Terminaux SATCOM multi-orbites : pourquoi CAMELEON met les antennes intelligentes au coeur de la souveraineté spatiale
The CAMELEON framework agreement awarded by the DGA to Greenerwave—alongside Airbus Defence and Space and Thales—illustrates a major shift in military satellite communications: strategic value lies not only in the satellites themselves but also in terminals capable of adapting to multi-orbit and multi-band environments.
Terminals: a critical link in space connectivity
The proliferation of constellations across low, medium, and geostationary orbits is fundamentally altering SATCOM architecture. Military users require the ability to access multiple links, switch between orbits, maintain service continuity, and withstand contested environments. In this context, the terminal becomes a critical component.
A next-generation SATCOM terminal is no longer limited to an antenna mechanically pointed at a specific satellite. It must incorporate electronic beam steering, precise frequency management, reconfiguration capabilities, low power consumption, and high levels of robustness.
Reconfigurable smart surfaces: an electromagnetic breakthrough
Greenerwave specializes in controlling electromagnetic waves using reconfigurable smart surfaces. The principle involves manipulating how a surface interacts with the wave—through reflection, steering, focusing, or beam reshaping. This approach enables the design of antennas that are flatter and potentially more energy-efficient, capable of steering the beam electronically without relying on heavy mechanical architectures. In a military SATCOM context, the benefits are manifold: mobility, stealth, robustness, multi-orbit compatibility, reduced power consumption, and adaptability to diverse operational scenarios. The terminal becomes a matter of sovereignty, as it determines the ability to utilize space infrastructures—whether sovereign, commercial, or allied.
A structuring industrial ecosystem
The program brings together Greenerwave, Airbus Defence and Space, and Thales under the aegis of the DGA (French Defense Procurement Agency). This setup is noteworthy: it combines a French deep-tech company, major aerospace and defense manufacturers, and a strategic public-sector client. For GraphMyTech, this is a key signal to map: an emerging technology is moving beyond the demonstration phase and onto a trajectory of capability development.
The scope of application extends beyond defense. Smart antennas and reconfigurable surfaces are also relevant to civil telecommunications, 5G/6G networks, maritime connectivity, aeronautics, critical infrastructure, and potentially certain sensing applications.
Outstanding R&D challenges
Several hurdles remain to be addressed: performance in real-world environments, resilience to thermal and mechanical stress, RF integration, multi-band compatibility, cybersecurity, jamming management, qualification, production costs, and sustainment (maintaining operational readiness). The technology's promise must be evaluated against these constraints.
Why technology monitoring is essential
Structured technology monitoring makes it possible to track this transition: publications on RIS (Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces), patents for reconfigurable antennas, collaborations between startups and major corporations, defense programs, 5G/6G roadmaps, and dual-use applications. The goal is not merely to spot an announcement, but to understand the ecosystem dynamics forming around a critical technology component. GraphMyTech enables the analysis of this type of trajectory through stakeholder mapping, patent and publication analysis, the identification of weak signals, and the comparison of technological options.
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