Here at SES Space & Defense, we are well positioned as both a satellite operator and an agnostic integrator, providing a strategic advantage in delivering resilient COMSATCOM solutions to our government and military customers. While SES is a satellite owner and operator in both MEO and GEO, we also have strategic agreements with LEO operators and other GEO operators that enables us to offer global mission-ready solutions, supporting the warfighter across LEO, MEO and GEO. Our customers require very diverse capabilities to ensure resilient SATCOM, and being able to offer a true multi-orbit technology agnostic strategy is critical for our customers.

Enhancing Mission Assurance with Strategic Relationships and Agnostic Integration
The two main impacts of multi-orbit capabilities are high availability and greater security. By having multi-path, multi-orbit, and multi-frequency offerings, we achieve resiliency through redundancy. SES Space & Defense enhances security by keeping traffic off the public internet. Instead, it routes through our private network, where we can maintain stricter control over security. Having multi-orbit solutions also enables us to seamlessly provide continuous, high-availability solutions when experiencing a significant failure. The traffic is automatically rerouted through our software-defined network, and the customer is completely unaware of any outage, reducing the risk of a single point of failure. Simultaneously, our technicians can work on any outage in the background while the customer maintains connectivity.

For example, we have a customer that requires high availability, which we have traditionally provided through a mixture of our GEO networks and terrestrial connectivity. Around three years ago, through one of our partnerships with a LEO provider, we began integrating LEO into that customer equation. Recently, there was a failure on one of the LEO orbits, which was the primary means for the customer to communicate. As soon as we experienced that failure, our GEO capacity picked up the slack immediately, and the customer maintained uninterrupted service.

As for the enhanced security these partnerships provide, one example is a high-profile customer that operates multi-orbit networks as part of a Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) plan. We take their traffic from a LEO provider before it hits the public Internet and put our security wrapper around it through our terrestrial network. From there, it is delivered to the customer’s home base, resulting in a higher level of assured security that accompanies high availability.

Interoperability Challenges Between Providers
One critical component of agnostic integration is the interoperability between multiple providers. Achieving this on the satellite side is admittedly not overly difficult, though there are critical components of the process that must be selected and managed meticulously to enable successful integration. This includes selecting the right appliances and software that are built to standards that can be properly integrated.

Some operators have proprietary modem systems and they may operate at differing levels of security. But, if we can intercept the traffic at a point where we can integrate it with the incoming traffic from the other networks, it is not overly complicated. It can be done, and it’s been proven. At SES Space & Defense, we’re doing it efficiently and successfully applying it in real applications.

Though the satellite process is relatively easy, there is a slight challenge on the ground side. Industry has not yet perfected a single solution antenna with multiple, software-defined waveforms on a terminal that can go from orbit to orbit or satellite constellation to satellite constellation. Some manufacturers are close to achieving this technology but a significant challenge remains in scaling down the required equipment to enable multi-orbit operations across multiple fleets effectively.

In many cases, you must have a proprietary system or a system that’s designed for a specific waveform on a specific satellite, and that’s the biggest challenge. Industry is catching up and some companies are currently working on multi-orbit, single-terminal products that would scale down the equipment needed for the operation. But, overall, the ground side of the industry is not quite there yet.

Agnostic Integration Influencing DoD Procurement
One big question about agnostic integration is how it will affect procurement strategies and partnerships between the DoD and industry. Everyone wants multi-orbit, multi-frequency, high-availability, and resilient networks. However, without someone to integrate the solution, contracting officers often need to issue multiple contracts for the various components required to build a fully integrated network. That equates to additional time, additional money, and different management across the different platforms that need to be integrated. On top of that, the government will have to do more work to integrate it themselves.

From a procurement perspective, the government is increasingly recognizing that industry can take on the integration process, serving as a one-stop solution. Much of the government’s recent approach reflects this shift, as they seek industry-led solutions and integration. Given the advantages in time, cost, and technology, industry is often better positioned to handle this than the government itself.

The post Agnostic Integration: Delivering High Availability, Resiliency, and Secure SATCOM to the DoD appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

Ahead of the event, the Government Satellite Report had the opportunity to sit down with one of the conference speakers, Juliana Suess – a space security Research Fellow on the Royal United Services Institute’s (RUSI) Military Sciences team and host of the podcast War in Space.

During our discussion, Juliana delves into the current state of the space threat landscape, as well as the role SATCOM and multi-orbit capabilities are currently playing in military operations today, and pulls back the curtain on some of the expected trends and hot topics that will take center stage at the event.

Government Satellite Report (GSR): What does the space-based threat landscape look like for today’s militaries?

Juliana Suess: When we examine the counter-space weapons landscape, there is a whole host of different capabilities that range from temporary and reversible measures to the non-reversible and permanent damage end of the spectrum.

Though space has become increasingly contested within the last few years, I think what we’ve been seeing are counter-space attacks that fall on the temporary and reversible range in the electromagnetic spectrum or the cyber sphere, though kinetic tests against states’ own assets have also taken place.

GSR: What impact is SATCOM having on multi-domain military operations today? 

Juliana Suess: SATCOM is a key enabler for all operations. I think quite often there’s a misconception that space is an add-on luxury that militaries can begin to afford once everything else is in order. In reality, space-based capabilities are a requisite, because we need SATCOM as part of a military’s daily operations.

If we look at the UK Space Power doctrine, not only does it already state that the vast majority of operations couldn’t be sustained without space, but it also goes on to say that SATCOM is responsible for all beyond-line-of-site communications. So, whether it is an aircraft or a vessel at sea, all multi-domain operations are made possible through satellite communications.

Space is a connector. Without the information and data that we receive through SATCOM and space, a lot of modern military operations simply wouldn’t be possible.

GSR: What benefits are multi-orbit SATCOM capabilities providing to military operations today? 

Juliana Suess: Resilience is a key aspect as it pertains to multi-orbit SATCOM. For example, if an orbit was compromised through a Kessler syndrome-type event or through a large-scale attack on satellites that would make part of an orbit unsafe, having the resilient capability of migrating service to a different orbit and using those satellites is tremendously impactful.

There’s also a utility aspect in these orbits to be considered. For example, Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has very low latency. Communications that don’t have to be classified or tightly secured can leverage a commercial provider in LEO. Whereas more highly secure communication channels can then be reserved for the assets that sit in Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

GSR: What are some of the challenges, needs, and requirement trends you’re seeing from militaries as it pertains to satellite capabilities? What gaps still need to be bridged?

Juliana Suess: In the UK, we have SKYNET – our sovereign satellite communications program which covers a lot of the required satellite capabilities that we need. But when we specifically look at Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) and Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), the UK is still very reliant on the U.S, although at least some of those gaps could be bridged with commercial partners.

I think the challenge overall – and the UK is not unique to this – is just money. Space is expensive and space-based projects take a long time. For example, the UK could no longer be part of the EU’s Galileo space program, which is the EU’s answer to GPS. The idea was floated that the UK could build its own PNT system, but the funding aspect made it impossible for a country the size of the UK.

In terms of further trends that we’re seeing, I think resilience will be a continuing factor and consideration as we continue to build out space capabilities. That will translate to having onboard resilience elements such as inter-satellite links that allow satellites to jump over compromised ground segments. Having proliferated constellations in conjunction with multi-orbit capabilities will also be a continuing trend. Militaries will continue to not put all their eggs in one orbital basket, which will be incredibly helpful.

GSR: Next week, military and space industry leaders will convene at the Defence in Space Conference in London. What are the hot topics and trends you foresee being discussed at the event?

Juliana Suess: Since the conference will be an industry-heavy event, I think there will be a lot of discussions around the sovereign assets versus buy-in debate. The UK has put forward the Own-Collaborate-Access (OCA) framework through which it wants to view its space capabilities and the procurement of those capabilities. So, I think that’s definitely a topic that will be explored in terms of how to strike the right balance, as well as if commercial partners are brought into the fold how can they be protected from potential attacks?

When we saw the cyberattack against ViaSat at the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, that was a commercial provider that had the Ukrainian military as one of its clients. That cyberattack highlighted the vulnerability of commercial actors, especially when they’re being used by armed forces or states.

That brings me to the next trend that I think will have a lot of discussion around it, which is how do we keep pace with the threat? I think specifically for space, we need to make a lot more consideration of horizon scanning when it comes to threats because once you put a satellite into space, it’s could be in orbit for the next 10 to 15 years.

In terms of anticipating threats that we need to protect against, we must prepare our hardware and software before launch. In that sense, space is quite unique as we must make more considerations on future protection and resilience before they even become operational.

To learn more about the Defence in Space conference, click HERE.

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“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:

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According to Gossett, U.S. SATCOM networks are used to provide command and control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) backhaul, beyond line-of-sight communications, and the projection of military forces on the ground. But those SATCOM capabilities are currently under threat and have become the prime target of adversarial action.

At last month’s SATELLITE 2024 conference, Gossett moderated a panel discussion with representatives from the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin, and Intelsat, examining the role multi-layer networks can and will play in establishing resilient and reliable SATCOM services that can withstand adversarial attacks.

Gossett explained that the MILSATCOM community and the commercial industry are currently working together to develop multi-orbit and multi-demand solutions that will enable resiliency. “We’ve got the demand side, with the military needing a resilient set of solutions to ensure SATCOM survives deep into the fight,” said Gossett. “On the supply side, we’ve had GEO high-throughput for quite a while. And in the last decade we’ve had MEO high-throughput with SES’ O3b mPOWER, and now we have the rise of LEO.”

Though the demand and supply sides are clearly defined, according to Gossett the challenge now lies in how to stitch these solutions and capabilities together.

Lockheed Martin’s Portfolio Director of Transport Layer Programs, Adrián Cuadra, agreed that integration solutions, capabilities, and networks are key to achieving the resiliency that multi-layer networks can provide to the military. “We cannot rely on having a single network, single capability, or a single layer that performs the mission for us,” said Cuadra. “The multi-layer network and the multi-layer transport…is an interwoven set of network elements that work together.”

Cuadra went on to say that reaching resilient SATCOM will rely on orbital and path diversity that can synthesize data across the tapestry of networks to provide a common operating picture to decision-makers. “Ultimately, [the goal is] to deliver that assured information to the warfighter, wherever and whenever they need it,” he said.

If the commercial industry’s role is to provide the tapestry of networks and systems, what role does the government and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) play in making these SATCOM resiliency capabilities a reality? According to Clare Hopper, Chief of the Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO), the answer lies in the way the DoD is now facilitating its COMSATCOM contracts to match the pace of industrial innovation.

“[CSCO] is the hub for all things commercial SATCOM,” said Hopper. “As the industry is evolving, we are staying pace by setting up contracts that have the flexibility and scope to facilitate readiness and responsiveness across the globe.”

Hopper explained that the changes the DoD has made with its contracts have opened doors to fully realizing a multi-layer network that fosters resilient and reliable SATCOM. “We’ve made a lot of positive improvement by putting in place more open-ended, flexible contracts that our customers are taking advantage of,” said Hopper. “What comes to mind is our Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) contract that was awarded back in July…Our existing PLEO contract enables multi-orbit solutions.”

And indeed, partnerships between the DoD and commercial industry – like the indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) PLEO contract that Hopper cited – have not only strengthened the SATCOM capabilities that are being delivered to the DoD’s disparate commands and services, but they are also opening the door to a more integrated, resilient space architecture for the Joint Forces.

Through the PLEO contract, satellite operators like SES Space & Defense, as well as satellite integrators, are able to usher the DoD into a new age of SATCOM, where DoD decision-makers can leverage new orbits, frequency bands, and waveforms to ensure the redundancy of mission-critical communications and connectivity resources.

As the space domain becomes further contested, with adversaries demonstrating abilities to disrupt, deny, and degrade U.S. comms networks, the DoD must continue to embrace multi-layer and multi-orbit SATCOM through flexible contracts like the IDIQ PLEO award. By doing so, the DoD and its satellite networks will automatically elevate their levels of resiliency and redundancy, and will be able to execute missions and operations uninterrupted by adversarial attack.

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To stay ahead of the threat, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is collaborating with its commercial space partners to ensure that warfighters are provided with satellite services and capabilities designed to outmaneuver and outlast the adversary. Last December, I had the opportunity to attend the DoD Commercial SATCOM Workshop, a special event – hosted by U.S. Space Command – where military and satellite industry leaders came together and tackled some of the DoD’s most pressing satellite communication (SATCOM) challenges, including how to ensure resilient connectivity and assured comms throughout special operations and warfighting missions.

DoD’s SATCOM Goals
One goal that the DoD is looking to achieve is quickly ramping up SATCOM services for special operations within hours of deployment. But with adversaries deploying space capabilities designed to degrade and deny connectivity and comms to the warfighter, the DoD wants to ensure that special operations SATCOM services are backed up with spectrum agility. When warfighting missions become more agile spectrum-wise, it becomes increasingly difficult for an adversary to narrow down its attack calculus.

Another goal that the DoD is getting after is to provide warfighters with SATCOM services that support multi-path communications in remote locations or extreme environments that lack terrestrial networks. Leveraging multi-path comms when executing operations in austere environments helps to ensure redundant, uninterrupted communications in the event an adversary was to breach, degrade, or deny any level of a mission’s PACE Plan.

Industry Answers the Call
A solution that the commercial industry is ready to put forward to support the DoD’s spectrum agility and multi-path comms goals is multi-orbit SATCOM. Providing the DoD with access to multi-orbit services that can switch spectrums mid-mission would ensure that warfighters are supported with resilient connectivity options and redundant communications pathways. Multi-orbit satellite capabilities would also give the military a competitive advantage in the space domain by making it increasingly difficult for adversaries to target and degrade an operation’s connectivity and comms services.

Last March, SES Space & Defense, Hughes, and ThinKom, successfully demonstrated these multi-orbit SATCOM capabilities. Together, the three companies proved their ability to effectively roam between SES’s satellite networks in Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) and Geostationary Orbit (GEO).

When executing warfighting operations, if it becomes clear that an adversary is attempting to jam or attack a mission-critical satellite, having the flexibility to transfer mission services and capabilities over to another satellite in a different orbit guarantees connectivity resiliency and comms redundancy.

DoD Adopts Multi-Orbit Services
The DoD has taken notice of these multi-orbit solutions and plans to integrate them into its communications architecture. Last September, it was announced that the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory awarded SES Space & Defense with a multi-year contract to conduct tests to integrate space broadband services across a multi-orbit satellite network that would support the Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program. The DEUCSI program intends to leverage commercial space internet (CSI) constellations with the ability to alternate between Geostationary (GEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

“An integrated multi-orbit, multi-band satellite architecture is a requirement in today’s contested and congested environment,” said Jim Hooper, SES Space & Defense’s Senior Vice President of Space Initiatives. “The DEUCSI program is a great example to showcase…multi-orbit, multi-band holistic approaches to deliver seamless interoperability to the U.S. Air Force to achieve unparalleled situation awareness and strategic advances for mission success.”

Last September, the DoD made another step towards adopting and integrating multi-orbit services when the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) awarded indefinite delivery indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts to satellite operators and integrators – including SES Space & Defense – for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite services. Embracing PLEO services will deliver resiliency and assuredness benefits to DISA by having satellite capabilities that are both multi-band and multi-orbit.

“Today, the military is facing near-peer adversaries that have demonstrated their ability to disrupt, deny, and degrade our communications networks,” said Ben Pigsley, Senior Vice President of Defense Networks at SES Space & Defense. “Both multi-orbit and multi-band network solutions offer an elevated level of resiliency and increase availability to government customers.”

Events like the DoD Commercial SATCOM Workshop provide the private sector with opportunities to learn about the military’s top satellite and space challenges directly from DoD leadership. As the military and industry continue to foster this open dialogue, the private sector will be better equipped to redirect its attention and efforts toward developing and producing SATCOM solutions and services to support the DoD in reaching its goals.

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Before joining the Air Force, Mr. Calvelli’s three-decade career includes experience in national security, space acquisitions and operations, and leadership at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he served for eight years as the Principal Deputy Director. During the forum, Mr. Calvelli sat down with Gen. Kevin P. Chilton (Ret.) to discuss his top priorities for space acquisition and the role the commercial sector will play in the military’s space operations moving forward.

Calvelli’s Five Priorities

To Mr. Calvelli, there is no higher priority than space. “Space is just an amazing enabler for the country,” he said. “It supports the nation’s economy. It supports our military. It supports all the services in the department.” With great enthusiasm, he said that being appointed assistant secretary is “an amazing opportunity,” and that he looks forward to fulfilling his commitment to help set the direction for space acquisitions.

As he begins his journey at the Air Force, expect Mr. Calvelli to draw upon his time at the NRO for inspiration in his new role. “My hope is to bring my experience from the NRO to the department, and to really help them out where I can in terms of space acquisition,” he said.

One part of Mr. Calvelli’s past experience that he will carry over to SAF/SQ includes five priorities that he devised during his time at NRO: speed, resiliency, architecture integration with other domains, project management discipline, and space and ground systems integration.

“It’s really important that space is always available to the nation, no matter what the environment is.” -Assistant Secretary Frank Calvelli

First, Mr. Calvelli emphasized the importance of advancing speed in space acquisitions. “And why is that important?” he asked rhetorically. “It’s going to allow us to modernize our service and allow us to stay technologically ahead of our adversaries. And if necessary, it’s going to allow us to deter, defend, or defeat any adversary.” According to Mr. Calvelli, in order to maintain that technological advantage, there has to be a real sense of urgency to get new capabilities into the hands of warfighters faster.

He also highlighted that the U.S. needs to bolster its space architectures by making them more resilient, a similar sentiment shared by Gen. John Raymond, Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, and Rep. Jim Cooper (D-TN) at recent Spacepower Forums.

Mr. Calvelli explained that a resilient space architecture is critical, because the military depends on space in both times of peace and conflict. “It’s really important that space is always available to the nation, no matter what the environment is,” he said.

Integrating space architectures into other warfighting domains is another priority that Mr. Calvelli plans to focus on in his new position. He explained that since space is a critical enabler of other domain capabilities, it is vital that the military has the ability to integrate space with land, air and sea, which will give all warfighters an advantage over adversarial threats.

“I also think that if commercial has a capability…you’re not going to get any faster than taking advantage of what you could just buy off the shelf as opposed to develop.” -Assistant Secretary Frank Calvelli

According to Mr. Calvelli, one piece of experience from the NRO that he plans on implementing at SAF/SQ is fostering a department culture that runs on project management discipline. “I think there’s no better way to actually get some speed than actually delivering on your commitments and actually execute your programs on cost and schedule,” he explained. “My fourth priority is to really drive project management discipline across the service.”

Mr. Calvelli went on to say that the department seems “to have a disconnect with space and ground systems.” For his fifth priority as assistant secretary, he wants to ensure that space and ground systems come together as an integrated system, “so that when we launch the systems, we can take full advantage of them.”

Executing Priorities by Leveraging Industry

When asked how Mr. Calvelli viewed the commercial sector’s role in delivering space capabilities to the U.S. Department of Defense, he responded by saying that industry can play a pivotal role in advancing the speed of acquisition.

“I think it’s an exciting time for the country, an exciting opportunity for anybody who’s involved with space programs, whether you’re in the Intelligence Community, the DoD, at NASA, or commercial,” said Mr. Calvelli. “I also think that if commercial has a capability…you’re not going to get any faster than taking advantage of what you could just buy off the shelf as opposed to develop.”

And indeed, the commercial space industry is currently booming with new technologies, capabilities, and solutions that could execute the promise of Mr. Calvelli’s SAF/SQ speed of acquisition priority, but it can also meet his other priorities, such as space architecture resiliency and ground/space system integration.

This is evident with SES’ newest geostationary (GEO) Ka-band satellite, SES-17, which recently became fully operational with readied capabilities to support multi-orbit resiliency for military space architectures. The technologies inherent in SES-17 can enable the military to seamlessly roll communications between MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM resources at GEO and Medium Earth orbit (MEO). This groundbreaking capability will provide resilient and hardened SATCOM defense against adversaries that try to deny or degrade mission-critical comms. It also allows flexibility if mission requirements were to change.

According to SES Space and Defense’s Vice President of Mobility and Integrated Solutions, Rashid Neighbors, “Ultimately, our intent is to provide the U.S. Government with highly resilient, multi-orbit hybrid satellite solutions. While the spacecraft technology in SES-17…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.”

To learn more about SES-17, click HERE.

Click the video below to watch the Spacepower Forum in its entirety.

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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.

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Last month at a special Schriever Spacepower Forum, Congressman Jim Cooper, U.S. Representative for Tennessee’s 5^th congressional district, sat down with Gen. Kevin P. Chilton (Ret.) to discuss the growing adversarial threat in space, how the U.S. needs to reestablish its deterrence capability in the domain, as well as the role commercial industry should play in the process.

U.S. Space Force as a deterrent force

To open the forum, Gen. Chilton asked Rep. Cooper about his thoughts on the Biden administration’s release of its U.S. space priorities framework and if he agreed with its positioning of the U.S. Space Force as a “support force” rather than a “deterrence and warfighting force.”

According to Rep. Cooper, he is on the side of deterrence. He stated that the U.S. should be able to have warfighting capabilities to defend its assets in space, while simultaneously projecting a strong deterrent presence that would prevent U.S. adversaries from making aggressive moves in the domain.

“Just few years ago, we’d let our deterrence capability in space go almost to zero,” said Rep. Cooper. “Which is pretty sad.” In his eyes, the space domain is the ultimate “infrastructure of infrastructure,” which the U.S. must be prepared to secure and defend.

He went on to explain that the country’s near-peer rivals have not delayed their technological innovations in the space arena. In areas where the U.S. military has been languishing, U.S. adversaries have made strides in their advancements. “We largely squandered that advantage,” said Rep. Cooper. “We’ve got a lot of catch-up work to do to reestablish deterrence.”

Reestablishing space dominance and deterrence

Rep. Cooper pointed to the ever-shrinking number of American STEM graduates as one of the main contributing factors to the country’s authoritative decline in space. “We gave up on much of big science,” he said. “Without a technological lead, our nation is doomed.”

He did acknowledge that there are signs that STEM is making a comeback in the workforce, and has hope that will give the nation a boost in reestablishing its technological lead. “We’re still head-and-shoulders above other militaries,” said Rep. Cooper. “But we’ve got to make sure that we’re always challenging ourselves to be the best. And sometimes I worry that we get distracted, or we rest on our laurels.”

As for the actual domain itself, one area that he believes could be a starting point to projecting a deterrent dominance in space is by rethinking the assets and satellites that the U.S. puts in in-orbit, explaining that they have to be more survivable and durable, and must have extremely robust capabilities.

“We got to do whatever it takes to have a severe capability,” said Rep. Cooper. “And that includes not only extraordinary defense, but also an offensive capability.”

Commercial sector can bridge the technological gap

Rep. Cooper noted that because threats in space are becoming more ubiquitous, the U.S. needs to prioritize the protection and security of its in-orbit critical systems. “We got to have a resilient, survivable architecture that can meet all our needs,” he explained.

He expressed concern around the speed of acquisition within the government and military, as well as emphasizing his concerns on the “quality” of acquisition. “We need to think about what really works, and what really can give us that 10-to-20-year leap…that our Pentagon needs to really meet and beat any other threat and establish deterrence.”

Rep. Cooper applauded the innovative technologies that are coming out of the commercial sector and expressed how he wishes that the U.S. government would match that level of innovation. “The first step is for the military to catch up with the private sector, because so much of the innovation has come from innovative small companies.”

“It’s incredible innovation that’s currently underway,” he said. “It’s innovation that we could currently be using with our Space Force and Air Force and other branches of the military.”

This sentiment of leveraging the commercial sector in order to advance the capabilities and solutions that are being employed by the U.S. military has lately been echoed by top military officials at the Pentagon.

Last January, the U.S. Space Force’s Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, spoke at a Mitchell Spacepower Forum where he emphasized the importance of establishing resiliency throughout critical systems in space and how the commercial sector has to play a role in making it happen.

“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,” said Gen. Raymond.

“But it’s not just about innovation. Integrating COMSATCOM services into an integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM satellite architecture will have the added bonus of baking resiliency into the military’s networks.”

At another forum held last November, the U.S. Space Force’s Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman also agreed that the satellite architecture currently in space is unprepared for combat capability and capacity, and he pointed to the commercial industry as a major player in not only providing the technologies, but also creating a resilient space architecture for the U.S. military.

“With the technology that’s being employed, I think we’re going to be able to leverage commercial capabilities to accomplish a subset of our missions,” explained Lt. Gen Saltzman. “And as we distribute those up, not only does it free up resources for us, but it creates a more resilient architecture because of the number of different places and pathways where we can get the information we need.”

It’s clear that the U.S. military needs to begin to source these commercial technologies as soon as possible in order to regain dominance in the space domain, as well as play a deterrent role against aggressive near-peer competitors. As Rep. Cooper put it, “We need the capability now. We needed it yesterday. And I’m worried that we’re not there yet.”

Click the video below to watch the Spacepower Forum in its entirety.

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So far, Space Force has stood up its headquarters, become the 18^th member of the Intelligence Community, established three field commands, and has brought on more than 13,000 personnel. These achievements are only a few of the bullet points on the long list of Space Force wins since its inception in late-2019.

One person who has stood witness to all of the branch’s successes, setbacks, and growing pains – since the very beginning – is U.S. Space Force’s Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond. Earlier this month, Gen. Raymond joined the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence for a special Schriever Spacepower Forum moderated by Gen. (Ret.) Kevin P. Chilton. During their discussion, Gen. Raymond reflected on the Space Force’s journey thus far and discussed the service’s year-three priorities, which will include a heavy focus on building and implementing a resilient space architecture.

Two years down

Gen. Raymond opened the forum by expressing that – to him – the first two years of Space Force operations have flown by. From major organizational milestones to force design deployments, he is extremely proud of all the branch has accomplished in just two years.

“If you look at the body of work that has been done, it’s pretty incredible,” said Gen. Raymond. “I would have flunked the test if you had told me at the two-year mark we’d have gotten all of this done.”

Notable achievements that he highlighted included the design and operation of Space Force headquarters, as well as standing up the branch’s field commands—Space Operations Command, Space Systems Command, and the Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM).

Developing a new capability program was also a priority during Space Force’s first two years. “One of the big discussion points, when we were looking to establish a separate service, was how do you build capability at speed,” explained Gen. Raymond. “How do you get warfighting capabilities in the hands of our operators at tactically relevant timelines?”

“One thing is for certain, if the resilient satellite architecture that Gen. Raymond envisions is to be a reality, the Space Force…is going to need to embrace a network that combines both MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM resources.”

During the past two years, Gen. Raymond learned that the acquisition component of providing warfighting capabilities is just a part of a much bigger process. He explained that in order to effectively and efficiently provide capabilities at speed, the approach must include force design, requirements, acquisition, and testing.

On the force design, requirements, and acquisition fronts, Gen. Raymond expressed that he feels very comfortable with where the Space Force currently stands. He did admit that Space Force’s testing program was not robust – initially – but he happily shared that the service now has a testing program that will fully mature in 2022. “So on the capability development front, I couldn’t be more thrilled with where we are,” said Gen. Raymond.

Gen. Raymond also gave an update on the growth of Space Force’s international partnerships. He shared that he is extremely pleased with how the branch has largely transformed its partnerships from being one-way data sharing to being two-way, operationally-focused data sharing.

He went on to say that Space Force and U.S. allies are now exercising and wargaming together, as well as collaborating to develop tactics, techniques, and procedures that link their operational centers together. Through these partnerships, the service is now in a position to develop new capabilities that will be provided to the warfighter. “I really believe we have an opportunity to bring our international partners and commercial industry more into the fold…going forward,” said Gen. Raymond.

One of the more intriguing updates that Gen. Raymond shared concerned the first budget that the Space Force drafted and submitted on its own. “I think once that budget is released, you’ll see a very bold budget as it relates to space and being able to shift to a more resilient architecture.”

Resiliency a top priority

As for what’s in store for Space Force’s third year of operation, Gen. Raymond believes that, “year three is going to be even more consequential than year two.” One reason why he thinks 2022 will be pivotal is due to the fact that Space Force plans to fully migrate to a resilient space architecture this year.

“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,” said Gen. Raymond. And according to the General, resiliency is the key factor to deterring U.S. adversaries from denying Space Force capabilities and benefits.

“People ask me all the time about deterrence,” said Gen. Raymond. “We very firmly believe that space can amplify those deterrence messages.” He explained that ensuring the resiliency and readiness of U.S. assets in space would make it extremely difficult for an adversary to deny Space Force’s access to its capabilities and advantages.

“But it’s not just about innovation. Integrating COMSATCOM services into an integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM satellite architecture will have the added bonus of baking resiliency into the military’s networks.”

“We will begin our pivot significantly to a resilient architecture this next year,” said Gen. Raymond. “I will tell you, our first priority is a resilient priority. That’s been the majority of our focus for this year.”

One thing is for certain, if the resilient satellite architecture that Gen. Raymond envisions is to be a reality, the Space Force – and broader Department of Defense (DoD) – is going to need to embrace a network that combines both MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM resources.

An integrated architecture is the key to resiliency

It’s understandable why the military is so laser-focused on resiliency for their networks and satellite communications. Satellite has long been a tactical advantage that our military has over our adversaries, and that tactical advantage only grows as satellite – and the technology it enables – becomes increasingly mission-critical at the tip of the spear.

For years, the DoD’s trusted industry partners in the space and satellite sector have been pushing for the military to move away from purchasing, launching, and managing purpose-built military communications satellites. They’ve been, instead, encouraging the military to leverage commercial capacity to meet its communications requirements – and with good reason.

The commercial space and satellite industries are the innovation leaders in that domain. By embracing commercial satellite capacity for its mission-critical communications requirements, the military is gaining access to the innovative and cutting-edge technologies in which the commercial satellite industry has been investing heavily over the past few decades.

“We will begin our pivot significantly to a resilient architecture this next year. I will tell you, our first priority is a resilient priority. That’s been the majority of our focus for this year.” – Gen. Raymond

But it’s not just about innovation. Integrating COMSATCOM services into an integrated MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM satellite architecture will have the added bonus of baking resiliency into the military’s networks.

There are more than 150 commercial satellites orbiting the Earth in MEO and GEO. By utilizing commercial partners to meet communications requirements, the military can both bake redundancy into their satellite networks, and make it more difficult for adversaries to target satellites for jamming and kinetic attacks.

In a recent interview with the Government Satellite Report, Hughes Defense’s Rick Lober emphasized how commercial satellite capabilities can be game-changers for ensuring resilient military communications and mission assurance.

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

Amit Katti, Principal Engineer at SES Space and Defense, echoed Lober’s sentiment in a recent interview about SES Space and Defense’s new Common Operational Picture platform, Hydra. “If an adversary denies a satellite – either disables it with a kinetic attack or jams its signal – having the ability to manage and control the network to send traffic around that satellite – either to other available military satellites or commercial satellites – could be the difference between having comms and not having comms.”

Click the video below to watch the Schriever Spacepower Forum in its entirety.

Featured image: A Falcon 9 rocket carrying a GPS III-5 satellite into orbit launches from LC-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., June 17, 2021. (Photo by: Airman 1st Class Samuel Becker)

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For those unfamiliar with SOFIC, it’s one of the largest and more widely attended conferences for decision makers and senior leaders in the Special Operations community. It gives these military leaders an opportunity to collaborate, share best practices, and interact and engage with industry leaders to learn about new technologies that can increase the capability and effectiveness of America’s special forces.

During the conference, members of SOFIC TV approached Randy and Chris to discuss how SES’s constellations of 56 GEO satellites and 16 MEO satellites can be utilized within the Special Forces community, and to explain some of the different use cases for commercial SATCOM in the military.

During their conversation, they discussed the differences between MEO and GEO satellites, the disparate ways satellite is enabling the warfighter and even delved into a new public/private partnership between SES and the Government of Luxemburg.

Here is a look at what Chris and Randy had to say:

To learn more about the ways that commercial satellite services are being used within the military, click on the following resources:

• GovSat: A new concept in secure communications
• High Throughput on the High Seas
• High Throughput Satellites for U.S. Government Applications

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