ThinKom Secures SES Open Orbits Type Approval for ThinAir Ka2517 Antenna

Why It Matters

The approval expands multi‑orbit inflight connectivity options for airlines, delivering faster, more reliable broadband and strengthening SES’s position in the growing aviation communications market.

Key Takeaways

• ThinKom’s Ka2517 gains SES Open Orbits type approval
• Supports both GEO and MEO satellites via dual-beam architecture
• Integrated in Airbus HBCplus, >150 aircraft committed
• Enables Taurus HB and Jupiter 3 waveforms on SES fleet
• Hybrid design cuts latency, boosts spectral efficiency

Pulse Analysis

The inflight connectivity market is rapidly shifting from single‑orbit solutions to hybrid architectures that can tap both geostationary and medium‑earth orbit satellites. SES’s Open Orbits network, which blends GEO capacity with the low‑latency reach of its O3b Classic and forthcoming mPOWER constellations, represents a strategic response to airlines’ demand for seamless, high‑throughput broadband. By securing type approval for ThinKom’s ThinAir Ka2517, SES validates a hardware platform capable of operating across this diverse satellite ecosystem, a move that could set a new industry benchmark for multi‑orbit certification processes.

Technically, the Ka2517 leverages ThinKom’s patented VICTS phased‑array technology, delivering independent transmit and receive beams that can lock onto GEO and MEO satellites simultaneously. Coupled with RAVE Aerospace’s ModMan, which supports both Taurus HB and Jupiter 3 waveforms, the terminal offers exceptional spectral efficiency and resilience, drawing on more than 65 million operational hours of flight data. This hybrid capability not only maximizes satellite resource utilization but also reduces round‑trip latency—a critical factor for passenger streaming, crew communications, and real‑time aircraft telemetry.

From a business perspective, the certification unlocks immediate deployment under Airbus’s HBCplus program, where over 150 aircraft are already slated to receive the solution directly from the factory, with additional retrofits expanding the install base by several hundred units. Airlines gain a future‑proof connectivity stack that can adapt as satellite constellations evolve, while SES strengthens its foothold in the high‑value aviation segment. As more carriers adopt multi‑orbit platforms, the partnership between ThinKom, SES, and RAVE Aerospace positions them to capture a growing share of the $10 billion inflight connectivity market.