Ka-band antenna hardware for a deep-space communications link, delivered through Beyond Gravity for JAXA.
Talking across a billion kilometres.
A spacecraft in deep space is a thousand times further away than one in geostationary orbit, and signal strength falls with the square of distance. Ka-band buys back that margin with a tighter beam and far higher data rates. Beyond Gravity is a recurring mission-critical supplier for exploration programmes.
I held the relationship before there was a procurement, tracked what the agency's roadmap actually required, and ran the commercial process once a requirement firmed up.
JAXA runs on its own procurement structures, and the relationship-building that precedes a formal process matters more, not less. A supplier that appears only when a tender opens is already behind.