Spearheaded by Cardiff-based Excelerate Technology Ltd, the consortium is creating the Mobility and Autonomy Market User Terminal (MAMUT), a compact and adaptable device designed to provide high-speed internet through multi-orbit satellite networks. Users will have the ability to select between Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites via an intuitive app, optimizing costs and improving accessibility worldwide.
MAMUT is designed to bring internet access to remote and challenging environments, including offshore platforms, mountainous regions, and other locations where traditional connectivity is unreliable.
Professor George Goussetis, an expert in Microwave and Antenna Engineering at Heriot-Watt University, is contributing to the development of a cost-efficient flat-panel satellite antenna for MAMUT. He highlighted the project's significance: "The rise of satellite connectivity is opening up new opportunities in industries that previously lacked reliable internet access-such as offshore operations, autonomous transportation including Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones, emergency response, and government missions. By future-proofing the terminal, reducing its size, and enhancing resilience, we aim to ensure truly global internet access-unrestricted, flexible, and available anytime, anywhere."
Dr. Samuel Rotenberg, a researcher from Heriot-Watt's School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, is also playing a key role in the project. He emphasized the need for more efficient solutions: "Currently, almost all Low Earth Orbit terminals on the market, or in development, focus on throughput performance metrics. These terminals are often too large, expensive, and power-inefficient for many potential markets and satellite networks, which is slowing industry growth. The MAMUT project will deliver a compact, lightweight, and energy-efficient terminal designed for use in static, mobile, and autonomous applications, offering modularity and cost flexibility to meet customer needs."
The MAMUT initiative includes contributions from Satellite and Space Consulting, Satraka Ltd, and Jet Connectivity. This project is part of the broader UK Space Agency's C-LEO programme, which is allocating Pounds 16 million to support the UK's role in the evolving satellite mega-constellation market by advancing satellite efficiency and capability.
With secured funding for the next three years, the MAMUT team is now focused on prototyping and industry engagement to showcase the system's real-world benefits.
Bethan Evans, Chief Operating Officer at Excelerate Technology Ltd, remarked on the sector's growth: "This is perhaps the most exciting time ever to be involved in the global space sector, which is experiencing a period of rapid change and growth with significant new mega-constellations and thousands of new satellites being deployed in the coming years. This Pounds 6 million UK Space Agency funding now enables us to focus on developing a fantastic new product that will help keep the UK at the forefront of the space connectivity industry while helping connect communities in the most hard-to-reach areas of the UK and beyond."
Heriot-Watt University is positioning itself as a hub for space technology innovation, with plans to establish a dedicated space tech cluster at its Edinburgh campus. The university's commitment to bridging academia and industry includes initiatives such as a new Aerospace Engineering degree and advanced research in quantum communications and satellite technologies.
Professor Gillian Murray, Deputy Principal for Business and Enterprise at Heriot-Watt, underscored the university's role in driving space technology advancements: "At Heriot-Watt, we're building a vibrant ecosystem in space technology and innovation. Our university ranks number one in the UK for research in physics and is home to one of the five UKRI-funded quantum hubs, the Integrated Quantum Network hub, alongside multiple centres for doctoral training. We also host the Hub Optical Ground Station (HOGS), a powerful telescope that underpins our photonics-enabled communication and satellite research, and we're co-located with a range of dynamic space-related businesses at our Research Park.
"This unique combination of expertise, facilities, and industry collaboration means we can rapidly translate cutting-edge research into world-changing applications, exemplified by our role in MAMUT. From quantum communications to satellite connectivity, Heriot-Watt is proud to be driving forward the next wave of advancements in space-based technologies for the benefit of society and the global economy."
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