In June, the European Space Agency (ESA) published the report ‘Space for Automotive: Use Cases and Market Opportunities’. This report looks at how modern technology is transforming the automotive industry, and at the role the space industry can play. In particular, the report talks about the importance of reliable connectivity for modern vehicles, especially self-driving vehicles.
Rural areas, which are often underserved by public transport, could see strong benefits from self-driving vehicles. However, ESA notes that drivers on major European routes are disconnected for an estimated 12.4% of the time, particularly in rural areas. This creates a challenge: how do autonomous vehicles remain connected in areas with poor connectivity?
Darwin was originally founded to address this challenge, and ESA’s support has played an important role in our work. The key to reliable connectivity lies in combining terrestrial networks with satellites.
A vehicle is only able to connect to a terrestrial network if there’s a communications tower within range. This is why communications are less reliable in rural areas, which tend to have fewer communications towers than cities. However, if a vehicle is given the ability to communicate with satellites, it can remain connected anywhere it has a direct line of sight to the sky, making satellites ideal for rural connectivity.
Darwin’s Hybrid User Terminal technology switches seamlessly between networks depending on availability, allowing vehicles to remain connected without interruption while driving. If a vehicle drives beyond the range of one network, another network will already be connected and ready to go. As the terminal can connect to both terrestrial and satellite networks, it can quickly adapt to changes in environment and pick up a signal almost anywhere.
You can find ESA’s quick profile of Darwin’s work on page five of the report, but we’ve also included it below:
Darwin Innovation Group, founded in 2019 with the goal of achieving reliable and widespread connectivity in autonomous driving, has developed a solution that combines terrestrial and satellite communications to overcome the limitations of each. Crucial to their success has been the support of the European Space Agency under the 5G/6G programme, which provided both funding and expertise to carry out the project. Traditional terrestrial networks often fail in remote areas or when a car moves in and out of range. Satellite networks, on the other hand, offer broad coverage but can be expensive and complex to integrate. By combining these technologies, Darwin’s Hybrid User Terminal seamlessly switches between networks, ensuring a constant connection for users on the move. This is particularly important for connected and autonomous vehicles. By gathering data from these vehicles, [Darwin] are not only improving their own services but also helping partners in the insurance sector, such as Aviva. With reliable connectivity, these vehicles can bridge gaps in rural public transport, reducing both dependence on single-occupancy vehicles and emissions.
The full ESA report is available here. Take a look to learn more about how the automotive sector is changing, and about how the space sector can offer its support.
Darwin Innovation Group is a UK-based company that provides services related to autonomous vehicles and communications. If you’re interested in working with us, take a look at our careers page. If you’d like to know how we can help your organisation make use of autonomous vehicles, contact us. You can also follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.
