[SatNews] Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:KTOS) has announced that the firm's RT Logic subsidiary has recently delivered its sixtieth T400SDM Software-Defined Modem to Iridium Communications Inc.—the T400SDM bridges the public Internet to the Iridium constellation of networked Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

The Iridium satellite constellation enables global mobile voice and data communications. A network of ground teleports around the world controls the satellites and provides the interface to the terrestrial Internet. Users and data sources in remote locations without terrestrial Internet connectivity communicate directly with an overhead Iridium satellite, and the constellation automatically routes data packets to the teleport closest to the data or voice-call destination. At each teleport, the RT Logic T400SDM provides both the gateway interface to the IP-based terrestrial Internet and the RF signal processing uplink and downlink to the satellite constellation.

For the uplink, the T400SDM encapsulates user IP packets and satellite constellation commands and transmits both to the Iridium satellite currently overhead. On the downlink, the T400SDM unpacks satellite telemetry and user IP Packets, routing each to the appropriate destination. The T400SDM has been designed both to support the existing constellation of 66 LEO satellites as well as the higher data rates and MPLS connectivity required for the Iridium NEXT constellation, which will comprise 66 new satellites.

Matt Langenbahn, Modem Business Manager at RT Logic, said, "The Iridium project has successfully demonstrated the flexibility of our core modem technology, which currently supports the Block 1 constellation and is ready to support the enhanced capabilities of the Iridium NEXT constellation."

RT Logic, a Kratos company, is a leading provider of innovative products for ground stations, satellite test equipment and satellite operations, with solutions used in over 80 percentof America's space missions. For more information, please visit http://www.RTLogic.com/.