Sponsored By Viasat
www.viasat.com/gov-uk
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20 Sep 21. Viasat Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT), a global communications company, today announced it received two awards from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) through the Information Warfare Research Project (IWRP) to conduct research that will examine the use and implementation of 5G networks on the battlespace. These awards are part of the DoD $600M 5G research initiative announced last year, to explore how 5G technology can strengthen warfighting capabilities.
Viasat is working with the DoD to solve complex communications problems across multiple network domains—from satellite to cellular to government specific networking waveforms. Specific to these contracts, Viasat will tap into its 5G wireless, networking and cybersecurity expertise and help the DoD understand how it can best utilize 5G technology to enable multi-domain operations in future joint warfighting programs, including Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) capabilities.
The awards focus on two areas:
– Improving Command and Control (C2) applications and services: Viasat will provide C2 hardware packages that support Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), networking and cybersecurity software, and integrate those capabilities into tactical networks using 5G to improve visibility across the battlespace. Viasat will also explore how 5G connectivity can support bandwidth-intensive applications (e.g. ISR mapping), be leveraged to share real-time situational awareness information and be used to provide resilient cloud access to the battlefield.
– 5G enhanced network deployment for Agile Combat Employment (ACE) operations in contested environments: Viasat will look at rapid configuration and deployment of secure 5G nodes at the tactical edge that could be required when operating in unknown battlezones. Viasat’s research will focus on understanding of configurations and capabilities for enterprise orchestration and management (how to route network data); tactical network dimensioning and planning (how to optimize network/RF planning tools); and Low Probability of Intercept/Low Probability of Detection (LPI/LPD) capabilities (how to prevent adversaries from finding the network).
“With 5G networks spreading globally and adversaries investing heavily in this capability, it is critical for the U.S. and its allies to understand and explore the potential of 5G technology in supporting warfighting operations,” said Craig Miller, president, Viasat Government Systems. “The rapid transport of information and data across domains is critical to advancing multi-domain operations and enabling joint force operations. Enhanced 5G bandwidth and connectivity for bases and mobile platforms at the tactical edge can offer commanders greater visibility to enhance C2 operations and increase situational awareness for the warfighter.”
For these research experiments, which will be conducted over three years, Viasat aims to use its Expeditionary Lightweight Integrated Tactical Edge (ELITE) Kit solution with a 5G gateway to support the C2 application experiments, as well as its System Integration Lab (SIL) to establish an emulation environment for network dimensioning, planning and radio access network modeling. Additionally, Viasat’s NetAgility™ product will offer the DoD multi-path transport and network management support. Viasat will also create a 5G digital twin model to test rapid network configuration and modification, and utilize 5G millimeter wave and Free Space Optics links to deliver high bandwidth needs.
23 Sep 21. Hughes and SES Demonstrate First Multi-Orbit SATCOM for Remotely Piloted Aircraft. Hughes Network Systems, LLC and SES have announced the successful first demonstration of a new multi-orbit satellite communications (SATCOM) capability for remotely piloted aircraft. Conducted for General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the demonstration paired Hughes HM series software-defined modems and Resource Management System (RMS) with SES’s satellites that operate in geosynchronous (GEO) and medium earth (MEO) orbits.
SES’s unique multi-orbit fleet, which delivers global coverage, high throughput and security, was leveraged to show how unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the GA-ASI MQ-9 series, can maintain crucial connectivity and resiliency, even in contested environments.
The demonstration replicated a typical unmanned Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) mission, transmitting high-definition video and sensor data to and from the unmanned vehicle to the command center. Based on the mission’s pre-set policies, the RMS automatically switched the satellite signals to stay connected – even when a signal experienced interference and jamming scenarios. A quasi-instant and smooth beam switch took just seconds to complete, allowing a near real-time capability that enhances the military’s Primary Alternative Contingency Emergency (PACE) planning.
“Our multi-orbit demonstration for remotely piloted aircraft delivered three times the throughput of the currently deployed SATCOM service using a terminal less than half the size, while maintaining constant connectivity,” said Rick Lober, vice president and general manager, Hughes Defense. “This highly resilient, significantly reduced SWAP option for primary and secondary aero connections unlocks new beyond-line of sight mission opportunities for unmanned aerial vehicles like the GA-ASI MQ-9. It’s another example of how Hughes empowers our military to exchange information securely with the right people at the right time.”
“SES’s second-generation MEO system, O3b mPOWER brings a new age of game changing performance, scalability, and resilience that will enable us to deliver the network sovereignty that governments are looking for,” said Will Tong, Vice President of Strategic Government Initiatives and Head of the Aero ISR market at SES Networks. “The demonstration we did with Hughes showcases the power of the industry’s first multi-orbit networked capability to exponentially increase performance utilizing small terminals, while giving end-users the autonomy to provision networks to meet their operational ISR needs. It also comes at a perfect time as we are preparing to launch O3b mPOWER as the showcased solution ensures both high-performance and multiple layers of network resiliency and security for multi-domain operations that involve moving platforms in remote, austere locations.”
The demonstration was powered by software-defined gateways and modems from the Hughes HM System, a commercially based, frequency-agnostic, open architecture platform for fixed, mobile and portable government applications. (Source: UAS VISION)
23 Sep 21. Astranis Moves Launch of First Commercial Satellite to Falcon Heavy. Satellite will launch directly to geostationary orbit, meaning broadband internet service will come online months faster for underserved areas of Alaska. Astranis announced today that its first commercial communications satellite, set to provide service for Alaska from geostationary orbit, will now launch as a secondary payload on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on a direct-inject mission set for Spring 2022. The mission profile will allow the spacecraft to arrive at its orbital slot within days of launch and removes the need for a multiple-month orbit raise from a highly-elliptical geostationary transfer orbit (GTO).
Astranis CEO John Gedmark said, “Launching on Falcon Heavy will get us on-orbit months faster, allowing us to serve customers in Alaska that much sooner. This is a huge win for our customers in Alaska.”
The change of launch vehicle from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 follows the successful launch of a subscale demonstration satellite to orbit, the successful completion of thermal-vacuum testing of a qualification vehicle, and the successful completion of their Critical Design Review. Astranis recently announced that the satellite is in its final stage of assembly after a successful end-to-end payload demonstration that showed results above spec.
Astranis’s small communications satellite is bound for geostationary orbit to serve Alaska, a state that has long faced one of the sharpest digital divides in the United States. According to Broadband Now, 39% of Alaskans are underserved when it comes to internet access — the highest rate of any state. The Astranis satellite will roughly triple the currently available satellite capacity in Alaska while also bringing costs down to one third of current pricing for both residential and wholesale customers.
Pacific Dataport CEO Chuck Schumann stated, “Working with the entire Astranis team has been a wonderful experience and we’re excited to see our satellite readied for launch. There are more than 100,000 rural Alaskans who are ready for an affordable broadband connection and Astranis is helping us bring them modern connectivity. This is a really big deal for Alaska.”
About Astranis
Astranis is building small, low-cost telecommunications satellites to connect the four billion people who currently do not have access to the internet. Each spacecraft operates from geostationary orbit (GEO) with a next-generation design of only 400 kg, utilizing a proprietary software-defined radio payload. This unique digital payload technology allows frequency and coverage flexibility, as well as maximum use of valuable spectrum. By owning and operating its satellites and offering them to customers as a turnkey solution, Astranis is able to provide bandwidth-as-a-service and unlock previously unreachable markets. This allows Astranis to launch small, dedicated satellites for small and medium-sized countries, Fortune 500 companies, existing satellite operators, and other customers.
Astranis has successfully launched a test satellite into orbit and is now underway with its first commercial program—a satellite to provide broadband internet for Alaska that will more than triple the available bandwidth across the state. This satellite is now in final assembly and set for a launch in 2022. The company is headquartered in San Francisco with a team of over 175, including world-class engineers from SpaceX, Boeing, Skybox, Qualcomm, Apple, and Google. Astranis has raised over $350m from top Silicon Valley and growth investors, including Andreessen Horowitz, Venrock, and BlackRock. For more information, follow along at astranis.com, or on Twitter at @astranis_space.
About Pacific Dataport Inc.
Pacific Dataport Inc. (PDI) is a satellite middle mile provider headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska. PDI was founded “by Alaskans, for Alaskans” to enable Internet access for everyone, everywhere in Alaska. PDI is focused on providing affordable middle mile and last mile broadband using the newest satellite technology from the Aurora and OneWeb Networks. PDI clients include telecoms (wired & wireless), non-profits, hospitals, health clinics, schools, libraries, governments (Tribal, local, state & federal) and Alaska Native Corporations, Villages and Tribes. For more information on PDI please look to pacificdataport.com. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
23 Sep 21. Carillon Awarded DARPA Contract for Next Generation Satellite-to-Satellite Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC).
Effort exemplifies Carillon’s mission to provide DoD secure access to cutting-edge commercial technologies.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded Carillon Technologies a $6.4M contract to prototype next generation satellite-to-satellite communication systems derived from cutting edge commercial Holographic Optical Beam Steering (HOBS) technology.
“Lightweight and affordable satellite-to-satellite optical communication is a breakthrough technology, not only for commercial and defense communication constellations currently being deployed, but also for new high-performance, highly-survivable space architectures,” said Dr. John D. Evans, CEO of Carillon Technologies. “This new solid-state HOBS technology will provide a step change in size, weight, and cost for satellite Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) systems.”
HOBS technology is being developed for automotive LIDAR applications by the commercial start-up Lumotive (Seattle, WA). Dr. Geb Akselrod, CTO of Lumotive notes, “We’re excited to collaborate with Carillon and DARPA. Carillon’s unique expertise forming business relationships that bridge the defense and commercial sectors has made this a win-win for everyone involved.” Akselrod continued, “Lumotive isn’t in the space business, but this effort is important to us because it will advance our technology and expand our supply chain, improving our product and allowing us to scale rapidly and with confidence as our commercial markets come on online.”
Currently R&D investments by venture, commercial and global companies dwarf those of the U.S. Government, with just 4% of global R&D performed within the defense ecosystem. “Carillon’s mission is to help ensure the security of America and the American people,” says Evans. “As a country, we cannot realistically hope to secure our Nation’s defense without robust access to commercial technology. Unfortunately, necessary government requirements make this collaboration nearly impossible. This DARPA effort exemplifies how Carillon’s team can bridge the defense and commercial worlds, and ensure America’s soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen and guardians have the technology they need to ensure our security now, and into the future.”
About Carillon Technologies
Founded in 2017, Carillon Technologies serves as America’s nexus for Defense innovation. Currently, R&D investments by venture, commercial and global companies dwarf that of the U.S. government, with less than 4% of global R&D performed by the Defense community. Unfortunately, necessary Government requirements make collaboration between the defense and commercial sectors nearly impossible. Carillon’s team of experts bridge the commercial and defense sectors by creating novel business structures that meet government’s need for rapid secure access to cutting edge technology, while accelerating partner companies’ commercialization timeline and profitability. For more information, please visit www.CarillonTechnologies.com or follow us on Twitter @CarillonTech.
About Lumotive
Founded in 2018, Lumotive is a leader in solid-state, 3D-sensing systems, developing high-performance solutions for consumer electronics, industrial automation, robotics and automotive applications. The Seattle-based company’s lidar solutions leverage revolutionary beam-steering technology based on patented Light Control Metasurfaces™ to deliver an unprecedented combination of high performance (as measured by range, resolution and frame rate) and readiness for mass adoption (measured by cost, reliability and size). Lumotive’s random access beam-steering chips enable the industry’s first software-defined lidar with region-of-interest scanning, object tracking and advanced perception capabilities. Lumotive’s investors include Bill Gates and Quan FundsCEP. For more information, go to www.lumotive.com or on Twitter @LumotiveLidar. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
22 Sep 21. Global industry accelerating IoT adoption in response to Covid-19, New Inmarsat research reveals. New report out today – “Industrial IoT in the Time of Covid-19” – finds rapid increase and high level of maturity in levels of industrial IoT in 2021 across global supply chains in agriculture, electrical utilities, mining, oil and gas, and transport and logistics.
New research by Inmarsat, the world leader in global mobile satellite communications, reveals a rapid increase in the maturity level of organisations adopting the industrial Internet of Things (IoT) since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Respondents drawn from multiple industries also reported that Covid-19 has demonstrated the importance of IoT to their businesses, with many accelerating IoT deployments in response to the pandemic.
According to the research, IoT adoption has seen huge progress from 2020 to 2021. More than three quarters (77 per cent) of the organisations surveyed have now fully deployed at least one IoT project, with 41 per cent having achieved this in the twelve-month period from the second quarter of 2020. Of the remaining 23 per cent of respondents that have not yet fully deployed IoT projects, all are either currently trialling it, or plan to deploy or trial at least one IoT project in the next 18 months.
A further 84 per cent of respondents indicated they have accelerated or they intend to accelerate the adoption of IoT in response to challenges related to Covid-19. This figure includes 47 per cent who have already accelerated IoT adoption to respond to Covid-19, 24 per cent who will accelerate over the next twelve months and 14 per cent who will accelerate beyond the next 12 months. The 47 per cent who have already accelerated IoT adoption are less likely to state that Covid-19 has negatively impacted their ability to operate, than those yet to, demonstrating a link between IoT and business continuity during the pandemic. Additionally, over half (52%) of respondents indicated that business and operational challenges related to Covid-19 have underlined the importance of IoT.
Commenting on the research, Mike Carter, President of Inmarsat Enterprise said: “The rapid increase in IoT deployments over the last few years highlights the considerable progress global industry has made to overcome some of the world’s most challenging forces. It is particularly interesting, though logical, that Covid-19 has further catalysed businesses to increase their reliance on Industry 4.0 technologies, and particularly the industrial Internet of Things, in order to maintain business continuity. Those businesses implementing IoT technologies ahead of their competition and across their value chains are those who stand to win in the long-term.
“While our findings point to IoT driving significant uplifts in efficiency, sustainability and safety across global supply chains, there are areas where organisations can make improvements to draw the optimum benefits from the technology. Connectivity, data management, skills shortages, security threats and investment levels remain challenges as the world’s production and supply chains become increasingly digitalised and intertwined.
“Inmarsat’s global ELERA network is inspiring new possibilities and enabling organisations from all sectors to access IoT anywhere. Ideally suited to the rapidly evolving world of IoT, our industry-leading narrowband network provides global reach, extraordinary resilience, and the fastest speeds, along with the smallest, low cost terminals in their class. Organisations looking to accelerate their IoT deployments need look no further than Inmarsat and our global partner ecosystem – the widest of any satellite provider – to solve their IoT connectivity needs.”
22 Sep 21. Army, Navy SATCOM Mission Areas Shifting to U.S. Space Force. The Chief of Space Operations announced the transfer of Army and Navy satellite communications billets, funding and mission responsibility to the U.S. Space Force. Space Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond made the announcement at the Air Force Association meeting in Washington, yesterday. The transfers are scheduled to be effective Oct. 1, 2021, if the DOD budget is passed and signed.
“We’re one team with our sister services and over the last year-and-a-half we have worked with the Army and the Navy and the Air Force to determine which capabilities come over to the Space Force,” Raymond said. “The intent was to consolidate (and) increase our operational capability; increase our readiness and do so in a more efficient manner.”
The changes are “a first tranche,” he said.
This is the latest step in building the new service. The idea behind the U.S. Space Force was “to create a unity of effort around our space enterprise,” said Space Force Lt. Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the service’s deputy chief of space operations for operations, cyber and nuclear. Simply forming the service made the idea of looking for efficiencies possible.
“We need to create this unity of effort around our space missions, to ensure we’re up to those challenges that we face, because the space domain has rapidly become far more congested, and far more contested than … when I was a lieutenant or a captain operating space capabilities,” Saltzman said.
The performance of satellite communications will be enhanced by this sort of unity of effort.
On the Navy side, the Navy’s narrow band satellite constellation will transfer 76 manpower authorizations to the Space Force, as well as 13 satellites — a mix of the new multi-user objective system and the UHF follow-on satellite constellation.
The U.S. Army will transfer roughly $78 m of operations, maintenance and manpower authorizations. This will include five wideband SATCOM operations centers, and four regional SATCOM support centers. This will affect about 500 manpower authorizations.
All told, 15 global units with 319 military and 259 civilian billets from the Army and Navy combined will transfer to the Space Force.
These are crucial defense capabilities. The units can’t stop just because the function is transferring to the Space Force. The capabilities are needed 24/7 and they will be, Saltzman said.
The move puts basically all of the DOD’s narrowband, wideband and protected SATCOM under control of U.S. Space Force. “Now all of that— training, operations, acquisition and sustainment and follow-on activities, user allocations — all of that, will be consolidated under the Space Force to create that unity of effort, and hopefully gain the ability to be more resilient, more dynamic, and ultimately more efficient with that mission set,” Saltzman said.
The soldiers, sailors and Army and Navy civilians are not obligated to move to Space Force. There is a process and those involved must volunteer to move. For civilians, the process is relatively easy — simply moving from an Army or Navy system to becoming Department of the Air Force employees. For soldiers and sailors, this requires release by their respective services and acceptance by the Space Force. (Source: US DoD)
22 Sep 21. Southern Launch gives up on Whalers Way Hapith I rocket. Southern Launch has announced it will not make any further attempts to launch the Taiwanese-made Hapith I rocket from the Whalers Way site in SA.
It follows three failed attempts this month for what would have been the first commercial lift-off from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex, which was approved in August for three tests in 2021.
Southern Launch’s chief executive, Lloyd Damp, said, “This test launch vehicle may not have taken Australia to space; however, it has provided our teams with valuable data and insights, which will lead TiSPACE in refining their launch vehicle capabilities further.”
The mission – dubbed VS01 – was to see the South Australia-based company launch the Hapith I two-stage 10-metre rocket, developed by Taiwan Innovative Space (TiSPACE).
Damp said the attempts also gave the company vibration data and noise data needed for supporting the developing of the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex.
“We thank the Australian Space Agency, the government of South Australia, and the emergency services for their support of the VS01 test launch campaign,” Damp added.
Whalers Way is on the tip of the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, south of Port Lincoln.
The three attempts to launch were plagued by bad weather conditions, system failures and the rocket catching on fire within the span of a week.
According to the company, more details will soon be announced about the next two test launches – VS02 and VS03 – which are expected to be completed by 31 October 2021.
Whalers Way may become the ‘Cape Canaveral’ launchpad of Australia, provided the future tests are successful.
In September last year, Southern Launch completed its first rocket lift-off from the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia with its TED-01 DART.
This led to the company receiving approval in June this year to construct the infrastructure necessary to support the test launch campaign in Whalers Way.
In late August, Whalers Way was approved by the Australian government as a commercial launch site for the test campaign – the first established in the nation.
Damp said Australian space capabilities are “key” in allowing South Australia to grab hold of the $5.5bn global space launch market.
From 5 September to 31 December, the zone will be closed to tourists and locals. (Source: Space Connect)
21 Sep 21. DARPA’s vision for satellite communications. As government agencies and private-sector firms like OneWeb and SpaceX launch hundreds of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is working on a way to allow seamless communication among government and private-sector proprietary satellites that are currently unable to talk with each other. The Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node program aims to create an inexpensive, optical communications terminal that could be reconfigured to work with most of today’s optical intersatellite link standards and support future communications platforms. The current lack of communication link standards “results in a fragmented, stove-piped ‘Wild West’ space domain with new constellations that can’t interoperate, government satellites that can’t communicate between one another, and government satellites unable to take advantage of emerging commercial communications capabilities,” Space-BACN program manager Greg Kuperman said.
With a low-cost adaptable communications terminal that could be easily reconfigured on-orbit to communicate across different standards, Space BACN represents a technology leap from the current state of the art, DARPA officials said.
“Traditional government optical terminals for coherent space-based optical communications can cost hundreds of thousands to ms of dollars due to the many precision designed and manufactured components that are hand assembled by highly skilled experts in the field,” Kuperman said. “Commercial space companies, on the other hand, are developing ultra-optimized, single-mode coherent systems designed to achieve high-rate communications while lowering cost. These lower-cost systems, however, are not reconfigurable nor compatible with any other standard.”
LEO satellite constellations like SpaceX’s Starlink not only support broadband for consumers without wireline access, but they also enable search and rescue missions in remote areas or disaster zones. However, even with hundreds of LEO satellites providing imagery and communications, “if teams of rescuers are using different satellite communications systems, they’ll have limited communications ability, Kuperman said in a video.
The goal of Space BACN, “to not make the perfect solution for everyone, but the good enough solution for most users,” he said. The program aims to develop a “low-cost reconfigurable optical communications terminal that can talk almost any standard and connect systems that otherwise couldn’t talk with one another,” Kuperman said. It would allow satellites “to create an optical link to a commercial provider, connect to a government system and then connect to an altogether different system that has yet to even be created.”
Space BACB has three goals, which it describes as 1003: supporting 100 gigabit/sec optical standards, using 100W or less of power and costing under $100k. With LEO satellites expected to last only three to five years, DAPRA expects Space BACN to enable rapid refresh cycles and insertion of new technology as it becomes available.
The program is divided into three technical areas:
- The design and construction of a low-cost, low-maintenance, reconfigurable optical terminal front end that can cover all wavelengths in the C-band and operate amid the large thermal and vibrational fluctuations that exist space. The terminal must be able to couple light into single mode fiber to support coherent communication modes, traditionally an expensive and labor intensive endeavor. While DARPA doesn’t expect to build a thousand units, it does want a terminal design that can be produced in large quantities.
- A reconfigurable low-power back-end modem that supports the key protocols and technologies for space-based optical communications. Space BACN wants to combine the best capabilities of FPGA-based software-defined radios and hardware accelerated ASICs to create a low-cost low-power reconfigurable modem, Kuperman said.
- Reconfigurable terminal components that will allow the device’s front and back ends to be interchangeable “to allow performers to focus on their strengths and enable rapid refresh of system components in the future,” he explained.
DARPA will use a simplified other transactions process for Space BACN so it can lower bureaucratic barriers for proposers, especially those who’ve never worked with the Defense Department or DARPA before.
A virtual information session for Space-BACN program solicitation will be held Sept. 22, via Zoom.gov. A “one-stop” Space-BACN webpage hosting links to the special notice, solicitation, videos, FAQs and other resources is available here. https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/space-based-adaptive-communications-node (Source: Defense Systems)
21 Sep 21. Kratos delivers first products for US Army’s TITAN prototype programme. The TITAN system is a portable ground station being developed by Northrop Grumman. The TITAN system seeks to provide near-real time data to commanders at all levels for solutions related to timely targeting. Credit: US Army. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has delivered the first batch of its OpenSpace quantum and SpectralNet products to Northrop Grumman. The products are for the US Army Tactical Intelligence Targeting Access Node (TITAN) space-ground system prototype. Northrop Grumman is developing prototype space to ground TITAN systems. Last year, the company received a contract to deliver two prototype ground stations for the system. It was selected by the Defense Innovation Unit and the US Army Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (TENCAP) office for the effort. The two deployable and semi-autonomous prototypes will be used to evaluate the value of space assets for procuring tactical intelligence and improving battlefield awareness in Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2AD) environments. The TITAN system is a portable expeditionary intelligence ground station. It uses space and high altitude, aerial, and terrestrial layer sensors to provide targetable data to commanders at all levels in near-real-time. Kratos was selected to the Northrop Grumman TITAN team for its OpenSpace products’ expertise in virtualising uplink / downlink processing. The company’s quantum products are software replacements for traditional hardware components, while its SpectralNet products digitise the satellite’s radio frequency signals.
Kratos Federal Space Solutions senior vice-president Frank Backes said: “OpenSpace technology is leading efforts across the satellite industry, both among commercial and government operators, to capitalise on the ability of virtualisation and modern networking techniques to realise digital transformation goals.
“TITAN is the newest application of OpenSpace in the DoD that can better support the timely tactical needs of the warfighter.”
Furthermore, Kratos will provide engineering and manufacturing of the TITAN prototypes’ ‘modified tactical shelter’ and associated subsystem hardware. (Source: army-technology.com)
20 Sep 21. Space Development Agency approves design for satellites that can track hypersonic weapons. The Space Development Agency has approved design plans for its new missile warning satellites, which will be capable of detecting and tracking hypersonic weapons.
L3Harris Technologies announced Sept. 20 that the agency had completed preliminary design review of their satellites, marking an important milestone as the company prepares for production of the spacecraft. L3Harris will continue development of the missile warning satellites as it works toward critical design review.
“We’ve worked closely with SDA to ensure our design taps proven technology that can scale to address the changing mission,” said L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems President Ed Zoiss in a statement. “We understand the threat and are focused on delivery.”
L3Harris was one of just two companies awarded contracts for the agency’s first eight missile warning satellites. SDA awarded $193m to L3Harris and $149m to SpaceX in October 2020 to design and develop four satellites each. While competitors Raytheon Technologies and Airbus U.S. Space and Defense each filed protests with the Government Accountability Office, ultimately the contracts were upheld.
The spacecraft will be equipped with wide field of view overhead persistent infrared sensors designed to detect hypersonic weapons, which pose a challenge to the United States’ current missile warning architecture.
Those eight satellites will comprise the inaugural tracking layer of the SDA’s National Defense Space Architecture, a proliferated constellation made up of hundreds of satellites mostly operating in low Earth orbit. L3Harris is also developing a prototype for the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor, or HBTSS, after receiving a $121m contract in January. Under the proposed architecture, the L3Harris and SpaceX tracking layer satellites will detect and track hypersonic threats all over the world before passing them off to the more sensitive HBTSS built by L3Harris, which will provide targeting data. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
20 Sep 21. Space Development Agency Approves L3Harris Design Plans for New Missile Tracking Satellites.
Highlights:
- Defines design baseline for Space Development Agency’s missile tracking program
- Demonstrates ability to move quickly for rapid acquisition prototype programs
- Allows L3Harris to continue development of critical missile warning satellite
L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) has accomplished a key milestone in the development of a missile tracking satellite prototype for the Space Development Agency (SDA).
The completed Preliminary Design Review (PDR) defines the spacecraft’s design baseline for delivery to SDA and allows the program to move to the next stage of delivering ground-breaking new capabilities at speed. When completed, the satellites will provide the capability to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles via overhead persistent infrared sensing from low earth orbit.
“We’ve worked closely with SDA to ensure our design taps proven technology that can scale to address the changing mission,” said Ed Zoiss, President of L3Harris Space and Airborne Systems. “We understand the threat and are focused on delivery.”
L3Harris received the tracking layer prototype award in 2020 to develop and integrate an end-to-end satellite system under a $193 m firm fixed-price contract. Total period of performance runs through 2025 and covers four space vehicle launches.
L3Harris is prioritizing investments in end-to-end satellite solutions in spacecraft, payloads, ground software and advanced algorithms. L3Harris is also developing a prototype for the Missile Defense Agency’s Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor. (Source: BUSINESS WIRE)
13 Sep 21. Mynaric’s Optical Terminal’s Second Customer Agreement Is With SpaceLink. Less than two weeks after debuting their next generation optical communications terminal at the 36th Annual Space Symposium, Mynaric has revealed their second customer for the CONDOR Mk 3. Mynaric and SpaceLink have agreed upon the delivery and pricing for the first batch of CONDOR Mk3 terminals by late 2022 and additional units to be quantified subsequently.
This is the second purchase by SpaceLink for Mynaric products following an initial order of optical communications terminals (OCTs) for the organization’s MEO satellites. In addition to the Mk3s, the newest agreement includes delivery of two CONDOR Mk2 terminals.
Alongside the product debut, Mynaric previously announced additionally an undisclosed launch customer for the CONDOR Mk3. The launch customer is scheduled to receive initial product delivery in Q4 2022 and has secured options for up to 20 units. Detailed technical specifications about the Mk3 terminal can be requested from the CONDOR Mk3 product page.
“We are extremely pleased with the positive reception of the CONDOR Mk3 from the industry,” said Bulent Altan, CEO of Mynaric. “With its smaller, sleeker profile, configurable data rate speeds up to 100 Gbps and full compatibility with the SDA Optical Inter-Satellite Link Standards, the Mk3 terminals are ideal for various space applications.”
“The impressive design and performance of Mynaric optical terminals meet SpaceLink’s requirements for our relay service,” said Dave Bettinger, CEO of SpaceLink. “This is why we awarded the initial contract to them for our MEO relay satellites. “Now, we are pleased to expand our relationship to include supply of their smaller advanced user terminal product for the LEO end of the LEO-MEO relay links, supporting our demonstration missions and as a solution for our LEO customers.” (Source: Satnews)
12 Sep 21. NASA Selects SpaceX To Launch GOES-U. NASA has selected Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) of Hawthorne, California, to provide launch services for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-U (GOES-U) mission. GOES-U will provide advanced imagery and atmospheric measurements of Earth’s weather, oceans, and environment, as well as real-time mapping of total lightning activity and improved monitoring of solar activity and space weather.
The total cost for NASA to launch GOES-U is approximately $152.5m, which includes the launch service and other mission-related costs.
The GOES-U mission is targeted to launch in April 2024 on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. GOES-U is the fourth and final spacecraft in the GOES-R Series of geostationary weather satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The GOES-R Series is a joint effort between NASA and NOAA and includes GOES-R, GOES-S, GOES-T, and GOES-U.
NASA’s Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center in Florida is responsible for launch vehicle program management of the SpaceX launch service. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the GOES-R Flight Projects office, which oversees the acquisition of the GOES-R series instruments and spacecraft. A collaborative NOAA and NASA team manages the GOES-R Program. (Source: Satnews)
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At Viasat, we’re driven to connect every warfighter, platform, and node on the battlefield. As a global communications company, we power ms of fast, resilient connections for military forces around the world – connections that have the capacity to revolutionize the mission – in the air, on the ground, and at sea. Our customers depend on us for connectivity that brings greater operational capabilities, whether we’re securing the U.S. Government’s networks, delivering satellite and wireless communications to the remote edges of the battlefield, or providing senior leaders with the ability to perform mission-critical communications while in flight. We’re a team of fearless innovators, driven to redefine what’s possible. And we’re not done – we’re just beginning.
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