With uniSpark, UNIVITY combines onboard regenerative 5G processing, millimeter-wave frequencies and TDD operation in orbit for the first time, paving the way for new spectrum resources for satellite communications.
UNIVITY, an operator of space-based connectivity services, announces the success of uniSpark, its first in-orbit technology demonstration mission. Launched in June 2025, uniSpark established a fully bidirectional 5G NTN (Non-Terrestrial Network) connection between a ground terminal and a 5G base station onboard a satellite in orbit. This is the first in-orbit demonstration combining onboard regenerative 5G processing, a millimeter-wave (mmWave) link and Time Division Duplexing (TDD) operation. This milestone validates several critical building blocks of UNIVITY’s future space infrastructure and brings the company closer to its ambition: enabling telecom operators to extend their networks from space while maintaining control of their infrastructure. The demonstration was conducted from a CNES site as part of a program supported by France 2030.
Charles Delfieux, Founder and CEO of UNIVITY, said: “With uniSpark, we are moving from technological promise to proof in orbit. We have demonstrated our ability to operate technologies derived from terrestrial 5G in millimeter-wave frequency bands in a real space environment. This is a decisive step toward our ambition: to develop, alongside telecom operators, a space infrastructure that enables them to extend their networks beyond the limits of the ground. Space can finally become a natural extension of terrestrial 5G networks.”
A first demonstration program: from concept to in-orbit demonstration in two years
Supported by France 2030, the uniSpark program is UNIVITY’s first in-orbit technology demonstration mission and the first building block of its future high-speed space telecommunications infrastructure. Following the successful launch of the payload in June 2025, the test campaign conducted since then has validated, step by step, that the various system components operate properly, ultimately achieving the demonstration’s objective: a ground terminal synchronized and registered as a 5G terminal on the uniSpark network. This connection to a standard 5G core network uses a protocol similar to that of terrestrial 5G Time Division Duplexing (TDD) networks operating in millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies.
UNIVITY has thus demonstrated the ability of its teams and partners to set up and execute, in nearly two years, a complete in-orbit demonstration program, from concept to proof in a real-world environment.
Making 5G work at orbital velocity
The result marks a major step forward. Establishing such a connection with a base station located several hundred kilometers above Earth and traveling at orbital velocity involves constraints that are very different from those of a terrestrial network. The distance between uniSpark and the ground terminal is constantly changing, requiring additional mechanisms to compensate for propagation delay and the Doppler effect, among other factors. TDD operation adds another layer of complexity: equipment on the ground and in space must be synchronized with very high precision in both time and frequency to enable alternating transmission and reception. Successive test campaigns made it possible to adjust these mechanisms, synchronize the equipment and fine-tune the radio chain until a complete bidirectional connection was established.
TDD, a strategic building block for extending telecom operators’ networks from space
The use of TDD in millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequencies lies at the heart of UNIVITY’s technological approach. Unlike a conventional Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) architecture, which typically uses two separate spectrum resources for transmission and reception, TDD enables the same spectrum resource to be shared over time between uplink and downlink communications. This is a strategic choice: the millimeter-wave 5G bands used by terrestrial telecom operators operate precisely in TDD mode.
By demonstrating that this architecture can operate in an orbital environment, UNIVITY validates an important step toward its objective. Laurent Bouscary, CTO of UNIVITY, explained: “Beyond the performance of the link itself, this demonstration confirms the possibility of building a satellite infrastructure that relies extensively on technologies and developments derived from terrestrial 5G, rather than recreating an entirely separate ecosystem.”
This is the model UNIVITY is building: a neutral and shared space infrastructure designed for telecom operators, enabling them to retain control of their connectivity services and customer relationships while using space as a new layer of their networks. uniSpark’s success provides the first real-world validation of this vision.
26 GHz spectrum, a new resource for satellite communications
Beyond the technology demonstration itself, uniSpark paves the way for the use of a new spectrum resource for satellite communications. While the Ku and Ka bands are becoming increasingly congested, UNIVITY demonstrates the potential to use the 26 GHz band for high-speed NTN communications. By demonstrating for the first time that a 5G NTN link can operate in TDD mode at these frequencies from space, uniSpark validates the technical feasibility of this approach and paves the way for the use of new spectrum resources to meet growing satellite connectivity needs.
From uniSpark to uniShape: toward end-to-end 5G connectivity
The result achieved with uniSpark validates both a first critical technological building block of UNIVITY’s architecture and its ability to validate a 5G link in orbit.
In parallel, with the support of CNES under France 2030, UNIVITY is developing uniShape, comprising two demonstration satellites representative of the architecture of its future constellation. These two satellites are designed in-house, and their development will be fully managed by UNIVITY. uniShape will enable the company to go further in validating connectivity performance, system architecture and an end-to-end 5G NTN service ahead of industrialization.
UNIVITY’s roadmap therefore unfolds in three stages: uniSpark, which has validated the critical technological building blocks; uniShape, which will integrate them into a system representative of the target architecture; and uniSky, which will mark the industrialization and deployment of the future commercial constellation.
Laurence Clarac, Head of Innovative Concepts and Satcom Applications at CNES, said: “By hosting the ground equipment for the demonstration, CNES contributed to the success of these in-orbit tests. This major milestone marks the completion of the first phase of UNIVITY’s roadmap. It will be followed by a 5G service demonstration project, supported by CNES under the France 2030 program and signed in August 2025.”
About UNIVITY
UNIVITY (formerly Constellation Technologies & Operations) is developing a satellite constellation enabling telecom operators to provide high-speed, low-latency internet access from space, complementing terrestrial networks. Through Very Low Earth Orbit satellites and the innovative use of telecom operators’ 5G spectrum, the company offers a high-performance, affordable, and sustainable solution.
This project was funded by the French Government under the France 2030 program operated jointly on behalf of the State by CNES and BpiFrance.
About CNES
CNES (Centre National d’Études Spatiales) is the government agency responsible for shaping France’s space policy and implementing it in Europe. Its task is to conceive and orbit satellites, invent the space systems of the future and nurture new services to aid us in our daily lives. The agency is a key player driving technology innovation, economic development and industrial policy for the nation.
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