News: Microelectronics
26 August 2025
Filtronic secures record order from SpaceX
Filtronic plc of Sedgefield and Leeds, UK — which designs and manufactures RF and millimeter-wave (mmWave) transmit & receive components and subsystems — has secured its largest ever contract, valued at £47.3m ($62.5m), with its long-standing customer SpaceX, for the Starlink high-speed internet service.
The contract is the first order for Filtronic’s gallium nitride (GaN)-powered solid-state power amplifier (SSPA) in E-band frequency.
The new E-band GaN SSPA solution delivers a significant step up in performance, offering higher output power, improved efficiency, and enhanced thermal management. These advantages are critical to applications in satellite communications and aerospace & defence applications, where system reliability and performance are paramount, says Filtronic.
The product will play a vital role in supporting the Starlink constellation, underlining the transformative potential of high-frequency SSPA technology in the ground segment of low Earth orbit (LEO) communications.
In developing the technology for high-frequency and high-power mmWave systems, Filtronic’s engineering team addressed the complex challenges of advanced packaging, thermal management, and high-frequency integration. Filtronic claims that the SSPA products hence establish a new industry benchmark for size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) at mmWave frequencies.
Filtronic says that the contract forms part of a multi-year growth strategy, positioning its GaN SSPA at the core of future developments across satellite communications, aerospace and defence, highlighting its strategic focus on delivering next-generation solutions for the most demanding global communications and connectivity applications.
Filtronic introduces E-band high-power amplifiers for long-range telecoms links
