This was a key takeaway from a “Fireside Chat” with David Broadbent, CEO of SES Space & Defense, at this year’s Defense in Space 2025 Conference, held in late October in London.

Collaboration, not confrontation
When asked how, in his extensive experience working closely with the DoD as part of the Defense Industrial Base (DIB), the relationship between the military and its industry partners has changed and evolved, Broadbent shared a reality that is increasingly collaborative and far less combative than in previous years.

“Both in the UK and the United States, [the relationship] has definitely evolved,” Broadbent explained. “We’ve gone through periods of combative relationships with government on the acquisition side, and now through a period of collaboration and partnership.”

This new collaborative approach has coincided with changes in how the DoD evaluates requirements and conducts its acquisition and procurement processes.

“It was taking two years to define requirements, and an additional five to seven years to get something into orbit. A lot of that was driven by the ossified layer of bureaucracy in the U.S.,” Broadbent said. “What the Space Development Agency has done over the past few years is quite remarkable. They eliminated bureaucracy and built small, empowered teams centered primarily on output-based objectives. Those teams were incentivized not to just comply, not to just work endlessly with the traditional contractors to come up with exquisite requirements, but by outcomes, and they were given much more flexibility in how to achieve those outcomes.”

Nowhere is this new approach to acquisition more visible than in the Golden Dome project – a multi-layer missile defense system being championed by the Trump Administration. This aspirational anti-ballistic missile concept would leverage modern sensors and effectors to deny practically any attack on the United States.

However, the Golden Dome is both complex and innovative in nature, requiring the development and deployment of numerous sophisticated and futuristic technologies, including space-based interceptor systems. To meet the challenge, the DoD has effectively abandoned its traditional acquisition model in favor of something truly unprecedented.

“Effectively, the DoD has told industry that we don’t care whether you’re one of the big aerospace and defense primes, or whether you’re one of the new space startups. We want you to fund your own prototypes,” explained Broadbent. “We’ll go through a lab process, and we’ll evaluate your prototypes. Then, on the basis of those evaluations, we’re going to provide cash prizes at certain points in the competition before conducting the down select. It’s a totally different mindset.”

The new, more collaborative relationship with the commercial space industry, along with this new approach to acquisition that eliminates years of embedded bureaucracy in favor of an outcomes-driven approach, has helped open the door for new, innovative entrants in the commercial space industry to work with the military.

“There is incredible new investment in space that is powering new entrants [that] are coming in with very aggressive investment plans,” said Broadbent. “[These entrants] offer tremendous innovation and the ability to implement and deploy at incredible speed, meeting our desire to move at the speed of the threat.”

But innovation in space isn’t just being driven by these changes in the DoD. Increased commercial interest in satellite services is also driving investment in new space capabilities that satellite companies may have been reluctant to develop in the past.

More customers, more opportunities for innovation
Historically, satellites and satellite services were developed and designed by large prime contractors on behalf of the military to meet its exquisite requirements. But that’s starting to change.

“There’s a broader customer base for the types of capabilities that were previously used by governments, and therefore the risk to investment on the commercial side is lower,” said Broadbent. “If the government doesn’t buy it, somebody else will. The whole investment equation has changed.”

This increased commercial interest in space capabilities is making the satellite industry far more attractive to non-traditional players. But this is only possible because the government and military are more open to using satellites and satellite services that also service commercial customers.

“Traditionally, you had large aerospace and defense primes that were driving the pace of innovation. They were typically on sole-source contracts that were consistently over budget and behind schedule, and it was impossible to dislodge them. There wasn’t a lot of competition in the market,” said Broadbent. “We’ve moved from that to [having] many new entrants in the space that bring their own investment. The reason why they’re able to bring their investment is [the military’s] acceptance of hybrid space architectures – the U.S. government being far more comfortable with using commercial dual-use technologies to address certain space missions.”

With the military increasingly open to using satellites and satellite services that commercial customers also use, there is a larger addressable market to which new satellite companies can sell their offerings. This decreases the risk for investors, making it easier for innovative small startups to get funding.

But this trend isn’t just benefiting startup companies and their investors. The ability to develop new space capabilities and sell them to a broader audience of both public and private sector customers is also incentivizing investment and innovation at traditional satellite operators.

The post David Broadbent Lays Out a New Era of Public Private Partnership in Space at 2025 Defense in Space Conference appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Recent high-profile LEO satellite outages have highlighted the dangers and vulnerabilities military customers face when depending on a single satellite network for mission-critical connectivity and communications services. Speaking from experience as a retired Colonel of the U.S. Army, the loss of satellite communications (SATCOM) systems can be catastrophic for a mission, and these outages prove that the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) should never put all its SATCOM eggs in one basket.

When access to a primary communications system is denied, degraded, or lost during a mission, it is imperative that warfighters are equipped with a pre-determined Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) plan that ensures an operation maintains the connectivity and communications capabilities it requires. If access to a primary radio, terminal, or satellite system is lost and the mission does not have alternate, contingency, or emergency communications options to fall back on, the operation has essentially failed, and warfighters’ lives could be at risk.

Through advancements in multi-orbit, multi-band satellite technologies, the DoD is now implementing PACE plans encompassing satellite systems across all orbits, leading to successful mission outcomes that are supported by a redundant and assured commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) backbone.

Satellite’s Evolving Role in PACE Plans
There was a time when the U.S. military was the leader in developing cutting-edge satellite technologies and capabilities. Twenty years ago, the DoD avoided COMSATCOM and tended to leverage military or government-built satellites for missions. But over time commercial satellite’s pace of innovation and the increased requirement for bandwidth overtook that of the military’s, and the DoD could not match industry’s speed in meeting and fulfilling the SATCOM requirements of warfighting missions.

Today, the military has undergone a sea change regarding its attitude towards COMSATCOM. Since legacy military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) satellites no longer have the capacity that most DoD missions require – combined with the fact that the commercial industry has become far superior in providing the enhanced security, greater bandwidth, higher throughputs, and lower latency military customers are seeking – COMSATCOM has become a critical component of modern warfighting.

The continued evolution of multi-orbit, multi-band COMSATCOM solutions has also reshaped the role satellite systems have played in military PACE plans. Not too long ago, SATCOM was simply a primary form of communication without a role further down the PACE plan.

Today, through the significant advancements in commercial multi-orbit and multi-band technologies, SATCOM’s role in modern warfighting has evolved to the point where the military now crafts PACE plans with multiple different forms of SATCOM connectivity acting as primary and alternative communication options.

This is due to the ability of multi-orbit and multi-band technologies to enable the DoD to seamlessly roll over a mission’s comms from one satellite, orbit, or band to another – providing redundant and uninterrupted access to mission-critical connectivity and capabilities.

Agnostic Integrators and Technological Advancement
This new reality, where COMSATCOM services and capabilities are more redundant and assured, is due to the evolution of multi-band and multi-orbit capabilities. But it’s also a result of technological advancements that make it easier to switch between satellites and satellite networks, and the emergence of agnostic integrators that help build resilient satellite networks for their DoD partners.

Satellite operators that also serve as agnostic integrators provide key advantages to military customers who want multi-orbit, multi-band COMSATCOM built into their PACE plans. Through partnerships with other satellite vendors, agnostic integrators deliver COMSATCOM services that combine satellite capabilities, spanning across orbits and bands.

This is extremely valuable in ensuring that warfighters are supplied with the redundant and assured connectivity their missions require. It is critical to note that agnostic integrators’ access to industry partners’ satellite systems allows them to not only create PACE plan redundancies across orbits, but within a single orbit as well.

Several technological advancements have played a role in enabling military PACE plans to leverage multi-orbit SATCOM capabilities. First is the proliferation of easy-to-deploy LEO satellite products. In the past, deploying satellite terminals at the tactical edge to support a battalion would require three Humvees, nine people, and three generators. Today, warfighters can deploy turn-key terminal devices that can fit in a carry-on bag and be up and running with the press of a button.

Another reason why the use of multi-orbit SATCOM in military PACE plans has exploded in the last few years is due to the technological breakthroughs of auto-PACE solutions like SES Space & Defense’s Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking (SIMON™) capability. Solutions like SIMON can automatically select the best-suited satellite orbit for communications and data to traverse from point A to point B with the least interference. This ensures that any military mission will be supported with built-in redundancy and assured SATCOM.

To learn more about how SES Space & Defense’s SIMON solution is delivering auto-PACE capabilities to the warfighter, click HERE.

The post The Evolving PACE Plan: Multi-Orbit SATCOM Brings Sea Change to Military Comms appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has long been pursuing a hybrid space architecture in order to achieve the resiliency and security that interconnected commercial and government networks can deliver to the warfighter.

As part of the DIU initiative, SES Space & Defense will demonstrate how its Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking (SIMON) platform can provide the DoD with resilient multi-path communications across orbits, bands, and networks.

To learn more about SIMON, its role within a hybrid space architecture, and how it will be employed by the DIU, the Government Satellite Report sat down with Michael Geist, SES Space & Defense’s Vice President of Product Management.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): The DoD is currently working to build what it calls a “hybrid space architecture.” What does this mean, and why is it essential for our modern military?

Michael Geist: The aim of the DoD’s hybrid space architecture is to enable space path diversity for end-to-end networking. For warfighters, this could mean using a tactical radio to communicate with a satellite, and then transferring the data across satellite constellations to be sent back to an end recipient on the ground anywhere in the world.

A hybrid space architecture creates new layers of security by overcoming the single-threaded nature of heritage communication systems, which an adversary could compromise through a single attack vector. Key to this enhanced security is the path diversity that comes from leveraging multi-orbit, multi-band capabilities. A hybrid architecture could employ narrow band, broadband, or any frequency band, as well as any orbit. Terrestrial systems could be a component of it as well.

“SIMON stands for secure, integrated, multi-orbit networking. It’s an alternative approach to the traditional PACE construct.” -Michael Geist

This network diversity provides resilience between different systems – ultimately making it a system of systems architecture. This makes it much more challenging for adversaries to attack.

GSR: What is SIMON, and what role will it play in enabling this hybrid space architecture?

Michael Geist: SIMON stands for secure, integrated, multi-orbit networking. It’s an alternative approach to the traditional PACE construct. Unlike SD-WAN switched architectures, SIMON allows you to take advantage of multiple connectivity mediums simultaneously.

As a satellite operator or a network service provider, there are additional levers that we can turn to enable what we refer to as “affordable resilience”. That’s really where the magic resides in SIMON.

SIMON is complementary to hybrid space architectures’ connectivity pathway diversity, in that it enables variability at the networking endpoints.

GSR: What challenges does the military currently face when switching between different satellite networks and orbits? How does this impact operations?

Michael Geist: Today, satellite orbits and networks are largely heterogeneous in nature. They operate at different altitudes, along with various physical performance characteristics. They employ diverse frequency bands and waveforms and have different security postures. To have resilience in that sort of environment, military users have traditionally deployed with multiple systems and connected each system to its appropriate satellite architecture.

Today, the market is bringing these once disparate systems together through more tightly integrated solutions. We are starting to see things like multi-beam antennas, and, eventually, we’ll see multi-band, multi-beam antennas.

“SES Space & Defense and other satellite operators have been working on shifting the DoD’s mindset from a supply-side model to a demand-side model. Instead of defining inputs, customers will define outputs within a SIMON construct.” -Michael Geist

In the future, as we move even beyond that, these physically integrated solutions will become more logically integrated solutions through things like virtualization and the emergence of that multi-band, multi-beam antenna capability. As those technologies emerge, they will simplify the kit that first responders and warfighters deploy, while increasing their resilience and security and reducing their total operating cost.

GSR: What will that process be like with SIMON implemented? Why is this a better alternative?

Michael Geist: If you take a look at antennas, like the ALL.SPACE Hydra antenna, it inherently has multi-beam capabilities. It also features a multi-network architecture capability, incorporating GEO, MEO, and LEO connectivity. From there, we can add our secret sauce by layering SIMON resiliency on top. That’s a hardware-integrated solution.

SIMON can even operate on non-integrated solutions. For example, pick your favorite variety of different antennas: parabolic antennas, flat panel antennas, etc. You can put them together in a non-integrated fashion and still place SIMON behind it.

Additionally, SES Space & Defense and other satellite operators have been working on shifting the DoD’s mindset from a supply-side model to a demand-side model. Instead of defining inputs, customers will define outputs within a SIMON construct.

“The DIU contract is an experimentation contract. We’ll build on our work with SIMON to take it to the next level, demonstrating enhancements to warfighter security and affordability in a resilient environment.” -Michael Geist

All services will be provided in accordance with a customer’s actual requirements, as opposed to potential needs. Therefore, they, and we, will gain new measures of efficiency and capability that ultimately come at a better price point for users. We anticipate this will provide a massive improvement in outcome and capability for users.

GSR: Can you tell us a bit more about the contract with the DIU? Is this contract to continue to develop and test SIMON, or is SIMON already available and being licensed/acquired by the DIU? What is the timeframe for SIMON to be operational and working on DoD networks?

Michael Geist: The contract is an experimentation contract. We’ll build on our work with SIMON to take it to the next level, demonstrating enhancements to warfighter security and affordability in a resilient environment. Ultimately, through the contract vehicle, we will aim to hand the user that selection spectrum between maximum affordability and maximum resilience, which will allow them to dial in what they desire from an operational service perspective.

The contract is set to move through a crawl, walk, and run set of enhancements. We’re conducting our first experiments this fall and hope to employ it operationally in 2026.

The post DoD Turns to SIMON to Deliver Multi-Path Resiliency for Hybrid Space Architecture appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

D2D 101: An introduction to direct-to-device
D2D connectivity commonly refers to the use of standards-based handheld devices, such as smartphones, to operate directly with satellites. This contrasts with traditional satellite services, which require terminals and terrestrial networks to deliver connectivity to the end user.

While many feel that D2D is a replacement for traditional satellite, it is more of a complementary service. D2D connectivity cannot offer the same throughput and bandwidth as a traditional satellite service. However, it can deliver connectivity and access to remote locations and areas of the globe even when the necessary terrestrial hardware is unavailable. All the end user would require is a compatible smartphone or other mobile device.

The D2D service being built by Lynk will accomplish this using a constellation of satellites located in low Earth orbit (LEO), where strong signals generated very close to Earth will deliver connectivity directly to end-user devices. The O3b mPOWER, operated by SES, will enable necessary space data relay capabilities that effectively backhaul data from the Lynk LEO satellites at very high speeds with very low latency, allowing them to significantly reduce the ground segment required to support their D2D services.

Together, the Lynk and SES constellations will enable government users and military personnel to have end-user devices that simply work, even without a satellite terminal. That is a powerful capability with nearly limitless use cases for the government and military.

Immediate comms when and where they’re needed
In the aftermath of major natural disasters, those tasked with search and rescue missions and responding to emergencies often find themselves without cell service or any terrestrial forms of connectivity. That’s because the same natural disaster that impacted their region invariably destroyed the network infrastructure that powers cellular and terrestrial networks.

Communication and situational awareness capabilities are essential for an effective and collaborative response. They’re necessary to ensure those conducting search and rescue operations don’t wind up needing to be found and rescued, themselves. They’re essential to get alerts about danger, requests for assistance, and other mission-critical communications. But without cellular and terrestrial networks, these essential capabilities are often unavailable.

Historically, satellite providers have deployed Cell on Wheels (COWs) or Cell on Light Trucks (COLTs) to affected areas. These solutions effectively deliver the terrestrial equipment necessary to establish a satellite-enabled Wi-Fi or 5G network that first responders can use for basic communications and situational awareness. However, these solutions aren’t always in place when disaster strikes.

With D2D capabilities, first responders – from law enforcement personnel to wildland firefighters – could have immediate access to essential connectivity, even before COLTs and COWs are deployed to a region. This would immediately make mission-critical communications and situational awareness capabilities available following a natural disaster, putting first responders in a far better position to locate, rescue, and assist those in need.

This same ability to immediately access mission-critical communications, even without satellite terminals or ground infrastructure, can be leveraged for a variety of civilian government use cases. Government employees dispatched to remote locations could benefit from the ubiquitous communications delivered by D2D.

Military operations are often conducted in remote, off-grid locations where terrestrial infrastructure is unavailable. However, concerns about data and signal security could limit the use of commercial D2D solutions for combat applications. However, there is an opportunity to leverage D2D connectivity for non-combat missions and operations.

The post SES and Lynk Global Partner to Enable Game-Changing D2D Capabilities for the Government appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

While this certainly isn’t the longest or highest dollar-value military satellite contract in history, it could be among the most impactful. That’s because this particular pilot contract marks a new and revolutionary way in which the military is acquiring satellite services that could shape future satellite acquisitions across the military for decades to come.

However, to best understand what is new and different about this contract, we have to understand how the military has traditionally purchased commercial satellite communications (COMSATCOM) solutions.

Separate and kludged together
Historically, the military acquired satellite communications by combining numerous different solutions, capabilities, and services that had to be acquired individually. The military often insisted on owning, operating, and managing as much of that equation as possible to ensure that reliability and security met their stringent requirements.

This meant that the ground segment (teleports, terrestrial circuits, etc.) would be leased and terminals purchased separately from different vendors to meet specific mission requirements. The actual COMSATCOM capacity would then be purchased from a satellite operator – often on the spot market at a financial premium – to provide coverage and connectivity when and where needed.

This approach was often the most complex and expensive one. However, aggregating and integrating the different aspects or elements required to enable satellite communications created other, larger challenges for the military.

“By embracing the SaaMS model, the U.S. Army ensures that it always has access to the latest satellite innovations.”

The first was interoperability. By buying solutions from multiple disparate vendors, the military often faced integration, operational and performance challenges. There were even times when a third party (system integrator) under an additional contract would be brought to the table to make everything function as a comprehensive whole. The interoperability issue for the government, including the challenge of bringing together SATCOM capabilities from multiple disparate vendors and obtaining frequency approvals for the terminals to operate internationally, is all now handled by a satellite as a managed services (SaaMS) contractor.

The other issue involved flexibility and speed. By the time the Army or other service identified a requirement and began the long, arduous acquisition process, the solution that they ultimately acquired was no longer cutting-edge or innovative. This problem became particularly prescient in the past few years, as a new generation of near-peer and peer adversaries arose capable of constantly adding new innovative capabilities to their arsenals.

These challenges made the concept of SATCOM as a managed service so important.

It just works
The “as a Service” model is increasingly popular these days as companies shift from selling a product that their customer owns forever to selling a service that the customer pays a recurring fee.. While this may sound advantageous for the vendor, it’s mutually beneficial. The customer gains increased flexibility and capability, their service is constantly being upgraded with the latest technologies as they’re introduced, and there is incredible peace of mind, knowing that the service is complete and will work when needed.

The COMSATCOM industry began shifting to this business model a few years ago, with satellite providers offering their customers SATCOM as a managed service that simply offered the connectivity they needed, when and where they needed it. Unfortunately, at the time, it appeared that the military was reticent to embrace this new approach to COMSATCOM acquisition.

However, the U.S. Army SaaMS pilot contract is proof that attitudes are changing within the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) toward acquiring SATCOM as a service.

“Instead of being responsible for navigating these interoperability challenges and providing a SATCOM solution for the warfighter that simply works when and where it’s needed, the SaaMS model effectively outsources that responsibility to an industry partner.”

There are numerous reasons why the SaaMS model makes sense for the Department of Defense (DoD) today. The largest is the shifting threat environment. As we’ve discussed, the DoD now faces near-peer, pacing adversaries with advanced capabilities that are always improving. The pace at which these adversaries can innovate and add new capabilities is greater than anything our military has experienced in the past.

The private sector has edged the DoD as the innovator in space – launching exciting new satellite constellations with incredible capacity and extremely low latency. By embracing the SaaMS model, the U.S. Army ensures that it always has access to the latest satellite innovations. The SaaMS model enables the military to take advantage of these innovations immediately by following an end-to-end service-based approach instead of segment procurements.

SaaMS is a transport-agnostic (GEO, MEO, and LEO) approach, and the government needs to just specify service level requirements (service areas, latency, error rates, etc.), types of terminals (fixed, compact flat panel antenna-based portable and manpack, mobile, etc.) and the service delivery times, the rest is service provider’s responsibility. Multi-orbit and multi-band operational capabilities and services are part of the model. The military will have complete transparency and visibility to their network operation using state-of-the-art web tools such as SES Space & Defense’s ICT Portal. The SaaMS model also provides extremely good service lead times, as good as one week for CONUS and two weeks for international, which rarely happens on other acquisitions.

The COMSATCOM industry has made massive strides toward standardization and interoperability in the past few years. However, some hurdles still remain. Instead of being responsible for navigating these interoperability challenges and providing a SATCOM solution for the warfighter that simply works when and where it’s needed, the SaaMS model effectively outsources that responsibility to an industry partner.

“By buying solutions from multiple disparate vendors, the military often faced integration, operational and performance challenges. There were even times when a third party…under an additional contract would be brought to the table to make everything function as a comprehensive whole.”

By embracing the SaaMS model, the Army has effectively acquired a SATCOM solution that should just work when needed. The terrestrial network, terminals, and capacity are all included, and making it all work together is the vendor’s responsibility, not the Army’s. The end result of the SaaMS is a customer experience similar to what American consumers get from their cellphone providers. For a set of services and prices, everything that is needed to communicate is effectively “in the box” and should function to meet the requirements of the mission.

Together, such SaaMS benefits allow the U.S. Army to maintain its end-user needs and technological edge over its adversaries without constantly investing in network infrastructure. .

Only a pilot?
With such significant benefits for the U.S. Army, it might be surprising that this foray into SaaMS is simply a pilot program. Why not go “all in” on SaaMS and make it available across the DoD?

If recent events—including the War in Ukraine—have taught us anything, it’s that SATCOM is an essential tool in modern warfighting. Risk is inherent in any major change or new approach that the military takes. If the DoD had fundamentally changed the way in which it acquires COMSATCOM services and the new approach failed to meet mission requirements, it could have had a significant, negative impact on military operations.

By awarding this pilot contract across limited Combatant Commands, the DoD can effectively assess the SaaMS model and any risks it may create. Should SaaMS meet the military’s requirements, it can be expanded in the future across all services and end users with scalability, flexibility, and agility. Based on early results from the SaaMS pilot, that would appear to be on the horizon.

SaaMS is the future of the satellite industry – offering COMSATCOM providers the ability to offer turnkey SATCOM solutions to their customers that simply work when and where they’re needed. It’s exciting to see the U.S. Army embracing this new approach to satellite acquisition, which will better enable the military to keep a technological edge over its adversaries.

The post U.S. Army Embracing New Approach to COMSATCOM Acquisition appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

“We were playing in an uncontested environment for so long, and we quite frankly, got comfortable operating that way,” said USEUCOM J63 SATCOM NC3’s Eric Kimery at this year’s GOVSATCOM Conference. “We’re paying the price a little bit for that now.”

During the GOVSATCOM session, “Protecting Space Communications – From a Solution’s Perspective,” Kimery joined representatives from Integrasys, SES Space & Defense, and the Luxembourg Directorate of Defense, to delve into what it will take to meet the resiliency, domain awareness, and capability requirements that will ensure the protection and security of MILSATCOM assets in space.

The MILSATCOM Security Groundwork
According to Geoffroy Beaudot, Head of Space for the Luxembourg Directorate of Defense, before global militaries begin identifying solutions for protecting MILSATCOM, there are a few initial considerations that must be made about the space domain.

First, U.S. and allied governments must have a complete understanding of the assets that are operating in the environment. “We need to know what is in space,” said Beaudot. “Space domain awareness is, from my point of view, the starting point.”

But identifying every single satellite is just the tip of the iceberg of space domain awareness, according to Beaudot. Global militaries must go a step further by categorizing these space assets and coming to a complete understanding of each satellite’s vulnerabilities.

After that preliminary work is completed and all risks have been identified, governments can then pivot to adopting systems that can bolster an asset’s security and ensure that vulnerabilities are unable to be exploited by adversarial interference.

The next step to secure MILSATCOM involves being able to identify where interference is coming from and being prepared to react, should it occur. “If you are interfered by something, you need to know where the interference is,” Beaudot pointed out. “A good geolocation system is important in order to know where interference is coming from.”

For Beaudot, the best defense against adversarial satellite interference is having a space architecture that has resiliency baked in via multi-orbit capabilities. “Resiliency is definitely key,” said Beaudot. “What we do in Luxembourg is leveraging O3b mPOWER. Using the MEO constellation with the MEO Global Services (MGS) project provides resilience and access to multi-orbits and protects our satellite communications system.”

Alvaro Sanchez, CEO of Integrasys, echoed Beaudot’s points about domain awareness, identification of asset vulnerabilities, as well as leveraging multi-orbit solutions to thwart adversarial actions in space. He also added that deploying automation security tools throughout MILSATCOM networks could provide increased levels of asset protection.

“As the complexity of networks grows exponentially with new orbits, [mitigating threats] needs to be completely automated,” said Sanchez. “It needs to be driven by an AI machine that helps to mitigate all those threats, while also interconnecting with each other. [Full automation] by having design interconnected with anti-jamming, geolocation interconnected with threat mitigation, while also having observational tools to understand when interference is happening…[will allow us] to react very well.”

Leveraging Government-Industry Partnerships
One of the hats that Kimery wears at the combatant command level within the J-6 is primarily focused on influencing capabilities that are coming into the theater, and the commercial industry is playing a pivotal role in providing those capabilities to the military. “We very recently have had some funding for COMSATCOM,” said Kimery. “What we’ve been trying to do is partner with industry…[to enable] the theater with COMSATCOM…in hopes that the U.S. Space Force can then come in later and leverage that technology or capability and build upon it.”

He explained that the U.S. military is at the point where there is not a single satellite communication system solution that is going to provide the level of persistency to capability on the battlefield when it is needed. A truly resilient space architecture is going to rely on proliferated systems and capabilities that enable PACE plans and multi-orbit solutions to fall back on in the event of adversarial interference.

On the industry side of the partnership equation, SES Space & Defense’s Senior Vice President of Engineering, Nitin Bhat, laid out the commercial industry’s answer to heeding the call for secure and resilient MILSATCOM capabilities.

For Bhat, implementing hardened security standards and guidelines across systems and networks is key to ensuring a resilient and protected space architecture. He pointed to FedRAMP, STIGs (Security Technical Implementation Guides), and RMF (Risk Management Framework) NIST controls as the first lines of defense when trying to balance between cost and risk, quantifying the impact levels of asset vulnerabilities, as well as maintaining a strong security posture.

“When you have a wave form or data that you need to transport, independent of whether it’s virtualized or not, you want to make sure the appliance is locked down from a cyber perspective,” explained Bhat. “A STIG helps you do that. From a security standpoint, it’s important that we have things that are FedRAMP certified and that it’s in the cloud with the right impact levels, so you can maintain the security posture.”

Bhat also pointed to leveraging open architectures to enhance space system security. “[Open architecture] allows you to implement transit FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) encryption and also hide in the noise with LPX.”

He also believes that working towards a more hybrid space architecture can better support capabilities that will provide bolstered security and protection to military space systems. “[A hybrid architecture] will help with the PACE plan,” said Bhat. “[Users] can move from one frequency band to the other, or one orbit to the other, or one constellation to the other.”

Moving between frequency bands or orbital planes has become a critical component of secure resilient SATCOM that the commercial space industry has been working hard toward. In a recent interview with the Government Satellite Report, SES Space and Defense’s Vice President of Product Management, Michael Geist, also touched upon the consequential role multi-orbit capabilities are playing in securing military space assets.

“Any application where SATCOM is the primary tether to a remote user’s network is going to benefit from multi-orbit solutions,” said Geist. “Our near-peer adversaries are going to attempt to eliminate our communications options, so as long as we have resilience relative to networks and orbits, then we’ll be in a better position, especially when our warfighters are on the front line. In some cases, SATCOM is the only option they have as far as reach back goes, so resilience is critical.”

To watch the full GOVSATCOM session, “Protecting Space Communications – From a Solution’s Perspective,” click the video below:

The post GOVSATCOM Puts Global MILSATCOM Security In the Spotlight appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

In the second part of our conversation, Nitin discusses how the ICT Portal is powered by a multitude of DoD data sources, and dissects exactly where that data comes from, how it’s delivered to the portal, and what innovative capabilities and features can be performed leveraging that data.

Here is what he had to say:

GSR: Where does the data that powers the ICT Portal come from? Can you talk a bit about the data sources, as well as how the data is delivered to the ICT Portal?

Nitin Bhat: When we look at a customer’s needs, they’re typically global in nature. Their needs do not stem from a geographic standpoint and are not constrained to a specific location. A lot of the customers we serve have locations all across the globe. They will usually need to have something up and running in a certain amount of time.

From a satellite standpoint, we would start with user terminals. User terminal is a very broad definition, as it could encompass laptops, phones, video devices, satellite modems, antennas, etc. User terminals could include a whole host of devices that could be typically found at the tactical edge. Those user terminals are all sources of data for us to gather. Then we can analyze problems and map everything out for customers.

The user terminals then typically talk to satellites. And the satellites – no matter if they are in GEO, MEO, or LEO orbits – all become sources of data for us to ensure that they are healthy and functioning properly. From there the data, voice, or video comes down to teleports. And this teleport becomes another data source. There could be power devices or huge antennas there. There could also be customer infrastructure there that carries the traffic from the satellite standpoint. All of that – again –  becomes another set of data sources.

From there, typically the data travels to the public Internet, government gateways, or to a data center where it then goes to the cloud. But for us, everything is viewed as a point for collecting data. If it touches the customer’s network in some fashion, we collect all that data.

“Capacity management is another feature. Satellites do not have unlimited resources or capacity to provide data. We need to manage the capacity in the right way.” -Nitin Bhat

Data might also travel through a terrestrial network as it goes from point A to point B. SES Space & Defense has its own global terrestrial network, the Global Communications Network (GCN). The GCN meets certain security standards from a government standpoint. That also becomes a data source.

GSR: Once data is fed into the ICT Portal, what are some of the features and capabilities the portal can perform with that data?

Nitin Bhat: Broadly, the ICT Portal can be viewed as something really useful for our own operation center and for our customers. And the uses don’t necessarily need to be different. Some could overlap for both.

A basic feature of the ICT Portal could be as simple as a ticketing system, where you let the customer open their own tickets by logging into the portal, avoiding the need to call a 1-800 number to alert people to a problem. We may want to create tickets on our own because we are proactively monitoring a customer network. When we see something that doesn’t seem right on the single pane of glass, we can auto-generate a ticket and start looking into it.

Another example would be troubleshooting aids. When we see something go red, we might say, “Hey, what happened? Did we get any alarms? Did we get any up-down status from these devices that we were monitoring?” It helps someone who’s troubleshooting. Customers now have these aids to examine and decipher where the problem could have stemmed from.

The third feature is reporting. Reporting is where you’re relaying to the customer, “The network has been up this month for 30 days. It has been up for 99.9 percent of the time.” This enables us to show the customer that we are meeting the obligations from an SLA standpoint. The network is indeed performing the way that it has been designed and is behaving correctly.

It’s also useful for the customer to know how their devices are configured and what parameters are set. From a management perspective, if a device isn’t operating properly, a customer can pinpoint that device, open a return merchandise authorization (RMA), and return that hardware. The ICT Portal will be able to relay the hardware’s serial number, and how it malfunctioned, and assist the customer with the logistics piece of it.

Capacity management is another feature. Satellites do not have unlimited resources or capacity to provide data. We need to manage the capacity in the right way. That becomes another feature where we can tell the customer how much capacity they’re using today – at this moment in time – to accomplish what they’re trying to do from either voice, video, or data.

“Decision makers can also leverage the ICT Portal to predict future trends and proactively plan and allocate resources, budgets, and time to whatever capabilities they are planning for.” -Nitin Bhat

Spectrum monitoring is another feature. Blue-on-blue or red-on-blue interactions can cause spectrum interference. Customers need to know whether that’s impacting their communications or data transfer on their satellites. We need to monitor the spectrum on the satellites, and the ICT Portal allows you to do that.

GSR: In terms of the military, what benefits does the ICT Portal deliver to key decision-makers during warfighting or other critical missions?

Nitin Bhat: It depends on the audience because each government stakeholder might want a different view of what’s going on. Some may be interested to see whether there have been any adversarial attempts to jam communications, and they might want that piece of data. However, a person who is running the program may simply want to know if the delivery of services is occurring on time and at the right level of uptime that they wanted.

Someone who oversees running the network might want to be able to access troubleshooting tickets to improve certain network functions in the future. Someone at a very high level may want to know how AI applications and processes could be integrated into the network, to enable automated and smart functionalities.

Decision makers can also leverage the ICT Portal to predict future trends and proactively plan and allocate resources, budgets, and time to whatever capabilities they are planning for. The ICT Portal pairs perfectly with the DoD’s mission to construct a resilient space architecture, due to its ability to determine whether multi-orbit or multi-constellation solutions would be better utilized for specific missions.

To learn more about the ICT Portal, click HERE.

To read part one of our conversation with Nitin, click HERE.

The post The Data Sources that Power the ICT Portal appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

SES Space & Defense recently launched its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Portal, an advanced capability that enables transparency into all facets of the DoD’s networks and facilitates seamless management and operations of the military’s terrestrial and space assets – all on a single pane of glass.

To learn more about the different components of the ICT Portal, as well as the benefits and capabilities it delivers to its customers, the Government Satellite Report sat down with Nitin Bhat, Senior Vice President of Engineering at SES Space & Defense.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): For readers who may not be familiar, what is the ICT Portal?

Nitin Bhat: When we were first conceptualizing the ICT Portal, SES Space & Defense set out to build something that could help our own Network Operation Center (NOC) and manage all our customers. But we also wanted to develop a capability that could help our customers manage their service level agreements (SLA), get the reports that they wanted, and see how they were performing – from one single place.

That led to the development of the ICT Portal. We call it a single pane of glass because we want one place for users to go. From there, customers can navigate through menus and sub-menus based on a user’s access level and get their job done.

GSR: What benefits does the ICT Portal deliver to its customers?

Nitin Bhat: The first benefit is transparency. Often a customer might call in with an issue and need to know how the problem started, who was responsible, and what was done to troubleshoot it. But if customers have access to a tool where they can investigate the health of the network for themselves on a daily basis, it provides them with a level of transparency where they can see exactly what’s going on. Is the network behaving in accordance with what the customer signed up for, from an SLA standpoint?

“You should not have an architecture where you cannot scale or store data where you can’t analyze it. We set out to ensure that [the ICT Portal] is scalable.” -Nitin Bhat

Customization is another benefit. Each user may have a different set of requirements when using the ICT Portal. If you are a program manager, you might want to look at a specific view. If you’re an engineer or a NOC technician, you might just want to be able to look at tickets, open them, close them, and monitor them. If you were in a contract, you may want to look at the reports to make sure that we are meeting our obligations every month. The ICT Portal enables different sets of users to log in with their own needs and look at what is relevant to them. The ability to customize is a massive benefit.

The third one, which I think is a big advantage for us as a company, is being able to respond to customers quickly and resolve their challenges as fast as possible. And if we can internally accomplish that, by knowing exactly what’s going on within each part of the network, we can quickly expedite the problem resolution. That’s a big benefit to us, which eventually the customer gets to take advantage of.

GSR: You mentioned that the ICT Portal is a web interface that is on a single pane of glass, but what are the actual design elements that drive the Portal? How is it structured?

Nitin Bhat: Software drives a lot of what we do today. But 10 to 20 years ago, there were different approaches to how people would get access to data. In the old days with Windows or other platforms, there was a tendency to design software packages that were not modular, couldn’t scale, and were not necessarily secure.

When we set out to design the ICT Portal, we wanted to break everything down and ensure that anything we design meets certain standards, because you don’t want it to be something unique to just your company. The ICT Portal is an open standards platform. It’s modular so you can build and add components to it. It’s also scalable because you’re collecting more and more data. You should not have an architecture where you cannot scale or store data where you can’t analyze it. We set out to ensure that it’s scalable.

“We wanted to make sure security was built from the ground up on all aspects of the design so that the final product was secure.” -Nitin Bhat

For it to be scalable, it has to be on the cloud, and it has to be modular. It must follow an IT service management model where each problem set is defined differently. You can add or detract from it, like incident management, problem management, change management, asset management, and so on.

Finally, the ICT Portal is designed to be secure. From a security standpoint, it is secure in terms of the software code itself and where you store data. It is also secured with authentication mechanisms to ensure that only the right users can log in with the proper access. The ICT Portal also meets some of the government security standards, in terms of the cloud, the risk management framework, and making sure the data is transported securely.

In essence, we wanted to make sure security was built from the ground up on all aspects of the design so that the final product was secure.

Be sure to check back for part two of our conversation with Nitin, where he examines the data sources that power the ICT Portal’s capabilities and features.

The post ICT Portal – Delivering Transparency, Customization, and Responsiveness to the Military appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

What makes O3b mPOWER capability unique?
The launch of SES’s second-generation satellite network, O3b mPOWER, marks the company’s next step toward delivering the highest throughput, most efficient, and most flexible enterprise-grade satellite connectivity services to customers yet.  O3b mPOWER combines many key attributes typically found with geostationary satellite solutions like geographic reach per on-orbit asset, flexible ground infrastructure, and the accommodation of customer-defined User Terminals (UTs) and waveforms, along with “uncontended” capacity, which means that you get what you pay for… it’s not being statistically multiplexed and simultaneously sold to others in an orbit similar in overall latency performance to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) solutions.

The Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) is unique for its orbital resilience while also remaining in the optimal realm for real-time or cloud-originating user applications.  O3b mPOWER is particularly unique in its ability to serve enterprise-class customers… that is,  many users connected from a single point like a ship, airplane, office, or base, with high throughput, low latency throughput needs, and consistent or guaranteed performance.

Perhaps even more significant for potential users is that the O3b mPOWER constellation features an “open architecture” that allows customers to employ it for a wide variety of operational scenarios beyond basic Internet connectivity, including Command & Control uses, Protected Communications, and emerging or evolving operational use cases like LEO Relay Services, Multi-Orbit Routing, Intelligence Surveillance & Reconnaissance, Gateway-Free UT-to-UT connectivity, and other unique mission-critical applications.

On the point of security, O3b mPOWER is a constellation of High Throughput, Software Enabled Satellites placed into a non-geostationary orbit (NGSO), protected with security enhancements outlined in Committee on National Security Systems Policy 12 (CNSSP-12).  O3b mPOWER can support user-derived protected waveforms along with existing and emerging holistic network cybersecurity capabilities.   Further, since the O3b mPOWER satellites are constantly moving relative to a geographic point on Earth, and small channelized user beams are equally adapting to ever-changing user location and demand, unintentional interference is unlikely and adversarial instigation of intentional interference becomes extremely challenging.

Our O3b mPOWER High Throughput, Software Enabled Satellites allow SES to place many Gbps of low latency capacity into a single ~250km diameter geographic area if required or to spread that capacity across numerous beams in a large region and adapt it to the changing needs of our customers.  Satellites in the O3b mPOWER constellation have an estimated lifespan in excess of ten years, and the constellation itself only requires six satellites for a global equatorial to 50^o latitude coverage making our offering enduring and affordable for users.  Overall, O3b mPOWER provides superior capability to reliably address high throughput, low latency user connectivity requirements while being less susceptible to exceeding Equivalent Power Flux Density (EPFD) regulations.

How are O3b mPOWER services delivered? What does the customer need to know?
SES, or via its U.S. proxy subsidiary SES Space & Defense for U.S. government customers, offers O3b mPOWER services in two primary operational constructs, “Commercial Managed Services” and “Sovereign Services,” sometimes referred to as “Transparent Mode.”

Commercial Managed Services are full stack integrated, operated, monitored, and managed end-to-end network services using SES defined and developed User Terminals. These enable users to experience low latency enterprise-grade connectivity with the highest possible uncontended throughput and maximum overall system efficiency.  This vertically integrated hardware and software stack enables SES to adapt capacity to ever-changing user demand moment-by-moment, creating operational savings that SES passes along to its customers.

Sovereign Services provides a technological advantage for customers who desire to define their own User Terminals, employ waveforms of their choosing, operate services from any location desired, add security solutions to meet operational requirements, or incorporate a host of other important mission-specific needs into their connectivity offering.  Sovereign Services provide users maximum flexibility while delivering low latency enterprise-grade connectivity with the highest possible uncontended throughput.  SES, offers two categories of Sovereign Services to global markets:

• Sovereign Capacity Services
• Sovereign Managed Services

Sovereign Capacity Services are low latency, high throughput satellite capacity offerings.  Customers define and employ their own ground infrastructure and User Terminals, and then interface with the SES backend network architecture to realize connectivity outcomes that meet their operational goals.  As a primer for deployment of customer owned Sovereign Gateway infrastructure, we also offer the possibility for customers to utilize a part of SES’s Commercial Gateways, referred to as Hybrid Sovereign Gateways, to securely host their Sovereign Capacity Services.

Sovereign Managed Services are network services exclusively tailored to address our customers’ mission needs. They are integrated and operated by SES, specifically SES Space & Defense for U.S. government customers.  Sovereign Managed Service users benefit from the scalability of in-place common ground infrastructure that can independently support many customers, minimizing time to operation, training, and sustainment while providing significant infrastructure and operational savings to users.

What’s in it for equipment vendors? How can they take part?
Within the realm of Sovereign Services, SES is working with reliable, high-quality equipment vendor-partners to ensure maximum operational flexibility for our customers. Each partner brings a differentiated value proposition to the O3b mPOWER solution, whether it’s a Program of Record waveform like the Enhanced Digital IF Modem (EDIM) or the Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW), by providing interoperability with existing infrastructure, or through delivering new capabilities for overall service enhancements.  Some vendors have capability certifications such as DO-160 or MIL-STD 810 for unique operational environments, while others offer operational enhancements like Communication Signal Interference Removal (CSIR) or state-of-the-art simultaneous multi-beam, or even multi-frequency / multi-beam connectivity.  Sovereign Services maximize a user’s choices to enable the desired outcome.

To be a part of the O3b mPOWER vendor partner ecosystem, solution providers engage SES to receive O3b mPOWER specific Government Technology Certification (GTC) Interface Control Documents (ICDs) through which they will enhance their solutions for use with the O3b mPOWER constellation. Once completed, vendor partners receive O3b mPOWER Government Technology Certification.  SES offers O3b mPOWER as a completely open-architecture solution enabling faster adoption of NGSO services – either as a stand-alone capability or a resilient and, if needed, simultaneous augmentation to other connectivity orbit options.

The post O3b mPOWER – A First of its Kind NGSO Capability appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

It makes sense. That information is critically important for the government and military decision-makers looking to lease space on satellites or looking to purchase managed satellite services. Also, space is exciting! These spacecraft of marvels of modern technology, developed in state-of-the-art facilities and then launched into space on literal rocket ships.

But what often gets ignored or swept under the rug in discussions between COMSATCOM providers and their government customers is the other part of the satellite equation – the satellite gateways. These unsung heroes of satellite communications are essential components of a functioning satellite network, but they’re infrequently discussed in the marketing materials and sales slicks of COMSATCOM providers.

But that needs to change.

Recent satellite technology advancements and some exciting new satellite services that are about to come online are poised to give government and military users more gateway options than ever. The result will be government and military users having choices in how they want to transmit their data, and how they want to secure it.

But before we take a deeper dive into the future of the satellite gateway, we have to better understand their essential role in the larger satellite network.

Gateways 101
The gateway has a function that its rather descriptive name implies – it is the gateway for the satellite signal. The data that is in that satellite signal needs an entry point in which to enter the ground terrestrial infrastructure, which will then deliver that data to the various end users that need it. The gateway serves as that essential entry point.

Whether the data that is being transmitted via that signal is an email, a voice call, or vital satellite or ISR imagery that’s imperative to the mission, it needs to be fed back into a terrestrial network somewhere. The gateway is the connection between the users on Earth and the satellites, helping move the data around the globe.

Historically, when a government or military user has leased satellite capacity from a COMSATCOM provider or leveraged a managed satellite service, they’ve only had one viable gateway option. In that scenario, they’ve been limited to using the gateways owned and operated by that COMSATCOM provider. But this is where things are starting to change and where the government and military are starting to have more options.

One size does not fit all
There are a number of reasons why using a COMSATCOM provider’s gateway and terrestrial network infrastructure is a perfectly acceptable option for government and military users. This infrastructure has already been purchased and deployed. It can be leveraged immediately with no additional upfront cost to the customer, and there are often service level agreements (SLAs) that ensure a certain level of uptime and resiliency.

This makes using the COMSATCOM provider’s gateways and networks more rapid, economical, and hassle-free. That could be incredibly enticing to individuals who don’t really care about the network that they use, the equipment that is in the gateway, or the security of the data – they just want to get up and working quickly and at a more reasonable cost.

However, there are also valid reasons why a government or military customer might not want to use their COMSATCOM provider’s equipment and infrastructure.

For a large global military with a large amount of resources, building out a gateway might not seem that expensive or difficult. And that added cost and effort could be considered well worth it for added flexibility, mobility, control, and security. In some cases, that need for control of the equipment and the security of the data could be a roadblock that keeps some military customers from adopting COMSATCOM services altogether.

Thankfully, the advanced technologies inherent in a new generation of satellite services – including the O3b mPOWER satellite service – give military and government users incredible flexibility in their gateway options. Upon launch of O3b mPOWER, four different gateway types or configurations will be available to users. These include:

• Commercial managed service gateways: These gateways are the previously discussed gateways owned and operated by the COMSATCOM service provider. In this arrangement, the user simply purchases the satellite service and the provider – in this case, SES – provides all of the requisite satellite capacity, gateway services, and even the terminal if the customer requires. In this scenario, the gateway, equipment, and network belong to the satellite provider – the end users simply get the service.
• Sovereign gateways: These gateways are at the opposite end of the spectrum from managed service gateways. In this arrangement, the customer is the owner and operator of the network – including the gateway, equipment, and terminals. They’re responsible for the purchase, installation, management, maintenance, and security of that hardware. The COMSATCOM provider owns and operates the satellites, transmitting the signal and providing the customer with bandwidth.

• Hybrid sovereign gateways: As the name implies these gateways are a hybrid of both commercial and sovereign methodologies. In this arrangement, the customer places their hub equipment within a commercial gateway, leveraging the use of the COMSATCOM fleet owners commercial terminal to link with the satellite, but using their own equipment to connect to their network.  The COMSATCOM provider provides space within their gateway for customers to put their equipment so they don’t have to build their own gateway.

• Transportable government gateways: These gateways, often abbreviated TGG, are smaller, more mobile versions of the large 5.5-meter permanent gateways, and are designed to be transported to where they’re needed. They can be used as a temporary gateway in cases where a customer may not need a permanent version, or as a back up to a permanent gateway.  They can also be used when a customer wants to be able to move their gateway to a variety of locations for mission reasons.  The TGG is transportable on both military and commercial aircraft, and comes with its own power source and a climate controlled unit to hold hub and other rack equipment.  The TGG is a essentially a sovereign gateway, smaller in size for transportability, but capable of performing full gateway functions on a customers network.

With the emergence of advanced satellite services like O3b mPOWER, government, and military customers are no longer stuck with a single gateway option. So, when choosing a satellite provider, they need to look at more than just the constellations in orbit – they need to look at and evaluate the gateways and terrestrial network options back on Earth to ensure they meet their requirements.

A commercial managed service would be the best choice if a government customer wants to get up and running with their satellite service quickly and at a lower upfront cost.. However, if security and control are essential, sacrificing that control for ease of deployment is simply not an option, a sovereign gateway or hybrid sovereign gateway would be the best choice.

To learn more about the gateway choices available to O3b mPOWER users, click HERE to watch my lightbox video.

The post Something New for Military COMSATCOM Users – Gateway Options appeared first on SES Space and Defense.