SES-17’s coverage area makes it an important satellite for delivering mission-critical connectivity for the military. According to Amit Katti, Director of Systems Engineering at SES Space and Defense, “The satellite will…provide coverage…over the Americas, the Caribbean and the Atlantic Ocean…[as well as] an area that is of incredible importance to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), delivering services to parts of the Arctic Circle.”

But there is more to SES-17 than its important coverage area.

The SES-17 satellite is a significant development in satellite technology, featuring a fully digital payload powered by the most powerful digital transponder processor in orbit, and nearly 200 user beams capable of delivering incredible throughputs and bandwidth to users. But the launch of SES-17 also illustrates how the commercial satellite industry has evolved its solutions to meet the unique challenges facing our modern military.

More resiliency and assuredness through multi-orbit communications
Today’s military no longer has the massive technological advantage that it used to hold in space. Our near-peer adversaries have made significant headways into the space domain and turned what was once a benign domain into an austere, warfighting domain. Some of our adversaries have even actively demonstrated the ability to leverage kinetic attacks against satellites in orbit in an effort to deny or degrade the satellite networks that have long given America’s warfighters an edge on the battlefield.

“Having a diversity of satellites allows for optimizing the best solution set while making the network more robust.” – Rick Lober, Hughes Defense

“Our ability to integrate space assets and our force capabilities at speed is a distinct advantage we have today. China and Russia recognize this and have designed means to deny us these capabilities,” explained General Curtis Michael “Mike” Scaparrotti, a retired United States Army four-star general who last served as the Commander of United States European Command, in a recent interview with the Government Satellite Report. “…we know they have developed abilities to deny operations for periods of time by electronic jamming or cyber-attacks, and that they have tested both terrestrial and space systems to destroy satellites.”

In this new environment, it’s increasingly essential that the military has the means and ability to rapidly and seamlessly transition mission-critical data from a satellite that is being denied to another that is capable of delivering essential communications.

Being able to seamlessly roll communications from a satellite in one orbit to another satellite in a different orbit can help to further complicate an adversary’s targeting calculus and make it even harder to deny or degrade our military’s communications. This is also essential should missions requirements change, and should the military need either the higher throughputs and lower latency of satellites in medium Earth orbit (MEO), or the larger coverage area of satellites in GEO.

As Hughes Defense’s Rick Lober recently told the Government Satellite Report, “Having a diversity of satellites allows for optimizing the best solution set while making the network more robust.”

And this isn’t just an idea being pushed by the commercial satellite industry. It’s the current goal of the DoD. As U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, explained to attendees at a recent Mitchell Spacepower Forum, “We have got to shift the space architecture from a handful of exquisite capabilities that are very hard to defend to a more robust, more resilient architecture by design.”

But what does this need for a multi-orbit, resilient, and robust satellite network architecture have to do with SES-17?

“With a managed service model for satellite services, the government would always have the latest commercial technologies and solutions available to them. With systems like ARC in place, they’ll also have the added resiliency and capability of being able to leverage a multi-orbit constellation.” – Rashid Neighbors, SES Space and Defense

SES-17 is the first step in the integration of SES’s multi-orbit network. The spacecraft’s digital payload is supported by the Adaptive Resource Control (ARC) software, making it interoperable with SES’s second-generation O3b mPOWER satellite communications system in MEO, which is set to launch in the coming months.

The ARC software opens the door to more seamlessly transitioning satellite communications from the SES constellation of HTS satellites at GEO – including SES-17 – to the next-generation MEO satellite communications system, O3b mPOWER. This means that – should the bandwidth and latency requirements of the mission change, or in the unlikely event that a satellite service is denied by an adversary – SES could quickly and seamlessly switch between satellite services from GEO and MEO to meet the military’s requirement.

“Ultimately, our intent is to provide the U.S. Government with highly resilient, multi-orbit hybrid satellite solutions,” explained Rashid Neighbors, Vice President, Mobility and Integrated Solutions at SES Space and Defense. “While the spacecraft technology in SES-17 and the O3b mPOWER satellites is fundamentally different, the ground system will be integrated through…ARC. This allows our government customers to focus on their mission and applications and let SES Space and Defense worry about how the transport works.”

SES-17, and its support of the ARC system, make the dream of an integrated, multi-orbit satellite network architecture a reality. But it also enables another important shift – allowing the military to evolve away from the archaic and inefficient way that it has traditionally acquired satellite commercial satellite capacity.

A satellite “built for managed services”
In this new satellite reality, where multi-orbit commercial satellite services join military satellite communications (MILSATCOM) resources to build an integrated architecture, the traditional method of leasing satellite capacity on the spot market is no longer effective.

In this new reality – where military communications may need to be moved from a MILSATCOM satellite in GEO to commercial satellite service from MEO or LEO at a moment’s notice to meet mission requirements or provide mission assurance – the traditional methods of leasing satellite capacity are simply too slow.

The ARC system, and other technologies that make SES-17 more “software-enabled,” have ushered in a new generation of satellite that is, as Katti coined, “Built for managed services.” Meaning that the military and government can acquire satellite communications as a service from commercial providers, who, in turn, deliver an end-to-end solution when and where the military requires it.

“Our ability to integrate space assets and our force capabilities at speed is a distinct advantage we have today. China and Russia recognize this and have designed means to deny us these capabilities.” – General Scaparrotti, U.S. Army

Acquiring commercial satellite as a managed service ensures that the government and military are always leveraging the latest satellite technologies, and always have the requisite hardware and terrestrial infrastructure necessary to utilize it.

“With a managed service model for satellite services, the government would always have the latest commercial technologies and solutions available to them,” explained Neighbors. “With systems like ARC in place, they’ll also have the added resiliency and capability of being able to leverage a multi-orbit constellation.”

While the news of SES-17 becoming fully operational is certainly exciting, it’s not nearly as exciting as what SES-17 and other future satellites signify for our government and military. SES-17, the O3b mPOWER service, and other next-generation satellite solutions illustrate a clear solution to the challenge of a more austere space domain. They also signify a path forward towards a more integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM satellite architecture that will be more assured, robust, and resilient to meet the needs of our future force.

To learn more about SES-17, click HERE.

Featured image courtesy of Thales Alenia Space.

The post SES-17 Fully Operational – Offering Glimpse into the Future of Military Satellite Networks appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

According to Jim Hooper, Chief Commercial Officer and Corporate Vice President at SES Space and Defense, the test was instrumental in, “…illustrating the power of next-generation satellite services and technologies to provide mission-critical, assured communications to the government and military, at a time when connectivity is increasingly essential.”

In multiple recent articles on the Government Satellite Report, we’ve talked about the increasing importance of network-enabled devices, solutions, platforms and services within the U.S. military. We’ve also discussed how, as the U.S. Department of Defense increasingly relies on connectivity in theater, the need for resilient, assured communications only increases. Ultimately, if connectivity is going to be essential for military operations, communications are going to have to be guaranteed if warfighters are to accomplish their missions.

To learn more about what this demonstration means for the resiliency, security, and capability of the satellite systems and services available to the military, we sat down with Rick Lober, the Vice President and General Manager at Hughes Defense.

Here is what he told us:

Government Satellite Report (GSR): Hughes and SES recently conducted a test for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to demonstrate multi-orbit satellite communications for remotely piloted aircraft. Can you tell our readers a bit about this demonstration and what it entailed?

Rick Lober: This was a static demonstration for General Atomics that paired the Hughes HM series software-defined modems and our resource management system with SES’s satellites operating in geosynchronous and medium-earth orbits. The demonstration replicated a typical unmanned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) mission, transmitting high-definition video and sensor data to and from the unmanned aircraft.

Based on the mission’s pre-set policies, our management system automatically switched between the satellite signals to stay connected – even when a signal experienced interference and jamming scenarios. The quasi-instant and seamless beam switch took just seconds to complete, much faster than you normally see today when it’s done manually.

The rapid beam switching is important for the U.S. military’s Automated Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (APACE) communications planning. In addition, the Hughes modems and management system delivered three times the throughput of the currently deployed SATCOM service using a terminal less than half the size that still meets size, weight, and power requirements.

GSR: What was so different and revolutionary about this particular test? What were SES and Hughes looking to accomplish that was new and exciting?

Rick Lober: There were several things about the demonstration that broke new ground. I mentioned that the autonomous switching between satellite signals saved critical time during the RPA mission and that the switching supports APACE communications planning for RPAs, a feature that does not exist today. This communications capability was provided as a managed service which is new for RPAs. Using end-to-end managed service enables the RPA operator to switch signals on demand as the bandwidth is needed, without having to acquire it in advance.

On the technical side, the switching showed the agility of using the HM 400 modem and the Hughes resource management system, which both use software-defined technology to make the SATCOM operation smarter. We were able to get the higher throughput because the Hughes HM modem leverages a proprietary Scramble Code Multiple Access (SCMA) waveform that also enables greater security for the link so adversaries cannot detect the transmission.

GSR: Why is the ability to seamlessly switch from one satellite to another so important or desirable for the military? What could this enable them to do on the battlefield and in theater that they can’t already? How does it enable them to respond to modern threats in the space domain?

Rick Lober: I think the U.S. military’s experience flying RPAs in multiple theaters over the past decade has demonstrated the vital importance of maintaining a constant connection between an unmanned aircraft and its operator on the ground.

“For the DoD, adding more satellite resources at LEO and MEO means less latency, more redundancy in the communications network, and less chance for an adversary to disrupt the satellite that is carrying the communications.” – Rick Lober

Jamming, signal interference, and other factors can cause a break in the satellite signal and perhaps the loss of critical ISR data needed by commanders making decisions during an operation. If the communications link is disrupted, the ISR data about the threat cannot be sent to the ground as quickly as needed.

Only by being able to switch seamlessly from satellite to satellite can the user be assured of uninterrupted communications.

GSR: Why is it important that the demonstration allowed the user to switch between MEO and GEO satellites? Why would the military ever want or need to do this in theater?

Rick Lober: Being able to switch between satellites in different orbit planes provides greater network resiliency and gives commanders more options to enhance their APACE communications. Having a diversity of satellites allows for optimizing the best solution set while making the network more robust.

A key advantage of the satellites closer to earth is that they have lower signal latency. GEO satellites are further from earth than satellites at MEO and Lower-Earth Orbit (LEO), meaning the signal will take significantly longer to transmit each way.

For the DoD, adding more satellite resources at LEO and MEO means less latency, more redundancy in the communications network, and less chance for an adversary to disrupt the satellite that is carrying the communications.

GSR: As satellite services like O3b mPOWER come online, what new capabilities will be enabled for the government and military? How does the impending launch of services like O3b mPOWER make this demonstration even more important and timely?

Rick Lober: The new mPOWER satellites that SES is building for its O3b MEO constellation will be another step in providing the DoD user with more resilient communications. These are much more powerful than the existing O3b spacecraft and will have as many as 5,000 spot beams per satellite. They will support automatic switching to satellites in other orbits and much higher data throughput than MEO offers currently.

For the DoD, they could become a vital part of APACE communications planning to support new missions in today’s multi-domain battlespace as well as the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) concept to connect sensors from all the U.S. military services into a single network.

GSR: How could you envision the Hughes HM series and O3b mPOWER working together to enable the military in theater moving forward? What advanced capabilities and services could they enable? Why is it important that technologies like these are available to the military of today and tomorrow?

Rick Lober: One of the key features of our HM modem technology is that it uses a commercially based, open-standards architecture, adaptable to almost any network. Another is that it is frequency-band agnostic and can work with just about any satellite, enabling affordable, resilient solutions to meet a wide variety of mobility and portability requirements for government users.

“Being able to switch between satellites in different orbit planes provides greater network resiliency and gives commanders more options to enhance their APACE communications. Having a diversity of satellites allows for optimizing the best solution set while making the network more robust.” – Rick Lober

By using software-definable modem (SDM) technology and the Hughes enhanced SCMA waveform, the HM System allows government users to adapt the solution to their specific needs. Since the first gateway was installed in September 2015, the HM System has grown to where it can now provide global satellite-on-the-move for airborne, maritime, and land-mobile platforms and on-the-pause capabilities for users in the field.

Combining the open-systems, HM-series airborne modems with the MEO, mPOWER, and GEO satellites, government users can maintain communications in more complex environments and conduct missions in contested and congested environments with uninterrupted connectivity – all of which we like to call, ‘secure connectivity, anytime, anywhere, any comms.’

To learn more about the recent tests conducted by SES and Hughes, click HERE.

The post Recent testing by Hughes and SES shows switching signals between GEO, MEO, and LEO satellites no longer science fiction appeared first on SES Space and Defense.