Satellite Antenna Market Expected to Reach $18.1 Billion by 2033

According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “Satellite Antenna Market," The satellite antenna market was valued at $2.8 billion in 2020, and is estimated to reach $18.1 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 13.2% from 2023 to 2033.

Electronically Steered Antenna (ESAs) are an attractive option for aerial and maritime platforms due to their fast tracking, rapid beam switching, and flexible beam shaping capabilities. This makes them well-suited for highly dynamic environments. In aerospace satellite antenna industry, ESA adoption is driven by the need for continuous, high-throughput inflight connectivity. ESAs maintain links with multiple satellites during flight using software-controlled beam steering. Players such as Kymeta, Isotropic, Alcan Systems supply aero ESA products. For defense applications, ESAs provide electronic warfare capabilities such as jam resistance, nulling interference, and resilient communications. General Dynamics and L3Harris are major ESA suppliers to military customers.

Moreover, ESAs are deployed on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to meet the demand for beyond line-of-sight control, sensor data backhaul, and in-flight refueling. ESAs have been adopted by maritime, land, and airborne sectors due to their performance. For instance, in November 2023, SWISSto12, a leading European aerospace company, collaborated with Thales, a critical electronics company, to develop active electronically steerable antennas (AESAs) for airborne, land, and maritime platforms. The AESAs are expected to use innovative 3D-printed miniature horn antennas instead of traditional patch antennas.

These 3D-printed antenna apertures are more efficient and have better overall performance (gain, axial ratio & bandwidth over scan volume) than patch antennas. These features are essential to maintaining wide-angle scanning capabilities in AESAs. Therefore, ESAs have gained adoption across aerial and maritime platforms given their advantages for mobility, tactical communications, and multi-beam connectivity. This makes ESAs a high-growth opportunity area within the defense and aerospace satellite antenna industry. The satellite antenna market forecast offers valuable insights into future satellite antenna market share, trends, growth projections, and emerging opportunities.

Countries considered under the Europe satellite antenna market include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, Russia, and rest of Europe. The growth in satellite antenna market is influenced by the presence of key players in the UK, France, Germany, and Nordic countries, driven by innovative technology and space initiatives. Europe represents one of the major regional markets for satellite antennas globally. The presence of companies such as Oxford Space Systems involved in novel antenna development boosts the development of satellite antennas in the UK. A UK-based satellite manufacturing facility of OneWeb also requires investments in ground systems and antennas to support its LEO constellation. Government investments in improved satcom and space situational awareness capabilities are further drivers of the satellite antenna market. The satellite antenna market analysis reveals a steady increase in demand, driven by the expanding applications of satellite communication across diverse sectors. The satellite antenna market analysis reveals a steady increase in demand, driven by the expanding applications of satellite communication across diverse sectors.

Moreover, the Europe satellite antenna market size is increasingly due to presence of several leading satellite companies and operators such as Thales Alenia Space, Eutelsat, and ground station/antenna providers such as Comtech EF Data and Hubspace. These create a steady baseline demand for ground antennas to support spacecraft launches, operations, and new services. Germany based companies have increased involvement in LEO broadband projects and R&D projects for development of advanced satellite antenna. For instance, in September 2023, mtex antenna technology GmbH, a German antenna and telescope manufacturer expanded in Albuquerque and invested in technology and engineering.

The company plans to open a new facility at a local science park, where it is expected to design, engineer, and produce high-tech antennas and telescopes for its North American customers. The expansion represents a $16 million investment and demonstrates the strengths of the city in aerospace and technology. In addition, in June 2021, Viasat, Inc., a satellite communication company, successfully tested an advanced antenna system on a flight over Europe, bringing the technology one step closer to commercial availability. The flat, stationary antenna uses electronic beam steering, eliminating the need for parts to be physically moved or rotated. This enables continuous connections across satellites in various orbits such as low-Earth orbit (LEO), medium-Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary orbit (GEO).

The phased array antenna provides seamless handoffs between satellites and optimizes performance. The company’s advanced state-of-theart satellite antenna technology facilitates the next generation of in-flight connectivity and other applications by collaborating with European partners. Nordic countries, especially Norway, have witnessed expanded demand for mobile satellite communications in the maritime and land transport sectors. Flat panel antennas are widely used given the rugged environment. Meanwhile, Southern European countries rely more on fixed consumer VSATs. EU-wide initiatives such as the Galileo navigation constellation and growth in earth observation small satellite missions are expected to drive ground station antenna upgrades.

KEY FINDINGS OF THE STUDY

•              By type, the flat panel antenna segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

•              By frequency band, the Ka band segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

•              By application, the earth observation satellites segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

•              By end user, the commercial segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

•              By orbit type, the geostationary orbit segment is anticipated to exhibit significant growth in the near future.

•              By region, LAMEA is anticipated to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

Key players operating in the global satellite antenna market include Kymeta Corporation, L3Harris Technologies, Inc., Viasat, Inc., Honeywell International Inc., CPI International Inc., Thales, Intellian Technologies, Inc., GILAT SATELLITE NETWORKS, Hughes Network Systems, LLC, Cobham Limited, and Airbus DS Government Solutions Inc.