The European Space Agency’s New Norcia station, DSA-1 (Deep Space Antenna-1), 140 km north of Perth, Western Australia. Photo: ESA/S. Marti.

CTech – MTI Wireless Edge, a Rosh Haayin-based group specializing in comprehensive communication and radio frequency solutions across multiple sectors, announced on Monday that its Antenna Division had been selected to partner with American engineering firm Craig Technologies and its subsidiary Sidus Space to develop a new range of space antennas as part of a funded project. Earlier last year, Space Florida entered into an innovative bilateral partnership with the Israel Innovation Authority to support joint aerospace research and development projects.

For this project, MTI will receive a grant of $125,000 to support the development of its new space antenna that can be used for space-ground and space-space applications. MTI aims to customize an existing antenna set to the required satellite communication frequency band, which will be redesigned to fit space environmental requirements. Testing will be performed using Craig’s on-orbit technology demonstration satellites. While MTI will be responsible for the development and manufacturing of the antennae, Craig will focus on marketing the new technology commercially.

“As a leading small business in commercial space engineering, our focus is on developing and launching mission-critical systems and we bring our expertise of developing systems capable of functioning reliably in space together with MTI’s undoubted leadership in the field of antenna communications,” said Carol Craig, who serves as CEO of Craig Technologies.

MTI’s CEO, Moni Borovitz, commented: “This will be our first space project. Florida is the home of space development globally, and Craig Technologies is a leader in its field. We look forward to combining our expertise to bring to market a truly innovative range of new flat antennas for use in space.”

MTI designs, develops, and produces high quality, cost-effective antenna solutions including Smart Antennas, MIMO Antennas, and Dual Polarity Antennas for wireless applications in both the military and commercial civilian markets. Some of these include smart antennas for broadband, tactical, and specialized communication, as well as antenna systems that can be installed on numerous airborne, ground, and naval vessels, including submarines.