms — and marks the beginning of a new era for deployable high-gain antenna technology.
Anywaves Reflectarray Antenna
From NASA Missions to Industrial Maturity
Initially tested by NASA on the ISARA, MarCO-A, and MarCO-B missions, reflectarray technology has now matured to reach commercial deployment — and for the first time, with full European industrial leadership. Backed by CNES since 2020 through a dedicated development program, Anywaves has successfully transitioned the Reflectarray from concept to orbit-ready hardware, demonstrating the technological feasibility of such systems for nanosatellites.
The Anywaves Reflectarray delivers exceptional radiofrequency performance in a compact, deployable form factor, thanks to its robust, passive deployment mechanism. Composed of flat panels folded onto a carrier, the antenna stores efficiently during launch and unfolds once in orbit to provide high gain and stable RF coverage. This design ensures rigidity and structural integrity, key for missions where no in-orbit maintenance is possible.
Enabling the Communications of Tomorrow
Operating across a wide frequency range — from X-band up to Ka-band, and scalable toward Ku or even Q/V bands — this antenna supports a wide array of mission profiles. In particular, Ka-band capabilities make it ideal for long-distance communications, including exploration missions, where high data rates and low mass are critical.
By mimicking the performance of a traditional parabolic reflector with flat, engineered surfaces, the Reflectarray opens the door to advanced downlinks and inter-satellite links from compact platforms (6U to 16U), enabling next-generation telecom payloads for both institutional and commercial users.
Whether for Earth observation, scientific exploration, or broadband constellations in LEO, this technology allows satellite operators to either increase throughput or reduce power budgets, offering new optimization opportunities across system design.
Anywaves Reflectarray Antenna
Industrial First for the European Space Ecosystem
The deployment of this antenna is the result of a coordinated effort with key New Space players including COMAT and Nimésis — further anchoring the Reflectarray within the European supply chain.
This mission marks a worldwide first: never before has a Ka-band Reflectarray been deployed in orbit by a commercial actor. It represents a clear ambition: to lead the global market for deployable high-gain antennas.
Anywaves now offers a flight-proven solution for users seeking high-performance telecom antennas that are compact, reliable, and tailored for small satellite environments.
_____________________________________________________
Looking for a flight-ready Reflectarray antenna?
We’re ready to support future missions and integration opportunities — contact us to discuss your specific telecom needs.
Contact
us
If you have any question, we would be happy to help you out.
Close
Search through our content
Manage Cookie Consent
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
Manage Cookie Consent
Functional Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.