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.

Without PNT capabilities – and without resilient and redundant solutions that can withstand adversarial attacks – warfighters would essentially enter the field blind, putting the mission and, more importantly, their lives at risk.

To learn more about the role GPS and PNT play in modern warfighting, as well as the commercial solutions that the military is leveraging to provide assured, continuous PNT to the warfighter, the Government Satellite Report sat down with SES Space & Defense’s Senior Director of Innovation and Satellite Programs, Bryan Benedict.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): What role does space-based satellite PNT play in modern warfare? Why is PNT so important for today’s modern military?

Bryan Benedict: PNT is vital in providing both the location and time elements of any military engagement. PNT lets warfighters know where they are and where their objective is located. It essentially answers the “where” and “when” questions.

PNT is so essential to operational success that if a mission is being planned and PNT is unavailable, that operation may be delayed. It is also worth mentioning that various munition systems use GPS as a source of PNT data for targeting purposes.

There are a number of global navigational satellite systems (GNSS) in use by other countries. The U.S. version is GPS. The European solution is called Galileo. China, India, and Japan have their own systems as well.

GSR: Why would the military be concerned about assured PNT? What challenges or threats are there to modern PNT solutions?

Bryan Benedict: The primary challenges and threats to modern PNT are jamming and spoofing. Jamming involves using signals at the same frequency to make the GPS signal unusable. Spoofing involves sending signals that are masquerading as GPS but are intentionally designed to provide erroneous information to the user. Another threat is that adversaries could physically damage the GPS fleet through an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile attack.

Currently, assured PNT for the U.S. military is provided by resilient GPS. It provides ways to work around the loss of some GPS assets or signals and allows PNT even in the presence of jamming. GPS itself is a very low-power signal, and is relatively easy to jam. Alternative PNT allows PNT determination when the GPS fleet is severely degraded or absent all together. SES Space & Defense is working now with other companies to determine how we could leverage our MEO and GEO satellite networks to provide alternative PNT to the USG.

“Not all GPS satellites are M-code capable and not all GPS receivers can process M-code signals. Full M-code capability by the military is expected by the end of 2025.” -Bryan Benedict

GSR: What steps is the military taking to increase the resiliency of PNT signals from space? What is M-code? Has the military officially adopted M-code? What roadblocks exist?

Bryan Benedict: In order to increase the resilience of GPS signals, the military is making it harder to successfully jam and spoof GPS signals. M-code uses next-generation cryptography, higher power and more than one frequency to work around an adversary’s attempt to disrupt GPS usage.

While the military has adopted M-code, roadblocks still exist. Not all GPS satellites are M-code capable and not all GPS receivers can process M-code signals. Full M-code capability by the military is expected by the end of 2025.

To increase the resiliency of PNT, the government has been looking to boost resiliency through the addition of satellites in both the GPS layer and possibly, commercial PNT satellites at other altitudes. They’re definitely encouraging the development of alternative PNT signals from other orbits, including the lower MEO and LEO orbits, as well as through use of alternative frequencies.

The Space Enterprise Consortium awarded a contract to a company that was developing PNT concepts for GEO orbit. If you look at the Chinese Beidou system, they incorporate MEO satellites, similar to GPS, but they also leverage GEO and inclined GEO spacecraft. That means that if their MEO signal is degraded, the Chinese still have the capability to provide regional PNT using their GEO spacecraft.

As far as challenges that currently exist for developing alternative PNT systems, I don’t think the U.S. military has been able to implement M-code on PNT spacecraft outside of MEO. Some of the alternative PNT companies that are trying to do PNT from LEO may not be able to utilize the benefits provided by M-code.

“Commercially provided alternative PNT solutions for the military could provide a stopgap if GPS fleet signals become degraded. If GPS is not possible, commercial PNT would step in.” -Bryan Benedict

GSR: Why would a commercial PNT solution be desirable for the military? What new capabilities or functionality would these new services offer?

Bryan Benedict: The U.S. military would like to have a PNT function that does not depend on GPS, as it is not as resilient as they would like it to be. GPS is a prime target for U.S. adversaries through spoofing, jamming and ASAT attacks. Commercially provided alternative PNT solutions for the military could provide a stopgap if GPS fleet signals become degraded. If GPS is not possible, commercial PNT would step in.

The military is looking for more than one commercial alternative PNT solution. Questions arise whether commercial PNT will be available when needed and whether it can be trusted. Technical challenges exist when alternative PNT is provided outside of the GPS frequency bands and outside of GPS orbit. Ideally GPS receivers could be modified to accept signals from other orbits and other frequencies.

GSR: Why would they need commercial PNT solutions if a new generation of M-code PNT satellites (GPS Block III) is being launched?

Bryan Benedict: While M-code PNT satellites are more resilient to jamming and spoofing, they are no more resilient to an ASAT attack. Commercial PNT would provide an alternative if the GPS fleet becomes unusable.

GSR: Is there a market for commercial PNT outside of the U.S. government?

Bryan Benedict: That is an excellent question. Companies and organizations that rely on GPS – such as banking, utilities, shipping, airlines, and commerce – are dependent upon GPS but frequently have workarounds should GPS not be available. One of these solutions may involve the use of cell towers or other fixed RF transmitters.

“PNT would be a global service, and SES has worldwide satellite network supported by critical ground infrastructure. Providing commercial PNT is an excellent way to provide vital services to the U.S. government.” -Bryan Benedict

I don’t believe there would be customers for commercial PNT as long as they had government-provided alternatives, including GPS and Galileo. It’s unlikely that all of the government provided PNT services will become inoperative, so commercial customers don’t have a strong reason to invest in an alternative PNT system when other government PNT solutions remain available.

GSR: What does SES have planned in regard to commercial PNT services/solutions? Why is this a marketplace that SES is looking to enter? How is the company uniquely qualified to offer these services?

Bryan Benedict: SES is working with small businesses that are developing alternative PNT solutions. Why are we looking to enter this marketplace? First, we believe alternative PNT is a function that the government would like to procure, and SES Space & Defense is organized to serve the U.S. government in particular.

SES Space & Defense is well qualified because of our multi-orbit satellite systems. Future MEO and GEO satellites can host future PNT payloads. PNT would be a global service, and SES has worldwide satellite network supported by critical ground infrastructure. Providing commercial PNT is an excellent way to provide vital services to the U.S. government.

The post PNT – Answering the Where and When During Warfighting Missions appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

As devices have gotten more powerful, they’ve also gotten smaller. Today, the processing power of the IBM computer from the movie, “Hidden Figures,” is dwarfed by devices that fit into our pockets. In the movie, that IBM computer hilariously required the installation of a larger door to be moved into its dedicated room. Now, we accidentally put computers that are unfathomably more powerful in our washing machines because we forget they were in our favorite jeans.

But is this movement towards smaller, more powerful devices limited to computers and the IT industry? Or is it bleeding into other industries? What about the space and satellite industry? News coming out of the satellite industry seems to indicate that smaller could be the future.

There is immense innovation happening in the satellite and space industries, and the traditional path into space and satellites are changing. The next generation of satellites may be smaller. They may orbit closer to the Earth, be capable of being repaired in space and may host payloads from multiple different organizations.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the news from the industry that lays out some of these fascinating trends:

Big Aerospace Goes Big on Smallsats
If the future of satellites and space is to get bigger, then some of the industry’s heavyweights may have just made some terrible strategic decisions. That’s because – in light of flat or declining orders for large GEO satellites – practically every large satellite manufacturer is making investments into the production of smaller satellites and satellites for MEO and LEO orbits.

According to this article from Via Satellite, some of the largest satellite manufacturers – including SSL and Boeing – have recently made acquisitions or strategic partnerships to position themselves to better complete in the smallsat marketplace. These decisions weren’t made arbitrarily, they’re the result of ordering and industry trends. Many of the commercial satellite companies are seeing significant potential for smaller satellites in LEO and MEO, and are scaling back their large GEO satellite investments.

So, will the next generation of satellites fit in your pocket and risk taking a bath in your spin cycle? Probably not, they’ll still be pretty large and heavy. But they’re trending smaller, and that’s probably a step in the right direction. But that’s not the only change for satellite manufacturing on the horizon…

NASA Hires SSL to Research Satellite Manufacturing in Space
Launching satellites can cause some problems. It restricts how large some of the components can be, since they need to fit in a rocket. It also increases the risk to getting a satellite on orbit, creates wear and tear on the satellite, costs a ton of money and creates other restrictions.

So…what if we just stopped launching our satellites into space already built, and – instead – built them right up there in space?

Stop laughing. It’s (potentially) a perfectly reasonable idea. At least, that’s what NASA thinks. It’s also what our good friend Gordon Roesler thought when we spoke to him about the future of on-orbit servicing.

According to recent news articles, NASA has hired SSL to explore the concept, which would ultimately eliminate the restrictions of launching satellites by building them in habitats in space. The concept would enable “more simple and capable” satellites that don’t need to built to survive launch, which can be pretty tough on a satellite. This main sound like science fiction…but it’s real. We promise.

So, the satellites of the future may be smaller and be built in space. But what about the satellites being built now? How have those changed and evolved? Well…they may contain payloads from multiple, disparate organizations.

Air Force wants new GPS in orbit before year’s end
One of the largest and most impactful challenges facing the DoD is the threat to our satellite infrastructure. Our adversaries are more advanced than ever, and are capable of denying our satellite capabilities. Unfortunately, we rely on those a lot. Especially in the areas of position, navigation and timing (PNT), for which the military relies on GPS.

To help combat the susceptibility of our GPS satellite network, the Air Force and the rest of the DoD is scrambling to get a PNT alternative in place. This need and requirement to get a PNT alternative in place quickly makes it a perfect example of a capability or technology that could be a candidate to be launched as a hosted payload.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released a report on hosted payloads. That report encourages the DoD to more aggressively incorporate hosted payloads into their future satellite programs for a few reasons:

• They’re less expensive
• They provide a much faster and efficient path to space
• They deliver benefits in the area of resiliency

Those are all things that the military’s PNT satellite network could potentially benefit from.

The post Does the future of space consist of smallsats and hosted payloads? A look at the top satellite news… appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

But WAAS isn’t just notable because of its important role and mission – the program is also notable because it utilizes hosted payloads aboard commercial satellites. The FAA WAAS relies on a number of satellites for sending updated GPS information to end users, and those satellite payloads are frequently launched as hosted payloads on the spacecraft of commercial satellite providers.

The new WAAS payload being launched will be hosted aboard SES-15, a Ku-band satellite that will provide HTS and wide-beam coverage from 129°W and will be managed by global COMSATCOM provider, SES.

The use of hosted payloads by the FAA for the WAAS program is notable because it’s a practice that – quite frankly – isn’t adopted as often and as widely as it should be across the federal government and Department of Defense. Although hosted payloads are capable of giving federal entities access to space in a more efficient and expedient fashion, they simply aren’t utilized frequently or consistently due to perceived risks and concerns about the lack of control over the spacecraft. But despite the reticence seen across the federal government, the FAA has been bullish about hosted payloads – utilizing them to put payloads in space for approximately two decades.

To better understand why the FAA is such a staunch believer in hosted payloads, get more information about WAAS and find out why WAAS payloads are perfect candidates to be hosted aboard commercial spacecraft, we sat down with two government satellite experts from SES Space and Defense – Tim Deaver, Corporate Vice President of Development, and Bryan Benedict, Senior Director of Innovation and Satellite Programs.

During our podcast discussion, Tim and Bryan talked about why it makes business sense for WAAS to be hosted on a COMSATCOM satellite, why the FAA is a leader in hosted payloads, and what other government agencies can learn from the FAA. Here is what they had to say:

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To learn more about hosted payloads and how they can give government agencies and the Department of Defense more efficient and expedient access to space, click the following resources: 

• Whitepaper: What is a Hosted Payload?
• Hosted Payloads Infographic
• PODCAST: Nicole Robinson on the benefits of hosted payloads for NOAA and other federal agencies
• PODCAST: CHIRP team discusses program and benefits of hosted payloads

The post FAA WAAS leads the way on hosted payloads in the federal government appeared first on SES Space and Defense.