Septentrio launches the AsteRx-m2a and AsteRx-m2a UAS

This week, at Commercial UAV 2017, Septentrio announced the arrival of the AsteRx-m2a and AsteRx-m2a UAS GNSS OEM engines.

The two OEM boards bring the latest in precise and reliable multi-frequency, all-in-view RTK positioning and heading.

The boards also provide unmatched interference technology — all for the lowest power consumption of any comparable product on the market today.

Smaller than a credit card, the AsteRx-m2a and AsteRx-m2a UAS feature Septentrio’s pioneering AIM+ interference mitigation and monitoring system. AIM+ suppresses the widest variety of interferers — from continuous narrow-band signals to complex wide-band and pulsed jammers.

Increasing radio-frequency pollution plus the intrinsic danger of self-interference in compact systems such as UAS, are common problems. As such, interference mitigation is now vital for any UAS system using GNSS positioning.

Both boards bring high-precision positioning and attitude to any space-constrained application. Additionally, their ease-of-integration and high-update rate, low-latency output make both receivers ideal core components in any multi-sensor application.

Unmanned applications

AsteRx-m2a UAS is aimed specifically at unmanned applications bringing plug-and-play compatibility for autopilot systems such as ArduPilot and Pixhawk.

Event markers accurately synchronize camera shutter events with GNSS time. Plus, the board can power directly from the vehicle power bus via its wide-range input.

In addition, the AsteRx-m2a UAS works seamlessly with GeoTagZ Software. As such, it provides offline re-processed RTK accuracy without the need for either Ground Control Points or a real-time datalink.

“We’ve taken the hugely successful AsteRx-m2 and added a second antenna input for high-precision GNSS heading,” said Gustavo Lopez, OEM Product Manager at Septentrio. “No need to maneuver around in a figure of ‘8’ trying to initialize INS heading or find space or additional power for a separate INS module now. All you need is a second antenna and you’re good to go.”

Headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, Septentrio designs, manufactures and sells high-precision, multi-frequency, multi-constellation GPS/GNSS equipment for use in demanding applications. Septentrio receivers deliver consistently accurate and precise GNSS positioning scalable to centimeter-level and designed to perform solidly in the most challenging environments. Septentrio receivers are available as OEM boards, housed receivers and smart antennas.