Gogo launches Galileo HDX on Challenger 300
Gogo Business Aviation, in collaboration with Duncan Aviation, completed the first installation of its Gogo Galileo HDX system on a Bombardier Challenger 300.
The company said that flight testing has begun to pave the way for a commercial launch later this year.
“Our expert team completed the installation, and then alongside Gogo’s engineers, immediately started testing the system on the ground with eight devices connected and streaming at the same time,” said Mark Winter, satellite manager, Duncan Aviation Houston. “It was impressive to say the least, and we know our customers who upgrade to Gogo Galileo will love this step-function improvement in the connectivity experience.”
Gogo Galileo HDX leverages low-earth orbit (LEO) satellites to deliver global broadband connectivity, a significant improvement over traditional air-to-ground (ATG) systems. Gogo said the first installation on a Challenger 300 highlights the ease of integration for aircraft already equipped with Gogo’s AVANCE platform. Adding the HDX system simply requires installing a small fuselage-mounted antenna and connecting it to existing onboard equipment.
“Reaching this milestone puts Gogo Galileo HDX on track to launch in the fourth quarter, on time and on budget,” said Sergio Aguirre, president and chief operating officer, Gogo. “Gogo Galileo customers will experience highly reliable service on the Eutelsat OneWeb enterprise grade LEO satellite network, which unlike competitive LEO networks, does not share bandwidth with consumer users.”
Following the successful installation, Gogo said it will now subject the system to rigorous testing, including ground checks for electromagnetic interference and vibrations, as well as extensive flight tests.
The company reports strong industry support with eight STC programmes committed, covering over 5,300 aircraft. Additionally, negotiations are underway for another 21 STCs encompassing a further 12,000 aircraft.
The HDX antenna itself is designed for a wide range of business jets, offering average speeds of 57 Mbps and peak speeds reaching 60 Mbps. Gogo plans to introduce an even faster antenna, the Gogo Galileo FDX, in the first half of 2025. This larger antenna, targeted towards bigger aircraft, promises mean speeds of 189 Mbps and peak speeds of 195 Mbps.
Gogo is now accepting pre-orders for the HDX system allowing existing Gogo customers with legacy ATG systems can benefit from a special $25,000 rebate when upgrading to the AVANCE SCS and HDX combination.
