Earlier this month at the SATELLITE 2023 conference, artificial intelligence and satellite experts across commercial industry convened during a special panel, “How AI and Space Technologies Combine to Benefit the Critical Mission,” to explore the different applications, benefits and some threats AI can deliver to the U.S. military’s space initiatives.

Space, the military, and AI
One fact that all the panelists agreed on was that artificial intelligence, in general, is a technology meant to extract humans out of routine operational functions. According to SpiderOak & York Space Systems’ Charles Beames, “What it does is it replaces people.”

“Everything we do in space, we do it for the data,” explained Beames. “And a big part of creating data is doing the analytics to make [data] useful. Rather than having thousands of people looking at each piece of data, they can deploy these great algorithms…that can actually be a huge force multiplier.”

Lockheed Martin’s Johnathon Caldwell brought up the point that the relevance of data has a short lifespan, as speed is a dominant factor in the space domain. “With the sensors we have on orbit and with people in the loop, we have a hard time today keeping up with analyzing the data,” explained Caldwell. “The human factor is the limiting factor.”

He explained that as commercial industry and the military build satellite sensors to proliferation, humans on the ground are going to be unable to keep pace with the sheer volume of incoming data. “It’s not data that policymakers and military leaders need, but rather knowledge and information to be able to make decisions,” said Caldwell. “To process the volume of data that’s going to be coming off of the sensors, networks, and systems is going to require us to move into a new era of how we think about looking at that data.”

When reframing how data is regarded, it is critical to remember that data is not always relevant, and that it will not stay relevant forever. While it’s been established that the military and federal government has a problem keeping up with data volumes, they also have a greater issue of sifting through that data – at the speed of conflict – and decide which information is relevant to decision-making.

“We have to clean the table…and get on to the relevant data,” said Caldwell. “It all happens at such an amazing tempo. The speed of space is already high, and the speed of conflict will amp up the timetable in which decisions need to be made. And it’s going to be much quicker than any of us anticipate.”

AI can simplify data complexities
By leveraging AI within their space architectures, the federal government and military can have the ability to analyze information faster and automate some of the more routine – yet extremely complex – processes.

According to SES Space & Defense’s Ram Rao, at the heart of AI are the complexities involved in network systems. “Every system is huge,” said Rao. “For example, SES Space & Defense’s O3b mPOWER satellites are going to be operational by the end of this year, and each of those satellites will have 5,000 beams. With 11 satellites in tow, the O3b mPOWER constellation will, in total, have 55,000 beams. There has to be resource management systems which can really control all those beams and complexities that come with it.”

Rao explained that the amount of incoming and outgoing data that these satellites will be processing cannot be managed by humans alone. Factors like power, bandwidth, and interference management, along with beam switching, hopping, shaping, and formatting, will require more than just traditional conventional algorithms, machine learning to handle vast amount of data as well as deep learning algorithms with neural networks adapting and learning from the data.

“Approaching conventional management methods makes it very difficult to really address the requirements,” explained Rao. “Especially when it comes to the speed of implementing.” He went on to explain that if the military were to execute a mission and needed to switch from one satellite beam to another beam, data computing must occur extremely fast to ensure seamless mission communications.

Especially in times of crisis or conflict, if adversaries were to target U.S. military or government satellites, AI technology could detect attacks before they occur, and switch services over to other satellites in the same orbit, or in a different orbit altogether. By being able to sense and elude an enemy’s jamming, interference or degradation of U.S. space assets, the military would have created a resilient space architecture that is capable of denying any attempts adversaries were to make to interrupt critical missions.

“SES Space & Defense’s specialization is end-to-end connectivity, which includes space, satellites, and ground systems,” said Rao. “If there is a degradation or jamming trend that is occurring on-orbit, AI could alert human operators to the trend and ensure that those kinds of critical issues are addressed. Managing those things and making sure that the satellites and systems are healthy is very important. That can be done, but not just through manual, higher-level monitoring. It has to be at a very low – and very intelligent – level. That is an example of when AI becomes critically important.”

To learn about how artificial intelligence is becoming the key to protecting the U.S. Army’s space assets, click HERE.

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And these advancements do not stop at the air domain. According to Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Dr. John Plumb, China is gearing up and developing a wartime space architecture and is tirelessly working towards having the capability to deny U.S. offensive and defensive actions in orbit.

Dr. Plumb recently sat down with Gen. Kevin P. Chilton (Ret.) during a special Mitchell Institute Schreiver Spacepower Forum, where he discussed China’s pacing threat in the space domain, our nation’s expanding awareness of the threats adversaries pose in space, and how commercial satellite solutions are advancing the military’s mission of deploying a resilient space architecture.

China as a pacing threat
Dr. Plumb made it crystal clear from the start that one of the U.S. Department of Defense’s (DoD) primary concerns is keeping pace with the threat China poses in the space domain. And though this adversarial threat is a top concern for the DoD, Dr. Plumb explained it has actually catalyzed a synergy within the Department which is allowing all agencies to push in the same direction as it pertains to protecting U.S. interests in space.

“Where we are now is that the entire government understands the value of space,” said Dr. Plumb. “And the Department and the [Intelligence Community] are really focused together on the threat, which kind of pulls people along.”

Dr. Plumb also pointed out that adversaries like China and Russia have had years to observe how the U.S. military relies heavily on space as a lever arm. And though this type of adversarial reconnaissance and information gathering is not new, Dr. Plumb says that the adversaries’ aggression and pace of technological advancement are new.

“China has really accelerated their space systems…And it’s a wartime architecture…We have to be able to detect and attribute hostile acts in space.” -Dr. John Plumb

“They’ve been working hard on it,” said Dr. Plumb. “We know [China and Russia] have direct-ascent ASAT missiles…and continue to find different ways to try to come after our systems. We have to be ready to defend against that. And I think we’re making some good strides there.”

He explained that to counteract the advances China and Russia are making in the space domain, the DoD must focus on the mission assurance of U.S. space systems. “The warfighter absolutely needs our space systems to be able to fight,” said Dr. Plumb. “So how do we assure those systems? We have two main lines of effort. One is resilience…And the second part is we have to be able to defend our systems against these counter-space threats.”

He then stated that China is currently developing a “wartime architecture.” “And they’re doing it in a much different way,” said Dr. Plumb.

Decades ago when the U.S. began construction on its space architecture, space was primarily viewed as a benign, neutral domain. According to Dr. Plumb, that is no longer the case in today’s environment.

“China has really accelerated their space systems with a massive number of satellites going up every year,” explained Dr. Plumb. “And it’s a wartime architecture…So when we talk about how we’re going to defend U.S. national security interests against both space and counter-space threats… we have to be able to detect and attribute hostile acts in space…You have to know what’s happening in your domain.”

Harnessing industry to produce resiliency
Dr. Plumb told a brief story about how 10 years ago the DoD briefed then-Vice President Biden on how the Department was working towards achieving a resilient architecture. Fast forward a decade later, when the DoD tells now-President Biden that they are working to create a resilient architecture, the President replies that he was told that 10 years ago and that the government “needs to get going.”

One viable solution to advance the mission of deploying a resilient space architecture, according to Dr. Plumb, is the commercial industry. “The explosion of available commercial services for space clearly increases resilience for some mission sets,” explained Dr. Plumb. “SATCOM is a perfect example. There’s a tremendous amount of SATCOM bandwidth available. We can buy that kind of bandwidth…Our resilience plan should include the ability to access different commercially available pieces when needed.”

What Dr. Plumb says is true. The latest next-generation SATCOM technologies emerging out of the commercial satellite industry have proven they can fulfill the DoD’s mission set of achieving resiliency in space. However, if COMSATCOM and MILSATCOM solutions are going to be leveraged in tandem as part of a joint satellite architecture, the military needs a way to see its entire network on a single pane of glass. It also needs the ability to easily and seamlessly move communications and workloads across a multi-band and multi-orbit satellite ecosystem.

“The ICT Portal will be a window that will enable visibility into the network’s capabilities, how it is built, and how it is operating. This will deliver complete resiliency to military networks, and support the DoD’s JADC2 initiative.” -Ram Rao, SES Space & Defense

Solutions like the SES Space & Defense (SESSD) ICT Portal, a recently-released capability that can enable military users to see their entire network – including both space and ground assets – on a single pane of glass, have demonstrated they can support the DoD’s mission of staying ahead of the adversary advances, while also denying their capabilities in the domain. And recent testing with satellite antenna and terminal providers have illustrated the ability to roam seamlessly across a multi-band, multi-orbit satellite architecture.

According to SESSD’s Director of Business Development Engineering, Ram Rao, “The ICT Portal will be a window that will enable visibility into the network’s capabilities, how it is built, and how it is operating,” said Rao. “This will deliver complete resiliency to military networks, and support the DoD’s JADC2 initiative.”

To watch Dr. John Plumb’s interview in full, click the video below:

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The name change, effective immediately, comes after SES Government Solutions merged with the recently acquired DRS Global Enterprise Solutions (DRS GES). According to the company, the SES Space & Defense name reflects the organization’s new positioning and expanded offering serving the needs of the U.S. government and military customers.

Over the past four months, SES Space & Defense saw the appointment of its new leadership team, as well as the integration of capabilities that reflect the newly combined organization and differentiated value proposition. The company is focused on building, managing, and supporting the most advanced satellite network solutions for the U.S. government and Department of Defense (DoD). SES Space & Defense has been restructured to serve its customers across two integral markets – space and defense – by creating two business units, Space Initiatives and Defense Networks, to provide best-in-class satellite network solutions.

The Space Initiatives unit targets fleet-centric projects leveraging SES’s global multi-orbit satellite fleet, infrastructure, and assets. The Defense Networks unit is centered on multi-operator managed services and end-to-end mission-critical communications.

“This is a major milestone for us, and more importantly for our U.S. DoD customers,” said SES Space & Defense President and CEO David Fields. “In August we consolidated two best-in-class organizations focused on the U.S. government satellite communications needs, and we remain fully committed to providing innovative world-class space solutions to our most tactical customers. With SES Space & Defense as our new name, we would like our strategic vision and focus to come through brightly.”

SES Space & Defense’s ICT Portal
In addition to the company’s name change, SES Space & Defense has also announced their new Common Operational Picture (COP) capability, the Information & Communications Technology (ICT) Portal.

The ICT Portal is a modular web-based NetOps capability providing end-to-end situational awareness in a consumable single-pane-of-glass user interface. The ICT Portal uses the same holistic and vendor agnostic approach as the SES Space & Defense ICT Ecosystem – providing customers with a comprehensive and flexible monitoring and reporting solution. Accessible anywhere in the world, the technology agnostic capability is customizable based on mission and customer operational requirements.

The consolidated network visibility provides the transparency necessary to rapidly identify and diagnose issues across complex networks, including terrestrial and space assets, so networks and applications can be fully optimized to increase performance. In addition, the ICT Portal allows all SATCOM assets to be viewed as one comprehensive satellite and network architecture, providing customers with access to innovative solutions and making a more resilient satellite architecture a reality.

The ICT Portal is secure by design and incorporates the latest security and data processing technologies, ensuring mission assurance for government and military users.

“Today’s military and government users are more network-enabled than ever before, and our ICT Portal supports this through increased visibility and control over their network,” said SES Space & Defense President and CEO David Fields. “The ICT Portal will be showcased at the SIA DoD COMSATCOM Workshop, enabling our most tactical customers to see how performance, network transparency and assurance, makes it a critical capability for successful missions.”

To learn more about how solutions like the ICT Portal can transform how the military monitors network performance, click HERE.

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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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As the Chief Operations Officer, Lt Gen Saltzman has overall responsibility for operations, intelligence, sustainment, cyber, and nuclear operations of the U.S. Space Force. Prior to his current role, he most recently served as the Deputy Commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Central Command, and Deputy Combined Force Air Component Commander of U.S. Central Command, Southwest Asia.

During the event, Lt Gen Saltzman reflected on the Space Force’s second year accomplishments, examined how the U.S. should address current adversarial efforts in the space domain, and discussed why the U.S. government must begin leveraging commercial satellite architectures and capabilities for its military missions.

Two years of accomplishments

On December 20, 2021, the U.S. Space Force celebrated its second birthday, and to begin the forum, Lt Gen Saltzman opened with an enthusiastic discussion about the major accomplishments Space Force made in its two years of operations.

He prefaced the discussion by setting the stage and reminding the audience that 2021 witnessed a lot of adversarial activity in the space domain. He explained that U.S. adversaries took worryingly bold actions in space this past year, specifically referring to Russia’s testing of anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles and China’s hypersonic missile test. “These are dynamic times in the space security environment, so we need the Space Force to be going fast,” said Saltzman.

And, indeed, 2021 was a fast-growing year for Space Force, beginning with its intelligence directorate’s induction as the 18^th member of the intelligence community (IC).

“Leah Lauderback is the head of our intelligence community apparatus here and she’s just doing a fantastic job,” said Lt Gen Saltzman. “And the level of support that I’m able to give to the Pentagon based on that foundational intelligence that’s focused on space threats has just been remarkable.”

Lt Gen Saltzman also highlighted that in 2021 the Secretary of the U.S. Air Force signed an organizational change request, establishing the first service components of the Space Force’s combatant commands in Europe, the Pacific, the Middle East, and South Korea.

Last year, Space Force also laid down the groundwork for nearly 700 interservice transfers, which Saltzman said is much more challenging than one would assume. “While you think they just raise their hand, swear the oath to the Space Force, and change uniforms, as you all know it’s a little more complicated than that.” Lt Gen Saltzman explained that ensuring seamless interservice transitions that don’t create any adverse effects on new Guardians has been a lot of work, which he is extremely proud of.

This growth and the major accomplishments couldn’t come at a better time, as America’s adversaries become increasingly active and bold in space.

Deterring the adversary

During the discussion, Lt Gen Saltzman highlighted some of the recent adversarial efforts that occurred in the space domain in 2021, specifically Russia’s successful ASAT missile test and the implications the test has on the country’s space posture.

Lt Gen Saltzman declared that the ASAT test was an extremely “irresponsible” and “hazardous” act, and that the space debris that resulted from Russia destroying its defunct, Soviet-era satellite will pose kinetic threats for years to come.

“We are now spending a tremendous amount of our time, energy, and capacity to characterize the nature of that debris field,” explained Lt Gen Saltzman. “Because at a minimum, we know that it poses a hazard to the astronauts on the ISS. And it’s one of our basic responsibilities to make sure that we characterize all of the objects that are on orbit, to protect not just humankind up there on the ISS, but all of these very expensive, exquisite satellites that we spend blood, sweat, tears, energy, and national treasure to put into orbit and perform some remarkable services for us.”

In order to establish stability and a framework of accountability in the domain, Lt Gen Saltzman referred to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s tenants on responsible behavior in space as one of the gold standards that should be followed in order to deter this type of dangerous behavior.

“If it’s the Wild Wild West out there in space, then it’s hard to hold people responsible for any kind of behavior, because you haven’t really defined what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable,” explained Saltzman. “I don’t think we should underestimate how important setting the framework for what responsible behavior in space looks like.”

Lt Gen Saltzman explained that another component of deterrence would be ensuring that the U.S. has the capability and the capacity from the ground – and space – to rapidly characterize new space debris fields.

“Although this one was an ASAT test, there are other times when two objects just run into each other and create debris field,” explained Lt Gen Saltzman. “Debris generating events can occur by accident as much as it can occur deliberately. And we have to have that capacity to rapidly characterize, figure out where those orbits are, and then start doing projections about potential hazards those new objects that are created on orbit could cause to manned spaceflight, as well as other capabilities.”

Leveraging commercial space

When it pertains to the capabilities that the U.S. Space Force will need in the future, Lt Gen Saltzman explained that satellite architecture currently in space is not prepared and readied for combat capability and capacity.

“The architecture that we have was largely designed for a benign environment,” said Lt Gen Saltzman. “And we just didn’t talk about combat attributes or combat attrition. We didn’t talk about the kinds of adversarial behavior that we would have to account for with the Force design.”

Lt Gen Saltzman explained that the original goal of the U.S.’ current space and satellite architecture was originally focused on “getting the most out of the capabilities as possible,” not on being able to support a warfighting architecture.

According to Lt Gen Saltzman, in order to get the warfighting capabilities necessary to protect U.S. assets from space, there must be a shift in how the U.S. military acquires the required capabilities and functions. And one solution that he believes could help remedy this problem is the commercial space industry.

Lt Gen Saltzman explained that there is currently a commercial space boom happening around the world, and that the U.S. government needs to take more advantage of the services and capabilities industry can provide to the 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.”

Lt Gen Saltzman explained that when it comes to the grand design of the Space Force, it’s not just what the branch builds, but also what the branch buys to ensure it has the necessary resources at the right time and space. And Lt Gen Saltzman did admit that it may take time to flesh out all these aspects of the Force’s design.

“Some of these things take a while to get on orbit and put in place,” said Lt Gen Saltzman. “But, you know, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That’s the path of the journey we’re on.”

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

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On Wednesday, September 8, SATELLITE held “The Future of Global Satellite Connectivity” general session, where SATELLITE 2021 Chair, Jeffrey Hill, moderated a panel discussion that included:

• Steve Collar, CEO of SES
• Jonathan Hofeller, Vice President of Starlink Commercial Sales
• Brian Barritt, Leader at Connectivity @ Facebook
• Kevin Steen, CEO of ST Engineering iDirect

Global connectivity is an increasingly important topic for government and military organizations today. As digital transformation initiatives and network-enabled platforms and systems continue to make their way into government organizations, the need for connectivity at the edge becomes more mission-critical. Afterall, government employees in the field and military personnel at the tactical edge can only access network-enabled and software-enabled systems if they have connectivity.

But it’s not just about connecting government employees and military personnel.

As government becomes increasingly online and digital, constituents also need connectivity if they’re going to be able to effectively and efficiently access government information, and citizen services. And organizations like schools, hospitals, and other government organizations will only suffer from an increasing digital divide if they can’t access next-generation digital tools and services.

But, in 2021, is connectivity really an issue? Unfortunately, the panel’s answer was overwhelmingly, “yes.”

“There’s still over 3.5 billion people on earth that lack internet access,” said Barritt. “And the problem of connecting the unconnected is one that’s highly related to population density around the world.”

That population density problem that Barritt referenced is simply one of economics for terrestrial network providers. It simply doesn’t make financial sense for terrestrial network providers to invest in extending their networks to places like rural America, geographically-isolated locations, and areas with small populations because they may never see a return on that advancement.

But that’s one area where satellite can be a solution.

According to Barritt, for population dense areas that have the best economic development, fiber will take the lead in building out connectivity. But he also pointed out that terrestrial networks alone will not enable ubiquitous connectivity on a global level. Satellites will inevitably be the bridge that ushers in connectivity to every part of the world.

“You can’t solve the problem, especially in rural areas, without satellite connectivity,” said Barritt. “It’s an absolutely vital piece of the connected ecosystem.”

And that’s a problem that the panelists representing commercial satellite providers were more than eager to tackle.

When asked to explain the mission of SES, Collar answered that the company’s purpose – as well as his personal purpose – is to do the extraordinary in space to deliver experiences on the ground. Collar explained that the “extraordinary” aspect speaks to how hard it is to conquer the incredibly difficult space environment that SES satellites are launched into, while delivery pertains to the broadcast and network side of the satellite connectivity business.

When the extraordinary meets delivery, combined with satellite capability that extends reach and connectivity to the edge, Collar said that it is possible to deliver the most “amazing experiences ever on Earth.”

Steen expressed that there is a sense of fulfillment that comes with providing connectivity to schools, disaster relief teams, and government defenses around the world. According to Steen, this sense of fulfillment completely aligns with ST Engineering iDirect’s overall purpose, which is “supporting customers who reach those end users and support the enterprises.”

This sentiment was echoed by Collar, who referred to satellite as, “…a sort of a terrestrial alternative in the parts of the world where…terrestrial doesn’t exist yet.”

And while satellite has the potential to deliver the connectivity necessary to bring digital services to governments – and their constituents –in even the most remote or isolated of geographies, there is still one major problem; who pays for it?

Hill closed the session by asking the panelists about their views on whether satellite technology should be subsidized, as well as what steps they would like to see from the federal government.

According to Collar, there is an expressed interest in subsidizing satellite technology from governments around the world. He explained that, for the most part, government investments in space would fall into one of three buckets: rural inclusion, the strategic importance of space for defense, and the space economy.

Regardless of who pays for the delivery of connectivity via satellite, there’s no argument that the need for ubiquitous connectivity is already immense, and only growing.

“One thing that doesn’t really get questioned is whether the need for broadband and the need for connectivity is going to continue to grow,” Collar explained. “…is it going to continue to grow extremely quickly? I think the answer to that is yes.”

With digital transformation among the largest trend across all levels of government, it’s rather obvious to see why that need for broadband is increasing. If governments are going to continue to embrace digital solutions and network-enabled systems in their operations, connectivity becomes absolutely mission-critical. And as IT services and tools continue to reshape healthcare, education, and other essential services, a lack of connectivity will only create a dangerous digital divide.

This panel discussion made it abundantly clear that satellite can offer a solution, but governments may need to be willing to invest to make that a reality.

The post Satellite executives discuss the future of global connectivity at SATELLITE 2021 appeared first on SES Space and Defense.

As if a hurricane season so active that – in about a month and a half – we’ve exhausted the list of 21 names the NHC put aside for the entire year wasn’t enough, this has also been an incredibly active year for an increasingly prevalent natural disaster – wildfires.

The year started with 46 million acres burning in Sydney, Australia. Those deadly bushfires destroyed more than 5,900 buildings and killed at least 34 people. It was a horrific tragedy that caused incredible damage to not just Australia’s people, but to many incredibly important natural habitats.  Those brushfires reportedly killed or displaced upwards of three billion animals, leading the World Wide Fund for Nature to call it, “…one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history.”

Now, we’re seeing a similar situation play out in America’s west coast. There are currently 59 uncontained fires burning across the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) in reporting by CNN, these fires have, “…burned more than 5.8 million acres,” and have killed, “….at least 34 people.”

As with all hurricanes and wildfires in the past, eventually, the storm passes and the fire is contained. In those moments, the best of humanity is on display as people band together to help rebuild and recover from these costly and terrible disasters.

Unfortunately, they’re often forced to do so without a vital resource – communications.

Destroying infrastructure as well as buildings
When people see aftermath photos of a natural disaster they’re often thinking about the damage to things like homes, office buildings, and small businesses. And while they may also see a washed-out road or a fallen bridge, transportation infrastructure isn’t the only one that is damaged and destroyed.

Natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires also often compromise important electrical infrastructure and critical communications infrastructure. As Cale Teeter Gregg recently wrote on The Last Mile:

Many people don’t realize that the critical communications infrastructure that transmits the signals that keep their cell phones and other devices connected are often destroyed in natural disaster situations. The electronics at the base of these towers are often compromised in flooding. Wildfires will burn through the cables that connect them to terrestrial networks. Hurricanes will blow down cabling and damage electronics making them inoperable. Even lightning strikes can impact a cell tower and knock out service.

When these systems are knocked out and denied, the emergency response crews and impacted civilians in the affected area are left without the ability to communicate. This can make calling for help or assistance difficult to impossible. This can make coordination of relief and recovery efforts difficult. This can also have a major emotional toll as families are left unable to tell loved ones they’re okay, or to check in to ensure that they’re safe and secure.

And this is where satellites can help.

Quickly deployed, high bandwidth connectivity
In the wake of large natural disasters, such as highly damaging hurricanes and wildfires, it can take months to restore basic services. For example, following Hurricane Maria, it was estimated to take up to nine months to get power restored to 100 percent of the people serviced by the public utility company, PREPA.

During this time – while critical infrastructure is being repaired – there are still recovery teams and civilians that require access to stable communication networks. And satellite can help to deliver them.

Portable satellite terminals that deploy quickly can be brought into affected areas to help take the place of – or complement – damaged terrestrial networks. Since the connectivity comes from space and the hardware is mobile and deployed following the crisis or natural disaster, satellite is always available – regardless of what damage was done to terrestrial networks and infrastructure.

And, thanks in large part to the new generation of high throughput satellites (HTS) and the emergence of HTS satellites at Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), the connectivity that is delivered via satellite is both high bandwidth and dependable.

HTS delivers drastically increased throughputs, better link optimization, and performance. HTS also combines frequency reuse with blanket juxtaposition of high-power spot beams over a geographic area. This allows the user to transmit and receive more data than a standard wide beam. HTS satellites at MEO combine this increased throughput and dependability with lower latency – effectively delivering a fiber-like connection from space.

The recovery teams and civilians in areas impacted by natural disasters need critical connectivity tools for collaboration, coordination, and communication among themselves and their loved ones. While the terrestrial infrastructure that traditionally delivers this connectivity may be disrupted, satellites can fill that requirement without any loss of quality or capability.

Natural disasters are terrible tragedies, but they also bring out the best in people. Those that rush in to help following disasters should be given the tools they need to do their jobs effectively and ensure their own safety. Today’s next generation of HTS satellites can give them the tools they need to help communities recover while keeping themselves safe and connected.

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The military has long relied on satellite communications to deliver connectivity and communications to the tactical edge. However, the large size of the terrestrial infrastructure needed to deliver satellite connectivity – including antennas and terminals – has restricted the use cases for satellite.

The Air Force and Army’s evaluation of next-generation high-throughput satellites and revolutionary advancements in optical beamforming antennas could change that – making low-latency, high-bandwidth satellite communications accessible with a significantly smaller footprint.

Working hand-in-hand with SES Government Solutions (SES Space and Defense) and Isotropic Systems, the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Army Research Engineering Team will evaluate Isotropic Systems’ multi-beam terminal over SES’s O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation and its ability to deliver next-gen connectivity across the battlefield.

The U.S. Air Force and Army, through the innovative Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet (DEUCSI) program, will review a prototype of Isotropic Systems’ optical beamforming antenna and its ability to connect simultaneously with two satellite constellations at GEO and MEO.

The unique multi-beam capability will enable the armed forces to deliver data at the tactical edge by leveraging capacity from multiple commercial satellites and a military satellite over a single antenna platform.

“The Isotropic antenna will deliver high throughput, at low latency over a MEO constellation with simultaneous resilient GEO capacity,” said Pete Hoene, President and CEO of SES Space and Defense. “This will be a game-changer for the U.S. Army.”

The first phase over-the-air (OTA) is scheduled to be completed by early fall, followed by phase two in early 2021 where the Isotropic Systems optical lens technology will be utilized to demonstrate a two full performance beam connection. One beam will link with an SES geostationary (GEO) satellite, while another full performance optical beam will establish a simultaneous connection with SES’s O3b MEO satellite constellation.

“Isotropic Systems’ collaborative tests with SES Space and Defense in support of the U.S. military is an important milestone on our roadmap leading to a multi-beam, multi-frequency terminal that allows the government and armed forces to utilize every bit of capacity in the sky,” said Scott Sprague, Chief Commercial Officer of Isotropic Systems. “That is the ultimate goal for the defense market, which is currently grappling with disparate networks to deliver connectivity to the battlespace.”

It is the first customer contract between Isotropic Systems and SES Space and Defense and follows on from the significant developmental partnership currently ongoing between the two companies to produce scalable, cost-effective terminals capable of providing government, military, and commercial access to commercial satellite connectivity from MEO and GEO.

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A lot has happened since then.

First, there was the creation of an entirely new branch of the military dedicated to the space domain – the United States Space Force. That organization was tasked with recruiting and training a new generate of warfighter capable of defending the nation’s interests in space. It was also tasked with the acquisition of space systems and resources for the rest of the DoD – shifting the authority to assess and acquire commercial satellite and other services from DISA to the new Space Force.

Following the creation of the Space Force, its inaugural Chief of Space Operations, General John W. “Jay” Raymond, issued the, “United States Space Force Vision for Satellite Communications.” This white paper laid out a strategic vision and roadmap to a future SATCOM architecture that is, “…ubiquitous, resilient and dynamically responsive to the immediate needs of U.S. and allied forces.” In a press release accompanying the white paper, the Space Force claimed it would, “…continue engaging commercial partners to evaluate opportunities that may complement or possibly replace portions of a traditional military SATCOM purpose-built system.”

All of these advancements and revelations over the course of the past two years all point to one thing – the creation of an integrated SATCOM enterprise and architecture that utilizes MILSATCOM resources and commercial SATCOM services, together, to meet the military’s bandwidth and communications requirements. So, how close are we to that reality, and what’s standing in the way?

Breaking down the siloes
Unlike with MILSATCOM, the COMSATCOM services that would be integrated into this satellite architecture are offered from a number of disparate satellite operators. And those individual satellite providers represent a collection of siloes that aren’t always compatible. They each have their own constellations, satellites and technologies, and there is currently no way for the military to get a common operating picture. Worse, there’s currently no simple and easy way to roll from one satellite network to another on existing terrestrial hardware.

When we think about the reason driving the military to incorporate COMSATCOM into their integrated satellite architecture, it becomes increasingly apparent why this is a problem. The military needs the capability to rapidly restore the satellite communications that provide a tactical and operational edge if it is ever denied or disrupted. Should an adversary – knowing full well the capabilities that satellites deliver to our military – take steps to deny access to a MILSATCOM satellite, like a satellite in the WGS constellation, the DoD wants to be able to fill that void with a commercial satellite service. But there’s currently no simple way to do so.

If a WGS satellite were jammed right now, there is no immediate way to fill that communications gap with a commercial service without switching terrestrial hardware. With most commercial satellites operating on different frequencies than WGS, with the notable exception of GovSat-1, hardware compatibility between COMSATCOM and MILSATCOM often proves to be an obstacle in the way of interoperability. Beyond terminals and antennas lays the second obstacle of resource management. The lack of a common operating picture would make it difficult for the military to orchestrate services between available commercial and military satellites.

If an integrated satellite architecture that combines MILSATCOM and COMSATCOM is going to be a reality in the DoD, which is what the military has publicly advocated for, then these problems need to be addressed. And that’s why the FMI (flexible modem interface) and EM&C (enterprise management & control) concepts were created.

Small steps towards big change
What may seem like one big challenge – seamless movement or roaming from one satellite constellation to another – is actually multiple, smaller problems. As discussed, there is the situational awareness issue, as well as a terrestrial hardware and terminal issue which both need to be addressed. And, in typical DoD fashion, they need to be addressed methodically, deliberately and conservatively. After all, it’s the lives of warfighters that are in the line.

In an attempt to prove that these siloes can be broken and that the military can get the interoperability and common operating picture that they need to lean fully into an integrated satellite architecture, they’re working with industry partners to conduct pilot programs. These pilot programs seek to isolate the individual challenges and assess the potential collaborative approaches to overcoming them.

One of these concepts or pilot programs involves the FMI. This pilot program seeks to overcome the terrestrial hardware challenge that currently hinders seamless roaming from one satellite system to another. The pilot program seeks to demonstrate the ability to reprogram terminals and reposition antennas on command from the government network operations system to enable the seamless transition from connecting to one satellite system to another.

Three different companies were awarded contracts to demonstrate FMI capabilities. These companies – including Rt Logic, Hughes, and Knight Sky – partnered with satellite operators to build capabilities, hold workshops and conduct demonstrations of the technology in action. All three were successful in enabling roaming between networks. The demonstrations ultimately illustrated that a terminal or network can be reconfigured in response to interference, congestion, or changing mission needs in a matter of minutes as opposed to weeks or months, as is currently the case.

The other pilot program involved EM&C prototypes designed to deliver situational awareness and some command capability to the military. This concept creates standard interfaces between all components of the commercial systems, giving military users the ability to develop a common operating picture for an integrated satellite architecture, and perform some basic management and orchestration of satellites.

Companies participating in the EM&C pilot were tasked with enabling the following capabilities that would empower the military to roam between satellite networks:

• Planning Capability
• Brokering Capability
• Orchestration Capability
• Pool Management Capability
• Situational Awareness Management
• Security Management
• Integrated Data Management Environment

Together, these capabilities will enable the military to register terminals, broker bandwidth and capacity on commercial satellites, interface with commercial operators to configure service, track pool usage and manage both situational awareness and network security. This would effectively enable military operators to identify, acquire and configure the COMSATCOM services that meet their requirements should they have to roam from MILSATCOM resources to COMSATCOM services. This pilot is ongoing.

So, where are we today? We’re closer. Through the wideband AoA and the Space Force’s strategic vision, the military has confirmed that an integrated satellite architecture that utilizes both MILSATCOM resources and COMSATCOM services is the future. These pilots are important first steps in eliminating the large barriers to making that integrated architecture a reality. But we’re still a few years away.

To make this integrated architecture happen, there needs to be a sense of urgency, a focus and a drive within the military that we have yet to see, but is emerging. More funding is needed. More attention and support from senior-level military leaders is necessary. The timing for all of this to come together couldn’t be better. Once it does, the integrated satellite architecture and all the benefits it will deliver to the warfighter won’t be far behind.

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In the second half of our conversation with Scott, we transitioned the discussion towards the military – in particular. We asked Scott about the specific use cases and applications for this new technology across multiple domains – including land, air, and sea. We also spoke about the ways in which this new satellite terminal antenna technology will synergize with the upcoming O3b mPOWER satellite service being introduced by SES.

Here is what he had to say:

Government Satellite Report (GSR): What capabilities and use cases could this new antenna have for military land operations? Could this be an important tool for enabling comms on the move?

Scott Sprague: The Isotropic Systems terminal will enable a whole new age of comms on the move. The antenna is conformal to the top of a roaming land vehicle and even the backpack of a soldier in the battlespace.

Leveraging the terminal’s optical beam forming feature aboard a military vehicle, for example, defense operations can access and maintain reliable high-throughput connectivity on the go by seamlessly and automatically switching between satellites in GEO, LEO and MEO across a dedicated or shared government network in the field.

GSR: How about the air domain? How could these antennas be used for UAVs and other military aircraft? Why is it a good solution for these use cases?

Scott Sprague: The Isotropic Systems terminal is modular and can conform to the fuselage of a manned or unmanned military aircraft, this conformability coupled with complete flexibility on the transmit and receive configuration will enable operators to leverage unprecedented high-throughput capacity aboard a UAV for real-time, high-definition ISR data from the sky.

That’s an absolute game-changer for intelligence gathering in extremely adversarial environments.

Isotropic Systems is licensing our optical beamforming antenna technologies to aerospace and defense integrators for both commercial and government aircraft. The goal is to leverage the vast aerospace market expertise these integrators possess to accelerate custom designs, certifications, and deployments of next-generation terminals aboard commercial, business, and government aircraft across the globe.

GSR: How about the sea domain and ships at sea? Why would this terminal solution be ideal for this domain?

Scott Sprague: As the U.S. Navy expands the size and communications capabilities of its global fleet, it needs smarter, more powerful infrastructure to enable the U.S. defense system’s insatiable demand for high-speed, reliable, and secure bandwidth. Just like with land and air applications, the Navy and other mission-critical operations ideally want and need to have access to as much capacity as they can get aboard their seafaring vessels.

Isotropic Systems is currently putting its terminals through an extensive series of environmental and interference tests with the DIU. They are measuring the impact of harsh elements, such as intense winds, saltwater, and electromagnetic interference (EMI) in preparation for installations aboard some of the most advanced Navy ships on earth.

The conformal nature of the optical lens modules provides a powerful terminal in a limited real estate environment aboard Navy ships. That antenna design delivers seamless make-before-break switching between satellites in multiple orbits and continuous connectivity during turbulent pitch-and-roll conditions facing vessels traversing rough seas.

This milestone collaboration between Isotropic Systems and the DIU will ultimately lead to ultra-high-speed data delivery and real-time national security advantages that come with integrated government networks. We will enable the Navy and other government forces and agencies to arbitrage all the capacity they need from across LEO, MEO, and GEO orbits over a single multi-beam terminal. That’s transformational.

GSR: O3b mPOWER is a potentially revolutionary step forward in the satellite industry. What advanced capabilities and applications could you see O3b mPOWER and the new Isotropic Systems terminals delivering for government agencies and military organizations in the future?

Scott Sprague: O3b mPOWER is revolutionary with its unparalleled customized high-throughput capacity that enables users to tailor connectivity to their specific markets and customers. Isotropic Systems, working closely with SES, is providing the very ground infrastructure SES needs to light up new market opportunities for that tailored scalability and flexibility of the O3b mPOWER network and its unique multi-orbit MEO-GEO constellations.

We are fast approaching milestone terminal tests with SES in September that are part of our collaborative partnership to unlock access to the groundbreaking O3b mPOWER system across a wide range of markets – including government, aero, and defense.

And we’re nearing commercialization – as our developmental alliance culminates in a series of comprehensive engineering evaluations of our multi-beam antenna components prior to the commercial launch of our terminals and O3b mPOWER late next year.

By working closely with the SES Space and Defense team Isotropic Systems will be able to develop terminal solutions uniquely tailored to fit each mission.  Given the incredible flexibility that the O3B mPOWER network will bring to the government customers there needs to be ground infrastructure that is capable of supporting a multi-tiered communications network on the battlefield.

Whether it is a Forward Operating Base, a military vehicle, a navy vessel, or a solider on the move, the Isotropic Systems terminals will be able to access the full capabilities of the SES constellation.

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