TSi Awarded Contract for its Horizon Phased Array Antenna MEOLUT Technology
$2.4M NOAA Contract Brings TSi’s Latest Advanced Technology to U.S.A.’s MEOSAR System
Lanham, Maryland, U.S.A. – December 4th, 2020 – TSi, the global leader in Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) ground stations, announced it has been selected by NOAA to deliver its Horizon Medium Earth Orbit Local User Terminal (MEOLUT) to enhance NOAA’s Medium Earth Orbit Search and Rescue (MEOSAR) ground segment system at Wahiawa, Hawaii.
MEOSAR is the next-gen version of the Cospas-Sarsat international search and rescue satellite system that has helped save over 50,000 lives since 1982. NOAA, the U.S. agency responsible for the U.S. SARSAT program, led the way with the world’s first operational MEOSAR system in 2011; a system designed, developed and installed by TSi. “TSi continues to remain a world leader and valued innovator in SARSAT technologies.”, said Mickey Fitzmaurice, NOAA SARSAT program’s Lead Satellite Systems Engineer. “This most recent award to enhance the operational U.S. MEOLUTs with their Horizon MEOLUT, validates NOAA’s continued trust in TSi to bring about the most advanced technologies available today to improve detection and location accuracy of emergency distress beacons used by personnel, aircraft and maritime vessels in distress.”
The key technology innovation in the latest TSi Horizon MEOLUT is the use of a custom-designed phased array antenna integrated with TSi’s proprietary MEOLUT signal processing and control techniques. With near horizon-to-horizon coverage to capture 406 beacon signals relayed from orbiting satellites immediately after line-of-sight is established, TSi’s Horizon MEOLUT delivers enhanced search and rescue coverage and second-generation signal processing capabilities in a compact form factor with no moving parts.
By pointing to satellites near the horizon, TSi’s Horizon MEOLUT can detect and locate emergency beacons with greater accuracy than traditional dish antennas. This enhanced detection ability, combined with TSi’s Selective Schedule Algorithm, enables TSi’s system to monitor more diverse regions, including the translation of oblong and irregular data points that are invisible to traditional systems. “For us, a key technology goal is to take the ‘Search’ out of Search and Rescue.”, stated TSi’s Chief Technology Officer, Jeff Khorrami. “The development of the latest TSi Horizon MEOLUT by our talented R&D team was a critical milestone in our continued pursuit of this ambitious goal.”
About TSI
Founded in 1975, TSi is an advanced technology company and the global leader in SARSAT ground stations & services and integrated emergency response center systems. TSi brings together over 150 combined years of experience to the SAR industry. NOAA & NASA are among the many international governmental agency customers around the world that trust TSi with their SAR ground segment infrastructure needs, allowing them to save more lives. Find out more about TSi at http://www.technosci.com
TSi Press Contact: Sugianto Trisno @ sugianto.trisno@technosci.com; +1-240-421-4260