The ASTRO Ecosystem™: Reflecting on 2 Years of Continued Evolution
04/09/2026
When ASTRO™ was launched at European Microwave Week 2024 in Paris, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for Slipstream Design. Developed through focused research and development by our team of radar engineering specialists, ASTRO™ introduced a Wideband Adaptive Radar Processor built around Direct RF-on-the-edge technology, designed to deliver greater agility, flexibility and performance for next-generation sensing and communications systems.
As we prepare to return to European Microwave Week in October 2026, ASTRO™ has grown from a single processor module into an expanding ecosystem of capabilities. Each milestone has built on the last, driven by continued engineering innovation, collaborative research and a growing understanding of real-world operational requirements.
Launching ASTRO™ at European Microwave Week 2024
European Microwave Week 2024 marked ASTRO™’s debut to the RF and microwave community. The launch introduced a new approach to wideband adaptive processing, bringing together high-performance digital signal processing and RF expertise in a flexible platform capable of supporting a wide range of applications.
The launch laid the foundations for an ecosystem designed to evolve alongside emerging technologies and user requirements.
Demonstrating Flexibility Through YO-RAN
ASTRO™ played a key role in the YO-RAN project. In collaboration with the Universities of York and Sheffield as well as industrial partners including BT, ADTRAN and Radio Design, the Department for Science Innovation and Technology (DSIT) project saw Slipstream Design test and demonstrate at BT’s Adastral Park the generation of complex telecommunications waveforms across public and private 5G frequency bands.
Successfully completing over-the-air transmission in a live telecommunications environment highlighted the flexibility of ASTRO™’s architecture and demonstrated its multi-modal potential beyond traditional radar applications.
Expanding into Space Communications
Development continued throughout 2025 under DASA’s Space to Innovate competition. This work focused on adapting ASTRO™ for the demanding requirements of space communications, exploring how the platform’s architecture could provide the resilience and reliability needed for future missions.
The programme remains ongoing, demonstrating ASTRO™’s continued evolution into new application areas.
Highlighting Progress at the UK Space Agency’s Technology Showcase
The progress made through the DASA contract enabled ASTRO to be showcased at the UK Space Agency Technology Showcase at the Royal Society. Here, Slipstream Design demonstrated ASTRO™ switching between complex waveforms while synchronising multiple pulsed chirps at S-band frequencies, highlighting the platform’s adaptability across advanced communications and sensing applications.
A Growing ASTRO Ecosystem™
DSEI 2025 marked another major step forward, with the introduction of several new live demonstrations. Visitors experienced agile switching between complex waveforms, multi-waveform synchronisation and RF spectrum capture and processing using SigMF.
The event also marked the debut of ASTRO™ in a ruggedised 3U VPX form factor, extending the ecosystem for deployment in more demanding environments.
Together, these developments demonstrated that ASTRO™ had become far more than a single hardware platform. It had evolved into an adaptable ecosystem capable of supporting a growing range of mission requirements.
Evolving for Defence and SIGINT
As ASTRO™ matured, development expanded to support next-generation SIGINT applications, further strengthening the platform’s relevance for modern defence and security challenges.
This period also brought a deeper understanding of how end users expect flexible RF processing platforms to perform in increasingly complex operational environments, helping shape the future direction of the ASTRO Ecosystem™.
NATO DIANA Innovators: From Technical Innovation to Operational Understanding
Participation in the NATO DIANA Accelerator Programme provided an opportunity to engage directly with defence end users, innovators and operational stakeholders. Those conversations offered valuable insight into the challenges organisations face when developing and deploying next-generation sensing and communications technologies.
That feedback has helped shape the way we continue to develop and demonstrate ASTRO™. Rather than focusing solely on what the technology can achieve, our engineering efforts have increasingly centred on the capabilities that will deliver the greatest operational value.
Digital Beamforming: The Next Step
This year’s headline demonstration reflects that evolution.
Visitors to European Microwave Week 2026 will see digital beamforming in action, showcasing another significant capability within the ASTRO Ecosystem™. More importantly, they will see the outcome of two years of continuous engineering development, collaborative research and direct engagement with the people who will ultimately use technologies like ASTRO™ to navigate an increasingly contested, congested electromagnetic environment.
Returning to European Microwave Week two years after ASTRO’s launch offers more than an opportunity to introduce a new demonstration. It provides a chance to share how the platform has matured through technical innovation, real-world validation and a deeper understanding of operational needs.
