# Kymeta
**Kymeta Corporation** is an American satellite-communications company founded in 2012 and headquartered in [Redmond, Washington](https://www.edgepedia.org/redmond-washington), that manufactures flat-panel, electronically steered antennas based on engineered metamaterials[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract). Its terminals steer the satellite beam with software and liquid-crystal-tuned resonant elements rather than moving parts or phase-shifter arrays, giving mobile platforms such as vehicles, vessels, and unmanned systems connectivity on the move across GEO and LEO satellite networks[2](https://www.kymetacorp.com/why-kymeta/innovation) • [3](https://www.everythingrf.com/interviews/details/interview-with-ryan-stevenson-from-kymeta).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded / headquarters | 2012; Redmond, Washington[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract) |
| Core technology | Reconfigurable holographic metasurface antenna: subwavelength metamaterial elements tuned to form and steer the beam without moving parts[2](https://www.kymetacorp.com/why-kymeta/innovation) • [4](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.054048) |
| First product | mTennau7 antenna and KyWay terminal, announced at SATELLITE 2017, with commercial trials from May 2017[5](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commercial-availability-announced-for-the-worlds-first-truly-flat-satellite-antenna-for-use-across-a-broad-range-of-markets-enabling-global-mobile-connectivity-300418782.html) |
| u8 terminal | 82 cm active combined RX/TX aperture; Ku-band receive 10.7–12.75 GHz; 35 W typical power without modem and RF chain; 90 × 90 × 12.1 cm[6](https://profentech.com/wp-content/uploads/Kymeta-U8-Antenna-Terminal.pdf) |
| Frequency coverage | Liquid-crystal holographic antenna operates the full Ku downlink (10.7–12.75 GHz) and uplink (13.75–14.5 GHz) in full duplex within a 75° scan cone[7](https://kymeta-corp.files.svdcdn.com/production/files/Electronically_Steerable_Antennas_for_Future_Heterogeneous_Communication_Networks_Review_and_Perspectives.pdf?dm=1735945812) |
| Power comparison | The antenna itself uses approximately 15 W, whereas phased-array antennas of similar size consume nearly 1 kW[8](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/44/27/00183/09-2019.pdf) |
| Recent defense work | Three-year U.S. Office of Naval Research contract (April 14, 2026) to develop the KuKa multi-band terminal, with four concurrent full-duplex Ku- and Ka-band beams from a single aperture[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract) |
## Technology
Kymeta's antennas are metasurface antennas: a flat aperture covered with thousands of subwavelength metamaterial elements, each behaving as a polarizable dipole that couples energy from an attached waveguide into radiation[4](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.054048). Unlike a phased array, the design needs no active phase shifters or per-element amplifiers; reconfigurability comes from shifting the resonance frequency of individual elements, so the beam is formed by tuning some elements while leaving others detuned, producing a hologram-like aperture pattern[4](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.054048) • [9](https://www.microwavejournal.com/articles/27696-metamaterial-advances-for-radar-and-communications).
**Holographic beam forming.** The company describes its approach as software-enabled holographic beam forming: dynamic, precise satellite tracking with no moving parts, allowing rapid adaptation to changing conditions and network switching through software updates[2](https://www.kymetacorp.com/why-kymeta/innovation). The radiating elements are tuned by liquid crystal, and because the technology follows the flat-panel display industry, Kymeta can use the display industry's high-volume pick-and-place machines, capable of 30,000 die transfers per hour, to manufacture apertures at scale[10](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/the-need-for-a-full-duplex-electronically-steered-antenna).
**System architecture.** Compared with an active electronically scanned array (AESA), which uses thousands of feed points, the Kymeta design has a single antenna feed point with one high-power amplifier and one low-noise amplifier, greatly reducing system complexity and letting the company use best-of-breed amplifier technologies such as GaAs for the LNA and GaN for the HPA[3](https://www.everythingrf.com/interviews/details/interview-with-ryan-stevenson-from-kymeta). The trade-off is loss in the passive metasurface: to reach an equivalent gain-to-noise-temperature ratio, a Kymeta terminal tends to need a somewhat larger aperture than an equivalent active ESA[3](https://www.everythingrf.com/interviews/details/interview-with-ryan-stevenson-from-kymeta). A 2015 company analysis put the power consumption and cost of the approach at roughly 1% of a phased array and 10% of a gimbaled dish solution[11](https://kymeta-corp.files.svdcdn.com/production/files/SID_2015_Stevenson.pdf?dm=1735945777).
## Origins
The technology descends from metamaterials research at [Duke University](https://www.edgepedia.org/duke-university). Physicist Victor Veselago proposed in 1967 that materials with both negative permittivity and permeability could exist; Sir [John Pendry](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-pendry) published work on man-made electromagnetic materials in 1999; and Duke physics professor [David R. Smith](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-r-smith) demonstrated the first metamaterial structure in 2001. In 2008, Smith began initial development of the metamaterials that became Kymeta's core technology[12](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/). Kymeta engineers have published the underlying antenna theory in the peer-reviewed literature, including an analysis of the waveguide-fed metasurface antenna in *Physical Review Applied* (2017) and a discrete-dipole model for control and optimization of the holographic metamaterial antenna in *Applied Optics*[4](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.054048) • [13](https://opg.optica.org/ao/abstract.cfm?uri=ao-53-25-5791).
## Products
The first commercial product line was the mTennau7 antenna with the KyWay terminal, opened for reservations at SATELLITE 2017[5](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commercial-availability-announced-for-the-worlds-first-truly-flat-satellite-antenna-for-use-across-a-broad-range-of-markets-enabling-global-mobile-connectivity-300418782.html). Before commercial release in late 2017, Kyway terminals underwent months-long sea trials aboard the superyachts S/Y Maltese Falcon and M/Y White Rose of Drachs, maintaining connection through pitch and roll and receiving remote software upgrades at sea[14](https://www.e3s.com/our-products/marine-multi-connectivity/kymeta-flat-panels/kymeta-sea-trials/).
The current flagship is the **u8** family, a flat-panel, full-duplex, electronically scanned Ku-band terminal with an 82 cm active aperture, integrated antenna control unit, and IP66-rated outdoor enclosure[6](https://profentech.com/wp-content/uploads/Kymeta-U8-Antenna-Terminal.pdf). Variants target different markets: the Peregrine u8 is a maritime terminal designed for the Eutelsat OneWeb LEO network with hybrid cellular capability and less than 100 W nominal power; the Hawk u8 is an economical unit preconfigured for either LEO or GEO networks[15](https://www.kymetacorp.com/products/peregrine-u8). The compact Kestrel u5, built on the company's third-generation platform, switches its beam in less than 1 millisecond and averages less than 100 W with a 200 W maximum[3](https://www.everythingrf.com/interviews/details/interview-with-ryan-stevenson-from-kymeta).
## Partnerships and defense programs
**OneWeb.** In December 2021, Kymeta and OneWeb signed a joint development agreement to build a u8-based flat-panel terminal compatible with OneWeb's LEO constellation, supporting communications on the pause and, later, on the move for military, government, maritime, and enterprise customers[16](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-and-oneweb-partner-to-develop-flat-panel-user-terminal-for-leo-network-to-support-land-fixed-solutions-paving-the-way-to-future-land-mobile-and-maritime-mobility-solutions).
**U.S. Navy and ONR.** On April 14, 2026, Kymeta Government & Defense won a three-year development contract from the [Office of Naval Research](https://www.edgepedia.org/office-of-naval-research) to mature its KuKa architecture: multi-band connectivity with four concurrent full-duplex beams in Ku- and Ka-band frequencies from a single antenna aperture, first demonstrated in April 2025[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract). The resulting KuKa 8 Series terminal uses a shared aperture across both bands rather than dividing the antenna into multiple panels, which the company says yields higher RF efficiency, narrower beamwidths, lower power consumption, and a lower heat signature for naval vessels and unmanned systems[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract). The contract win was followed by a purchase order from Bascom Hunter for the first KuKa terminal prototype, to be delivered for testing starting in Q2 2026 under a SBIR Phase III program[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract).
**Other defense work.** Kymeta was selected as the multi-orbit SATCOM provider for the U.S. Army's Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) Pilot in Q3 2025[1](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract). In May 2026, the company joined the Red Cat Futures Initiative, with Red Cat's maritime division Blue Ops integrating Kymeta's communications technology into its Variant 7 uncrewed surface vessel to maintain connectivity across dynamic maritime environments[17](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-joins-red-cat-futures-initiative).
## Company history
Rick Bergman, previously Executive Vice President of Computing and Graphics at AMD and [President](https://www.edgepedia.org/president-corporate-title) and CEO of Synaptics from 2011 to 2019, became Kymeta's President and CEO effective April 1, 2024, succeeding the retiring Doug Hutcheson; Nicole Piasecki was elected Chair of the Board, and the company closed a Series D funding round to ramp production of the Osprey u8 HGL[18](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-unveils-leadership-transition-to-drive-next-phase-of-innovation-and-growth).
## References
1. [Kymeta Wins ONR Contract to Advance Ku/Ka Multi-Band SATCOM Technology, Kymeta Corp (April 14, 2026)](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-wins-onr-contract)
2. [A Culture of Innovation, Kymeta Corp](https://www.kymetacorp.com/why-kymeta/innovation)
3. [Interview with Ryan Stevenson from Kymeta, Everything RF](https://www.everythingrf.com/interviews/details/interview-with-ryan-stevenson-from-kymeta)
4. [D. R. Smith et al., "Analysis of a Waveguide-Fed Metasurface Antenna," Physical Review Applied 8, 054048 (2017)](https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.8.054048)
5. [Commercial Availability Announced for the World's First Truly Flat Satellite Antenna, PR Newswire (March 7, 2017)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/commercial-availability-announced-for-the-worlds-first-truly-flat-satellite-antenna-for-use-across-a-broad-range-of-markets-enabling-global-mobile-connectivity-300418782.html)
6. [Kymeta u8 Antenna Terminal specifications](https://profentech.com/wp-content/uploads/Kymeta-U8-Antenna-Terminal.pdf)
7. [Electronically Steerable Antennas for Future Heterogeneous Communication Networks: Review and Perspectives](https://kymeta-corp.files.svdcdn.com/production/files/Electronically_Steerable_Antennas_for_Future_Heterogeneous_Communication_Networks_Review_and_Perspectives.pdf?dm=1735945812)
8. [Kymeta MSAT vs Phased Array (2019)](https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/05/44/27/00183/09-2019.pdf)
9. [Metamaterial Advances for Radar and Communications, Microwave Journal (2017 correction)](https://www.microwavejournal.com/articles/27696-metamaterial-advances-for-radar-and-communications)
10. [The Need for a Full-Duplex Electronically Steered Antenna, Kymeta Corp](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/the-need-for-a-full-duplex-electronically-steered-antenna)
11. [Rethinking Wireless Communications: Advanced Antenna Design, SID 2015 (Stevenson)](https://kymeta-corp.files.svdcdn.com/production/files/SID_2015_Stevenson.pdf?dm=1735945777)
12. [About Kymeta, Kymeta Corp](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/)
13. [M. Johnson et al., "Discrete-dipole approximation model for control and optimization of a holographic metamaterial antenna," Applied Optics 53, 5791 (2014)](https://opg.optica.org/ao/abstract.cfm?uri=ao-53-25-5791)
14. [Kymeta Kyway Sea Trials, e3 Systems](https://www.e3s.com/our-products/marine-multi-connectivity/kymeta-flat-panels/kymeta-sea-trials/)
15. [Peregrine u8, Kymeta Corp](https://www.kymetacorp.com/products/peregrine-u8)
16. [Kymeta and OneWeb Partner to Develop Flat Panel User Terminal for LEO Network, Kymeta Corp (December 1, 2021)](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-and-oneweb-partner-to-develop-flat-panel-user-terminal-for-leo-network-to-support-land-fixed-solutions-paving-the-way-to-future-land-mobile-and-maritime-mobility-solutions)
17. [Kymeta Joins Red Cat Futures Initiative, Kymeta Corp (May 14, 2026)](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-joins-red-cat-futures-initiative)
18. [Kymeta Unveils Leadership Transition, Kymeta Corp (March 11, 2024)](https://www.kymetacorp.com/about/news-insights/kymeta-unveils-leadership-transition-to-drive-next-phase-of-innovation-and-growth)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Computing and digital systems › Computer hardware*
*Initially written Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license