23-26 March 2026 | Walter E. Washington Convention Center | Washington, D.C.

SES Space & Defense is transforming mission connectivity by delivering integrated, multi-orbit solutions that give governments unmatched resiliency, global reach, and a decisive advantage in contested environments.

Powered by flexible, equipment-agnostic architecture and certified partner technologies, our networks are built to adapt, endure, and dominate wherever the mission demands.

Join the SES Space & Defense Team and our trusted partners at the Courtyard by Marriott, where we are showcasing numerous demos to support your mission spanning every landscape, mission, and orbit.

Demo Locations:
Courtyard by Marriott | 901 L St NW, Washington, DC 20001 | Ballroom A + Rooftop

SES Space & Defense Booth: 2217

SES Space & Defense Speakers:

Michael Geist

SVP, Product & Innovation

SES Space & Defense

Terabit Optics, Cloud Agility, Digitization, and AI: The Modernization Roadmap for Satellite Networks

Wednesday, March 25 | 1:45-2:30pm

Event Website

The post Satellite 2026 appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

During a recent panel discussion at the 2025 Defense in Space Conference, experts from GovSat, ST Engineering iDirect, and Kratos discussed the threats interference poses to military operations and how satellite operators are working with global militaries to address them.

Shahida Barick, moderator of the DiSC panel, opened the discussion by asking the panelists how industry can help governments and militaries mitigate interference. Josef Nemec, Technology Director at GovSat, noted that interference mitigation involves detection, monitoring, and the proactive hardening of spacecraft against intentional or unintentional interference.

“What we do is detect, monitor, geolocate, analyze, characterize, and report almost every interference event in all frequency bands that we have on our spacecraft,” said Nemec. “This provides not only situational awareness to our customers, but we can provide initial actionable intelligence that helps our customers develop countermeasures and a deterrence posture towards such events. We also go the extra mile to deliver a system that is resistant and resilient towards interference in itself. We have anti-jamming, adaptive beam forming, and geolocation features that we can use.”

According to Nemec, the volume of satellite interference events has been increasing at an alarming rate, from both accidental and adversarial sources. This spike in satellite interference is forcing satellite operators and global militaries to rethink how they collaborate on interference mitigation.

“In earlier years, interference was relatively easy to mitigate, and it was occurring at a relatively low pace,” Nemec said. “But [the pace] has changed. We do not have the time to manually investigate every event. We need to automate [interference mitigation]. In an accidental interference scenario, there usually is a point of contact on the other side that you could go to and resolve the matter . But since [the start of the Ukraine war in] February 2022, this has changed.”

Dave Davis, Senior Technical Director at ST Engineering iDirect, agreed with Nemec that the volume of interference has grown tremendously since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine.

“What we’ve been seeing in the last three to four years has been an increase in interference from many sources,” explained Davis. “Some include adversaries deliberately trying to take down systems and cause interference. But we’ve also seen a massive increase in interference from unintentional sources, like LEOs interfering with GEO technology, or radar interference, or interference from 5G technologies.”

Nemec added that the volume of interference present in today’s warfighting environments requires new approaches from satellite operators to strengthen the resilience and transmission security (transec) of a military satellite’s transmissions. This approach includes satellite operators working in tandem with military customers.

“Let’s try to imagine [an approach where] customers delegate their mission planning and comms processes to a trusted operator that will become a copilot during their ISR mission,” Nemec explained. “The copilot would ensure that the customer stays connected, switching from satellite to satellite, capacity to capacity, etc., at all times. The question is no longer if we will face interference during a mission but when and what to do about it. Customers will face interference for sure.

For Mark Lambert, President of Kratos Communications, his company is one of those copilots working alongside global militaries to analyze the type of interference occurring and geolocate its sources. “We’re in the RF domain, looking at the transmissions that are both being received and transmitted by satellites,” said Lambert. “We use that to understand what’s happening in the spectrum, if there is somebody transmitting from the ground, and geolocate where on the ground they are, as well as understand the type of interference that is happening.”

In a follow-up question from an audience member, Lambert was asked what the response is after a source of interference is identified.

“We have the technology to geolocate and understand where interference is coming from, whether deliberate or accidental,” Lambert answered. “Once you’ve identified the source and the ownership of that transmitter, there’s a choice as to what you do about it. If you think it’s just a commercial VSAT terminal that’s mispointed, then potentially you can ring up the network operator to send an engineer to fix it before the interference really begins to have a dramatic effect on your systems. If it’s a more malicious actor, then I guess we need to get our friends on the ground involved to take some more serious action.”

One theme that popped up throughout the panel discussion was the role of automation in interference mitigation. Barick asked Davis whether interference mitigation should be fully automated or require a human-in-the-loop. “I think automation is important,” replied Davis. “You want to make it as easy as possible for the end users. The more automated it is, the better it’s going to be, and the quicker it’s going to react. But you absolutely need to have the human in the loop there as well.”

Davis explained that there may be instances where military customers want to be seen and affected by interference to gather information about an adversary. In those cases, a human would be needed in the loop. Echoing Davis, when asked what the future of interference mitigation looks like, Nemec replied with three words, “Automation, automation, automation.”

Click the articles below to read more news from DiSC:

How Geopolitics is Reshaping the Space Domain

Optical Ground Terminals for the Military: The Benefits and Barriers

David Broadbent Lays Out a New Era of Public Private Partnership in Space at 2025 Defense in Space Conference

The post Satellite Interference: How Industry and Global Militaries Are Approaching Mitigation appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

During this DiSC session, experts from NATO, RUSI, Telespazio Germany, and Technische Universität Chemnitz examined how rapidly changing geopolitics and adversarial threats are redefining space, and the impact they will have on the space industry, space governance, and global economies.

NATO Works Toward Deterring Space Threats
Helle opened the discussion by asking Daniel Hilgert, NATO’s Senior Space Coordinator, how space capabilities are currently helping to stabilize and deter threats in NATO territories. Hilgert explained that he has observed a trend among global militaries toward increased reliance on commercial satellite services, which he views positively in terms of deterrence but notes that it also poses challenges.

“It creates a lot of vulnerabilities, especially when it comes to SATCOM and space-based ISR,” explained Hilgert. “We’ve seen that a lot of nations are heavily relying on single providers, though the commercial market is so diverse and vibrant. This is something that we really need to think about when it comes to threats in the space environment.”

According to Hilgert, NATO is launching numerous initiatives to address these vulnerabilities and to deter geopolitical threats.

“We’re developing a marketplace for space services, which is very important to diversifying our [SATCOM] sources and becoming more resilient,” said Hilgert. “We’re also working on threat sharing and exploring how we can unclassify, or downclassify, information that we can share with commercial partners, but also incentivize commercial partners to share information with us.”

Hilgert said NATO is also developing a new program, THOR, to address how to execute offensive counterspace operations and capabilities.

“THOR is really about trying to develop playbooks to see what actions we would take for X, Y, and Z scenarios, and what kind of capabilities we would need to procure to execute those playbooks,” said Hilgert. “[THOR] is going to be really important. It will not be a one-time effort; we will do this continuously because we see how Russia and China are learning how we operate, are adapting themselves, and updating their technology accordingly. We need to update ourselves as well.”

Top Geopolitical Threats in Space
Helle delved deeper into the space threat topic and asked the panelists which, from their perspectives, are the most concerning counterspace events or geopolitical behaviors that have recently occurred or may occur in the future. Dr. habil. Antje Nötzold, Research Associate and Lecturer at Technische Universität Chemnitz, has certain capability advancements coming out of China at the top of her list.

“When we look at space and counterspace activities, I’m not just worried about all the dog fighting we see between Chinese and U.S. satellites, which are now becoming real maneuvers and operations,” said Dr. Nötzold. “What [concerns me the most] was what happened in July, when the Chinese managed to have a successful docking of satellites in geostationary orbit and refueled a satellite. Why [does this concern me the most]? Because it shows that China is ahead of the United States. It brings more ambiguity to the whole dynamic, as we don’t know much about China’s intentions. I would say it also changes a lot of the dynamics for future in-orbit service operations.”

For Professor Trevor Taylor, Director of the Defence, Industries and Society Programme at RUSI, avoiding kinetic combat in the space domain to maintain everyday life on Earth is one of his top concerns.

“Much of our social and commercial life depends on assets that are in space,” said Professor Taylor. “After learning about the Kessler effect, if combat occurs in space, it’s going to be very difficult to control. If two parties are at war, such control becomes very difficult. I would like to see more effort to keep the combat piece out [of space].”

Dr. Ivan Janes, Chief Systems and Products Officer at Telespazio Germany, cited SATCOM security as his primary concern. For Dr. Janes, security across all segments of the SATCOM triad must be strengthened to maintain the critical infrastructure services people depend on.

“Satellite services are embedded in the critical infrastructure services on Earth,” Dr. Janes said. “The energy, military, healthcare, and financial sectors depend on the availability of space services. We have a space, ground, and link segment for all space services. All those layers are only as strong as their weakest link. We must make sure that all the links are hardened to the level that we need.”

Hilgert believes that world governments must heavily invest in bolstering resilience measures in the space domain and be proactive by preparing for any type of crisis that may affect space services on Earth.

“I think the biggest threat is not actually in space, but on this planet,” said Hilgert. ”[Space domain threats] threaten our economies, our societies, and our militaries. We really need to be more proactive. I think we are all pioneers in this respect, because, for NATO, space is a new operational domain. We can really try to get things right, be proactive, and prepare for a conflict before it happens. [We must] invest in [SATCOM] resilience for our civilian infrastructure.”

More news from DiSC 2025:

Learn about the benefits and barriers of optical ground terminals for the military, HERE.

The post How Geopolitics is Reshaping the Space Domain appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

With the Pentagon completing a blueprint for the Golden Dome missile defense system in September 2025, now under review, the satellite industry is preparing to play a significant role as initial concepts evolve and the system architecture is defined. Satellite networks have long played a critical role in supporting defense capabilities across all U.S. military, defense, and intelligence agencies, including the Space Force.

Today, satellites enable secure communication among military leaders and warfighters. They support intelligence gathering, weather monitoring, and enhanced situational awareness. GPS satellites provide precision positioning and timing data for soldiers, aircraft, and military vehicles. Satellites embedded with sensors and cameras capture, track, and transmit critical information related to enemy ground, air, sea, and orbital activity, helping to anticipate and provide the opportunity to neutralize threats.

“Golden Dome is the United States’ defense initiative to address adversary missile threats,” explained Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation and Satellite Programs at SES Space & Defense. “Golden Dome encompasses the detection, analysis, tracking, and response of threats coming from conventional ICBMs, and from hypersonic ballistic missiles, which have completely different signatures.”

While still in the conceptual stage, Golden Dome will undoubtedly feature highly advanced space technology and a myriad of space-based components to protect the homeland from missile and advanced-weapon attacks. The program will elevate the space and satellite industry’s role in U.S. defense to an entirely new level.

From detecting, tracking, and even intercepting missiles to enabling data transmission and real-time communication among disparate assets, satellites will play an integral role within the Golden Dome architecture in the following three ways:

Gaining the Early Warning Advantage: 
A primary function of Golden Dome satellites is to detect missile launches instantly, regardless of where they occur worldwide. Infrared-equipped satellites in Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth (MEO), and Lower Earth Orbits (LEO) can detect the heat signatures of hypersonic and ballistic missile launches and track their trajectories, enabling earlier threat detection and improved response coordination.

This multi-orbit approach is crucial, a point emphasized by Randall Trent, Senior Advisor, Business and Product Development at SES Space & Defense. “GEO satellites will be able to detect the launch, and then other systems can be alerted that something is coming. GEO sees the launch, MEO and LEO then follow it and track it. A successful Golden Dome architecture will require the use of assets in multiple orbits and an extensive ground connection infrastructure.”

Defense from Space:
In addition to detecting launches, satellites within the architecture could provide and forward information to defensive positions, enabling the tasking of ground- and space-based interceptors capable of destroying enemy missiles before multiple warheads are deployed. Commercial spacecraft will both augment and enhance the resiliency of the U.S. government’s sovereign systems – ultimately denying enemies the ability to use space to launch attacks.

A Resilient Nerve Center:
Perhaps most crucially, satellites will serve as the backbone for a secure, resilient, and centralized command and control system, connecting all space-based assets with those on the ground and at sea, providing real-time exchange of data and high-resolution imagery.

Satellite-powered communications will arm military decision-makers with critical insights related to battlefield conditions and enemy actions, all of which can be securely shared and used to inform decision-making at the highest levels, ensuring that responses to threats are coordinated, rapid, and effective.

Thus far, funding allocated for Golden Dome is a fraction of what will be required to advance the missile defense system from concept to reality. In the near term, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is using the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) IDIQ to identify companies capable of contributing to the Golden Dome architecture and to facilitate commercial collaboration.

In the long run, the successful execution of the program will be dependent on the prowess and technological innovations these space and satellite companies can deliver.

The post Three Ways Satellites Will Play a Crucial Role in America’s Golden Dome appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

The desire to make optical ground terminals widely available is understandable, given the benefits the technology will deliver for global militaries. And since optical lasers are already successfully deployed for satellite-to-satellite communications in orbit, Morizur noted that widespread adoption of optical ground is within reach. “Let’s keep in mind that lasers in space are a reality,” said Morizur. “It’s not science fiction anymore. It’s already there.”

So, what exactly are the key advantages optical technologies will have in the satellite-to-ground game? And if optical ground is the next natural step for the technology’s development, what are the remaining challenges that stand in the way of fully realizing its benefits?

Providing Greater Security, Increased Data Rates Through Optical Lasers
For Morizur, the need for higher throughputs is one of the top reasons why global militaries will want to shift away from traditional RF and towards optical for space-to-ground communications. Morizur explained that government and miltary users leverage satellites to carry increasing amounts of data and require space-to-ground capabilities to accommodate the high volume of data they generate. “[Customers] need higher data rates,” said Morizur. “Optical provides much higher data rates than Ka-Band and Ku-Band.”

In addition to higher data rates, optical space-to-ground comms also provide one of the most critical elements that DoD SATCOM architectures require: greater security. “The most important thing about [optical space-to-ground comms] is it’s difficult to detect, difficult to intercept, and it’s jamming resistant,” said Morizur. Unlike RF, which can be intercepted by adversaries on the ground if they are within a 40-kilometer radius, an optical laser beam’s radius is exceptionally smaller. “The [optical laser’s] spot on the ground is tens of meters,” said Morizur. “That means that if you want to intercept it, you need to be within tens of meters of the ground station.”

Keane agreed with Morizur about the role of optical in providing greater data security on the ground, especially given the evolving nature of warfare over the last several years. “There has been a distinct shift, especially since 2022, from the sort of asymmetric conflicts that we’ve been involved in previously, where you didn’t have to worry about adversary capabilities in terms of jamming,” said Keane. “What we’ve seen come out of Ukraine, and what might be anticipated in other theaters for the future, [makes optical comms] more important. The low probability of intercept/detection (LPI/LPD) characteristics of [optical comms] are significant for those end users.”

In addition to the higher data rates and the LPI/LPD benefits that optical space-to-ground comms provides to DoDs, Robinson pointed out that optical also plays a crucial role in the data path diversity required to support a proliferated space architecture.

“When we think about what’s happening in the last five years, in particular with non-geostationary satellite orbits…and mesh networks that are taking place between those constellations, it’s not just about having multiple orbits, but multi-modalities that are leveraging that data highway,” explained Robinson. “Creating that network in space requires a greater degree of sophistication on the ground in order to receive, process, and make that data most usable to those who are on the front line. When we think about defense end-users, optical is about getting that data down faster and leveraging that…space-to-space, optical highway and being able to bring that data down faster.”

Atmosphere, Contracting, and Transportability Breakthroughs
Though optical comms is already being used for communications between satellites in space, there are still limiting factors that prevent fully realizing the capability’s potential on the ground. The first and primary challenge concerns the fundamental physics of how lasers interact with Earth’s atmosphere.

“People will tell you [the challenge] is about clouds, but it’s not cloud coverage,” said Morizur. “The problem is the atmosphere. We need to deal with the interplay between the laser beam and the atmosphere. This is the main problem.” Morizur explained that through advancements in adaptive optics, those challenges are currently being solved. “It took a long, long time to solve with adaptive optics and different technologies, but we’ve got validation now,” said Morizur. “But it took time for the industry to get there.”

To Keane, one of the main limiting factors in the DoD’s use of optical ground technologies lies in the ability to acquire them. “From our perspective, we need the right contracting mechanisms and other things in place to be able to get this to certain end-users,” he said. “I think we’ve got quite a broad scope on certain things that we already have, but it’s making sure that optical fits and can actually be easily bought by those end-users.”

Keane also pointed to the need for optical terminals that can be leveraged at the tactical edge for different military use cases, noting that Robinson’s company, Data Path, has been making strides in this area. “We’ve got to get [tactical optical terminals] out at the tip of the spear, so people can be sending ISR information back and enabling battlefield decision making,” said Keane. “We also see people wanting smaller and smaller terminals…[DataPath] has already been [working] on [optical terminals] that are much more tactical.”

Robinson explained that the push for tactical, ruggedized optical ground terminals stems from the DoD’s need for operational flexibility and the desire to move away from fixed terminals, citing Iran’s attack on a fixed U.S. terminal in Kuwait last summer. “It’s a powerful example of why it’s important to have operational flexibility and relocation ability, so that you’re not a sitting bullseye,” said Robinson. “This is the defense domain. We have to be clever, flexible, and agile, and move where and when the threat might exist. So, transportability is a huge part of that for us. We’re very excited that we will have the first transportable optical ground station ready by September of next year.”

Optical Ground + RF = Increased Assurance
The panelists agreed that when optical ground terminals operate en masse, they will not completely replace RF technologies. Instead, they will serve as an additional layer and tool that will increase the assurance of data transport and comms for the warfighter. “[Optical] is just going to be another mode of transport, essentially,” explained Keane. “For [SES Space & Defense], we are introducing it into the networks for customers to increase the assurance and availability of what they have. It’s not that we’re going to rely just on optical, but we’re not going to rely just on RF, either. We will continue to integrate [optical] for the end-users as it makes the most sense.”

Robinson agreed with Keane that both RF and optical will be crucial in providing resiliency to the warfighter. “There are few operators better positioned than SES, because they have multiple orbits that they’re working with,” said Robinson. “The core themes of resiliency and redundancy include not relying just on RF or optical, but having a balance of both. Similarly, [we shouldn’t] rely solely on fixed infrastructure on the ground or rely solely on transportable infrastructure. It’s about both. There’s room for both. That’s a really healthy ecosystem for us to be looking toward.”

The post Optical Ground Terminals for the Military: The Benefits and Barriers appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

16-18 December 2025 | The Hyatt | Crystal City, VA

Join the SES Space & Defense team for our final conference of the year!

Stop by our booth to explore our integrated, multi-orbit, mission-ready solutions across LEO, MEO, and GEO. 

SES Space & Defense Speakers:

Gus Anderson

Vice President, Strategic Business Development

SES Space & Defense

SIA DoW COMSATCOM Workshop 2025 DoW Enterprise SATCOM
Tuesday, December 16 | 4:00-5:00 PM (EST)

David Broadbent

President & CEO

SES Space & Defense

Combined Senior Government and Industry Leaders Panel
Wednesday, December 17 | 2:30-3:30 PM (EST)

Event Website

The post SIA DoW COMSATCOM Workshop 2025 appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

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.

This Summer, SES and the Luxembourg Government announced that they would be commissioning the design and development of GovSat-2, the second military communications satellite under their GovSat joint-venture.

So why are SES and the Government of Luxembourg launching such second satellite for GovSat? To understand that, we have to first look at what differentiates GovSat’s capabilities from traditional commercial geosynchronous (GEO) service offerings.

Purpose-built for government missions
The GovSat-1 GEO satellite leverages military payloads capable of delivering sensitive communications via dedicated military frequency bands. While government users often leverage traditional satellite services in commercial frequency bands for certain applications, GovSat-1 offers secure connectivity for more sensitive missions thanks to its Mil Ka- and X-band frequencies, as well as its reinforced security.

In addition, the company operates from a fully dedicated Secure Missions Operations Center, using hardened ground segment that ensures end-to-end security. This allows GovSat-1 to deliver a higher level of service assurance when and where defense users need, such as within Europe, the Middle East and Africa, as well as over the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Such military-grade communications have the benefit of also being more jam-resistant than usual GEO satellites. This is important, as the past several years have seen governments facing new and fast-evolving threats, making the need for secure services one of the most significant drivers for the development of GovSat-2.

Resilient secure services for NATO allies
Today, GovSat is an in-demand asset for NATO allies for their sensitive military operations, and the need for it has never been higher.

Bearing witness to the ongoing geographical tensions around the world has made many NATO nations in Europe concerned about new aggressions from possible adversaries. This is forcing many of these nations to bolster their own defense and work to ensure they have access to advanced capabilities and systems needed for their own national and overall shared security.

Modern warfighting relies on connectivity and communications. The proliferation of connected sensors and network-enabled military systems makes communications an essential part of coordinated, data-driven, multi-domain operations. Satellite plays an essential role in modern military networks – delivering secure communications and signals to locations where terrestrial networks are either unavailable, untrusted, or denied.

With GovSat-1 being the only commercially-operated satellite that uses military frequencies and that can securely deliver classified information and communications, there has been tremendous demand from across the NATO nations for the satellite’s capacity.

While NATO nations are clamoring for more GovSat capacity to scale, they’re also looking for more enhanced and sophisticated security features, as the threat environment is constantly evolving and adversaries are becoming increasingly capable. Furthermore, they are also looking for capacity in complementary frequency bands such as UHF (Ultra High Frequency).

The combination of these considerations and requirements led GovSat to commission the development of GovSat-2.

A new, even more capable GovSat satellite
Buit by Thales Alenia Space, GovSat-2 will encompass the most recent advancements in satellite and military technology, addressing the strongest requirements in terms of Service Assurance and Security.

GovSat-2 is also being developed with the latest digital processing capabilities on board – to help increase resilience against adversarial jamming, spoofing, and other electronic warfare capabilities. The same technology will also deliver enhanced flexibility, giving the satellite certain beam steering capabilities necessary to address specific jamming scenarios.

Finally, GovSat-2 will be built with the specific current needs of NATO allies in mind. This includes the addition of UHF for tactical communications for allied militaries.

As modern warfare becomes increasingly reliant on networks and communications, the need for a commercial satellite that is capable of securely and assuredly delivering military data increases exponentially. The commissioning of GovSat-2 will help meet this requirement for NATO nations while also enabling increased collaboration and mission coordination across countries – providing the network backbone needed for advanced missions and improving collective deterrence and defense around the globe.

To learn more about GovSat, click HERE.

The post GovSat-2: Enabling Defense, Security and Collective Deterrence with Advanced Secure SATCOM 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.

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