Sponsored By Viasat
www.viasat.com/gov-uk
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19 Jan 24. Viasat has proven its precise UK Satellite Based Augmentation System (UK SBAS) aboard a test flight, as part of an ongoing trial funded by the Department for Transport through the European Space Agency.
Viasat, Inc. (NASDAQ: VSAT) has demonstrated a UK satellite-based augmentation system (UK SBAS) for the first time, showing how highly accurate GPS data can maximize safety and improve efficiency.
The test flight, flown from Cranfield Airport using the National Flying Laboratory Centre’s Saab 340B aircraft, showcased a UK-based SBAS that delivers more precise, reliable navigation data. The UK is no longer part of the EU’s similar European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), following its exit from the European Union. While EGNOS can still be used for non-safety applications in the UK, the trial aims to provide a first step toward a complementary UK SBAS which can be used for critical safety of life navigation services across air, land, and sea.
UK SBAS works by combining ground monitoring data with satellite connectivity to provide more reliable navigational data. Across a range of applications, it can offer positioning down to a few centimeters of accuracy, rather than the few metres provided by standard GPS. For aviation, the system gives pilots greater trust in their onboard instruments, which has major implications when pilots may not be able to physically see a runway or other obstacles due to bad weather.
This means improved safety and fewer missed landings because pilots – especially smaller aircraft flying into regional airports and general aviation airfields – can get significantly closer to the ground during an approach before making the decision whether to land. Viasat’s research with one regional flight operator indicated that close to 40% of flights cancelled due to weather could have gone ahead had UK SBAS been available for its fleet. Around the UK, 19 airports had EGNOS procedures in place prior to leaving the European Union. In total, as many as 72 airports no longer have access.
With the aviation test complete, the trial is aimed to test the system in other transport applications, for example for rail, uncrewed aerial vehicles, or autonomous road vehicles.
Technology Minister at the Department for Transport, Anthony Browne said “This successful demonstration illustrates the UK’s first-class space sector, and our capabilities in position, navigation and timing specifically.”
“The project, fully funded by Government through the ESA NAVISP programme, is directly supporting our work on future provision of high-accuracy, high-integrity positioning services, which could increase efficiency and enable new innovations across the transport network.”
Todd McDonnell, President, International Government, Viasat, said “This trial on a sovereign UK SBAS is all about delivering trust. Trust for pilots in their tracking systems so they can stay safe in challenging conditions. Trust for the aviation industry more broadly so it can rely on data to operate more efficiently. And, in the future, trust that we can use highly accurate tracking to develop Britain’s transport system as new technologies come into play. We’re excited to continue the trial and see how far we can take it.”
Dean Thomas, Position, Navigation and Timing Lead at the UK Space Agency, said “This testbed project is vital in helping Government understand the potential benefits of a UK SBAS. The flight trial both demonstrates the capability of UK industry in delivering space based PNT solutions and illustrates the benefits of delivering UK PNT projects facilitated by ESA, through the highly flexible NAVISP programme.”
About the project
With funding from the Department for Transport via the European Space Agency’s NAVISP programme, the trial is being completed by a Viasat-led team of companies in the UK, including Goonhilly Earth Station, CGI UK, GMV, Ordnance Survey, Cranfield University, the Cranfield National Flying Laboratory Centre, and Pildo Labs.
UK SBAS generates an overlay test signal to the US Global Positioning System (GPS), fully compliant with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, to enable assessment of more precise, resilient and high-integrity navigation for maritime and aviation users in UK waters and airspace. The signal is being broadcast in coordination with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union Space Programme Agency (EUSPA). Broadcast capability for UK SBAS is being provided by Viasat’s I-3 F5 satellite.
A similar system, known as SouthPAN is currently being developed to make resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) available in Australia and New Zealand. Signals for the service would be provided by Viasat through one of its next-generation I-8 satellites, which are aimed to launch in 2027. (Source: News Now/https://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/)
18 Jan 24. Space Policy Official Details Approach to Maintaining U.S. Edge. The Defense Department is laser focused on deterring aggression through critical investments and sound decisions that will shape U.S. and allied space capabilities for years to come, the Pentagon’s top space policy official said.
John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, underscored the critical role DOD’s space enterprise will play in meeting the nation’s top national security priorities during a briefing yesterday at the Pentagon.
The Priorities
–Defending the homeland with China as the United States’ pacing challenge.
–Deterring strategic attacks against the U.S. and its allies and partners.
–Deterring aggression while being prepared to prevail if conflict is necessary.
–Building a resilient joint force
“My offices support every one of these priorities in multiple ways,” Plumb said. “And my team has helped shape policy and investments that result from that policy to maintain our U.S. military’s military and technological edge.”
He added that across his portfolio, the U.S. is strengthening its cooperation with allies and partners in space, building “an asymmetric advantage and force multiplier that neither China nor Russia could ever hope to match.”
That same spirit of cooperation is also applied in shaping cooperation across the services, he said, adding that strong relationships “are essential to navigating the emerging security environment.”
Plumb said guiding that cooperation and those policy decisions, is a focus on three specific priorities: space control, space cooperation and reducing space overclassification.
Space control encompasses U.S. efforts to defend its national security interests in space and defend the joint force from space-enabled attacks.
Through space cooperation, the U.S. seeks to achieve combined operations with allies.
The initiative began to take shape in a 2014 memorandum of understanding among four nations: the U.S., Australia, Canada and the U.K. The group later expanded to include New Zealand, France and Germany, reaching a total of seven members in 2019.
This year, the combined operations initiative expanded again to include Italy, Japan and Norway.
The last line of effort — reducing space overclassification — encompasses efforts to ensure information and technology are classified at the appropriate levels to ensure the U.S. is postured to cooperate with allies and engage private sector partners.
Plumb emphasized that space policy and investments have broad impact in shaping not only warfare in the space domain, but are also critical for nuclear deterrence and in shaping the future of U.S. cyber capabilities.
“It’s a big portfolio,” Plumb said, adding that space policy is gaining in visibility and interest at the highest levels of government.
“I expect that trend to continue,” he said. “I think that is one of the hallmarks of this part of the 21st century is that these strategic capabilities are increasingly in demand. I’m really proud of the work that we’re doing to advance integrated deterrence and ensure we’re ready for the challenges of the next decade and beyond.” (Source: https://www.defense-aerospace.com/Us DoD)
17 Jan 24. Space Force selects universities for In-Space Operations research. The United States Space Force (USFF) has selected two American universities – under its Space Strategic Technology Institute (SSTI 2) initiative – to carry out applied In-Space Operations research.
Working in partnership with the USAFRL, the University of Cincinnati and Texas A&M University will receive a combined total of $49.9m funding. Areas of In-Space Operations they will address include Space Access, Mobility, and Logistics.
Specifically, they will focus on spaceflight experimentation and space-related signal, energy, and transportation technologies, in line with the country’s In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing National Strategy.
The Regents of University of Colorado Boulder and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University – both recently awarded funding through the organisation’s University Consortium Research Opportunity 2.0 – are among the other universities involved with USSF.
Back in March 2023, it announced a previous University Consortium Research Opportunity, for “xGEO Operations and SDA” – researching Beyond Geostationary Earth Orbit (xGEO) Operations and Space Domain Awareness (SDA)
Note that – again in partnership with the AFRL – the USSF is also currently accepting proposals for USSF University Consortium/Space Strategic Technology Institute 3. This is focused on Advanced Space Power and Propulsion (ASPP).
SSTI 2
The military branch is setting up Space Strategic Technology Institutes to help “address space Science and Technology challenges through a network of partnered universities” it writes.
“Space Force envisions the institutes will facilitate and focus joint applied research on transformational space domain technology breakthroughs and developments that lead to the advancement of capabilities that can be transitioned and integrated into current and future USSF and U.S. government space capabilities.”
“It is highly desired for the research to lead to testbeds, high fidelity modeling and simulations, demonstrations, and prototypes. The research is expected to transition technology to higher technology readiness levels throughout the period of performance, and out years will be awarded based on an evaluation of this ability.”
Space Force
The USSF’s responsibilities are training, equipping and organising a cadre of space professionals to protect the country and its allied interests in space.
According to the U.S. Department of Defence, its mandate includes developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, refining military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces for use by combatant commands.
The creation of the Space Force, in 2020, marked the first time since 1947, and the US Air Force, that a new military branch had been created in the United States. (Source: News Now/https://www.electronicsweekly.com/)
15 Jan 24. VTT has launched a satellite communications research project to develop new solutions for critical communications. The project aims to facilitate communication between authorities in challenging conditions, such as during major forest fires, but satellite connections are also beneficial in maritime operations and remote mining areas.
Good connections are crucial for the seamless flow of information between authorities. Data and situational information must circulate between border guards, police, and fire services, for example, at all times. However, there are many areas where the network does not function properly or where there is no coverage at all, and separate satellite phones or other satellite communication devices are needed.
VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland aims to address this challenge with the project “6G-enabled Satellite-based Machine Type Connectivity for Demanding Applications in Remote Regions” (6G-SatMTC) which was launched in April 2023 and has now progressed to the next phase. The research organisations involved are VTT and the University of Oulu, along with companies Nokia, Airbus, Keysight, ABB, Fairspectrum, Suomen Erillisverkot, Magister, Verkotan, and Weir Minerals.
“The concept involves integrating terrestrial and satellite networks seamlessly together. In the envisioned scenario, an end-user device, like a sensor or a mobile phone, would primarily connect to a nearby base station when available. However, if the base station connection is not available, the device would automatically switch to a satellite connection. This ensures that the network connectivity remains consistent and uninterrupted under all circumstances,” says the project coordinator Marko Höyhtyä, Research Professor at VTT.
The specific objective of the project is to support operations during major forest fires, so that firefighting personnel have real-time situational awareness and reliable communication capabilities. This simultaneously improves the safety of first responders.
The project will also address the communication challenges in maritime and remote mining areas.
“In maritime operations, satellites are always necessary, as terrestrial networks do not reach far enough at sea. However, the capacity of older equipment is insufficient to meet the demands of digitalisation. New technology could enable smoother logistics and better services for seafarers,” Höyhtyä continues.
The solution could also benefit health care, agriculture, and road logistics in areas where terrestrial networks perform poorly.
“If in the future satellite connectivity can be established directly via mobile phones, people would not need to purchase separate devices, and connections would work even while hiking in the wilderness. That would be a real game-changer,” says Höyhtyä.
Satellite connectivity holds tremendous business potential
VTT has already interviewed end-users for the project – public authorities, mining and maritime companies – and identified their needs, which will be taken into account in planning. At this stage, the test platform has already been defined, simulation environments partially developed, and a global satellite system modelled.
“Keysight supports this project through the provision of advanced channel emulation capabilities, allowing real-world conditions of the current 5G and future 6G standards to be modelled, developed, and evaluated. Combined with strong competence in network emulation, covering all new cellular technologies including 5G-Advanced and Non-Terrestrial Networks, Keysight continues to lead in the development of satellite communications test solutions. Collaboration with 6G-SatMTC project advances the development of new technologies, standards, and use cases, and enables testing satellite networks with simulated service before launch of operational networks”, says Janne Kolu, director of the Keysight’s Channel Emulation Center of Excellence in Oulu-Finland.
Preliminary simulation results are already available, and the first scientific publications have been accepted. As more results accumulate, they will be tested on increasingly complex systems.
“The connections between end devices and satellites carry a huge business potential for space data communication and space communication, as the number of users is expected to grow by ms in the coming years. In time, new solutions could also bring down the cost of existing services,” says Höyhtyä.
“At Nokia, we see that this project creates new possibilities for communication both between devices and people. The developed technology will address the real-time communication needs of remote mining operations as well as other secure and reliable communication requirements, utilizing energy-efficient, next-generation solutions. The integration of satellite communications into both 5G and future 6G systems will complement terrestrial networks and enable the availability of mobile technology even in remote areas,” says Ilkka Känsälä, Department Head at Nokia.
The project is funded through Business Finland’s 6G Bridge programme, which promotes socially significant 5G Advanced and 6G technologies in Finland. The programme focuses particularly on technologies that can bring new business opportunities to Finland.
One of the project’s objectives is compatibility with the European IRIS2 network and other international systems. The project will also support the strategic partnership between VTT and the European Space Agency in the development of 5G and post-5G technologies. The funding for the project extends until the end of October 2025.
09 Jan 24. Intuitive Machines strategic partnership and leadership changes. Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW), a space exploration, infrastructure, and services company, will follow its historic initial public offering year with a strategic focus on new partnerships, continued business growth, and key organizational and leadership changes.
Intuitive Machines has a strategic partnership with the South Korean firm, Boryung Corporation. This partnership brings the American and South Korean commercial companies closer together in cooperation for space exploration endeavors.
Boryung, South Korea’s healthcare investment company, has focused on investing in critical infrastructure and in new research and development opportunities in space and beyond to expand this capability. “The two firms intend to cooperate together in discussing critical infrastructure partnerships in and around the Moon to facilitate a long-term life science campaign for research and understanding of how humans live and work in space and off planet. We believe the IM and Boryung partnership will direct the next wave of innovation in the human health research and healthcare journey by operating in deep space, and collecting essential data on combined gravity/radiation environmental effects for commercial sale,” said Steve. Altemus, President and Chief Executive Officer of Intuitive Machines.
Peter McGrath Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, “Additionally, Intuitive Machines is scaling across multiple business lines. Our recent contract award and execution start of the OMES III contract is evidence of how we are moving into orbital services. Our Lunar Access business is seeing an expansion beyond NASA and the CLPS program toward commercial and international business. In Space Products and Infrastructure Services we are preparing for growth in lunar surface systems that will also be part of our international expansion. With this anticipated growth, Intuitive Machines is putting in place the organization and leadership to ensure we scale seamlessly.”
Effective January 2, 2024, Peter McGrath assumed the position of Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In his new role, Mr. McGrath will focus on the daily operations of the business and focus on executing the long-term vision and strategy of the Company.
Mr. McGrath has over 34 years of aerospace project and program management, capture management, and business development experience. Prior to joining Intuitive Machines in August 2020, Mr. McGrath worked at Boeing as the Director of the Global Sales and Marketing organization in the Space Exploration Business Unit, responsible for shaping, extending, and capturing business in support of NASA and commercial space exploration missions.
Mr. McGrath currently serves as the Vice President of Business Development for Intuitive Machines and is responsible for expanding future business opportunities and growing the business. Mr. Altemus indicated, “The Board is pleased to promote Pete into this new role to ensure we have the correct focus on our long-term vision.”
Erik Sallee is departing as Chief Financial Officer for personal and family reasons and to pursue other business opportunities, effective January 26, 2024. Steven Vontur will serve as Interim Chief Financial Officer during this transition. Mr. Vontur is currently the Principal Accounting Officer for Intuitive Machines. Mr. Vontur joined the Company in July 2022 as Corporate Controller and has played a key role in taking the Company public and building out the accounting and finance team in partnership with Mr. Sallee.
Mr. Vontur has a wide range of financial and accounting expertise. As the Corporate Controller, Mr. Vontur is responsible for all aspects of accounting, reporting and financial controls of the Company including the periodic financial close process, SEC reporting, treasury operations and tax affairs of the Company. Prior to serving as the Controller of the Company, Mr. Vontur was the Senior Director of Corporate Accounting at Shimmick, Inc. from 2021 to 2022 and a project Consultant at Resources Connection, Inc. from 2020 to 2021. Mr. Vontur worked at KBR, Inc., in various positions from 2004 through his departure, with his last position as Director of Finance — SEC Reporting, Consolidations and Financial Controls. Mr. Vontur spent the first part of his career as an Audit Senior Manager with major accounting firm Ernst & Young LLP. Mr. Vontur holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Texas A&M University. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. The Company has initiated a search process to identity and appoint a new permanent Chief Financial Officer.
Mr. Altemus said, “The Company has had a momentous year from going public to preparing for our first lunar launch and we are thankful for the leadership and guidance provided by Mr. Sallee. On behalf of the Company, we thank Mr. Sallee for his service to Intuitive Machines. We are delighted that Mr. Vontur has agreed to take on the interim CFO role. Mr. Vontur has demonstrated his expertise and understanding of the Company’s mission and values. I look forward to working with Pete, Steve and the rest of our leadership team as we prepare for our first mission to the moon and continue to grow the business and our partnerships.” (Source: Satnews)
05 Jan 24. Kratos + Rancher Government Solutions announce strategic partnership using the OpenSpace® software platform. With increasingly complex and dynamic SATCOM and EO missions, satellite operators and government agencies are transitioning from fixed and proprietary hardware to flexible and scalable generic compute-based cloud environments. This enables a virtualized and software-defined ground system like Kratos’ OpenSpace Platform to more cost effectively and securely support multiple missions simultaneously, deliver services faster and streamline operations.
Today, customers leverage a range of computing environments from bare metal, virtual machines to the cloud, making the deployment of software-based ground systems more complex and time consuming. Working together, Kratos and Rancher Government Solutions have enhanced the ability of the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully virtualized and software-defined satellite ground system to be deployed more easily across customer environments.
By the nature of it being software-defined and containerized, the OpenSpace Platform is already much faster, and more flexible to deploy than traditional hardware-based satellite ground systems. As customer demands grow, the software-based OpenSpace Platform can reconfigure on the fly and deploy new services automatically and cost effectively in minutes. Software containers can be spun up and down and scaled on demand elastically using a single management interface from the Rancher Platform.
“With Rancher, the OpenSpace Platform deploys its virtual functions including modems, channelizers, combiners, and more, as Kubernetes-based containerized software applications that act as independent and portable computing environments that can run and scale on any infrastructure,” said Brandon Gulla, Chief Technology Officer at RGS. “We are proud to be working with Kratos to support this truly transformational platform that will free satellite operators from proprietary hardware architectures and move to software-defined, flexible and extensible virtual platforms.”
“Rancher serves as the Kubernetes management technology that supports the OpenSpace Platform’s ability to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of our containerized workloads,” said Anthony Semiao, Chief Solutions Architect of the OpenSpace Platform. “The combined technologies support hybrid and multi-cloud environments enabling OpenSpace customers to run in the data center and cloud environment of their choice such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft and to easily switch from one cloud provider to another.” (Source: Satnews)
10 Jan 24. iDirect Government establishes Engineering Center of Excellence to combat EW, TRANSEC + Cyber Attacks.
The center, co-located with iDirectGov’s existing engineering team, will enable the company to better respond to the ever-evolving EW and cyber threats, meeting defense and government requirements for faster-paced innovation to keep ahead of adversaries and bad actors that relentlessly target military satellite communications (MILSATCOM). The center will leverage iDirectGov’s specialized Communication Signal Interference Removal™ (CSIR™) technology, which features crypto-agility, anti-jam and strengthened security for the tactical edge and warfighter.
Marking the company’s continuous efforts to integrate and harness its engineering teams’ intellectual properties and capabilities, the center represents iDirectGov’s intensified focus on developing innovative and resilient solutions to address EW. By combining its existing security professionals with its anti-jam-focused engineers, iDirectGov’s defense and government SATCOM global customers will benefit from bandwidth-efficient, scalable and highly secure satellite solutions.
The center will create an additional platform for iDirectGov’s engineers to develop holistic approaches to EW, cyber risk, TRANSEC, countermeasures and the overall company security solutions strategy. This will enable the team to build solutions with advanced functionality, innovative form factors and tactical advantages for use on land, in the air and at sea, helping to ensure that the U.S. remains at the forefront of MILSATCOM technology.
“Our engineering center will allow iDirectGov to build upon our industry-leading security capabilities in TRANSEC and CSIR technology to deliver innovative and robust MILSATCOM solutions to the tactical edge and warfighter. With this, we are also investing in developing future generations of communications security technology and empowering our top talent. Many factors are at play with this development, including protecting the U.S. critical SATCOM infrastructure and the continued interest of the Department of Defense (DOD) in scaling the use of commercial technologies for future hybrid satellite communications terminals that are capable of using commercial and military signals,” said Tim Winter, president of iDirect Government. (Source: Satnews)
12 Jan 24. Exolaunch Will Deploy 4 Spire-Built Satellites for NorthStar via Rocket Lab’s Electron. Exolaunch, the premier global provider of launch mission management, integration, and deployment services, announced today plans to deploy four Canadian NorthStar Earth & Space satellites, built by Spire Global, and launched via Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle. Exolaunch will provide separation systems, deployment, and integration services to ensure mission success for the first tech demo satellites for NorthStar’s commercial, space-based Space Situational Awareness (SSA) services.
This initial cluster of four satellites will create a space-based SSA constellation, with NorthStar being the first to simultaneously monitor all near-Earth orbits from space, delivering advanced services with precise information for resident space object detection, tracking, orbit determination, collision avoidance, navigation, and proximity alerts.
The integration of four 16U satellites into the EXOpod Nova deployers was completed successfully in December at Spire’s Glasgow facility, marking a significant milestone in the collaborative efforts between Exolaunch and Spire. This achievement underscores Exolaunch’s commitment to excellence, proven capabilities to deliver reliable separation system hardware, and industry-leading launch mission management and integration services.
Exolaunch’s EXOpod Nova is a next-generation deployer based on customer specifications for an expanded envelope cubesat. The EXOpod Nova increases the allowable satellite mass by up to thirty percent and the available side panel volume by a factor of four compared to traditional cubesat deployers, enabling satellite manufacturers to build more robust and capable technologies while reducing costs.
The next phase of integration was completed over the first week of January in Mahia, New Zealand, where Exolaunch oversaw the satellite integration with Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle. This process is a key step forward in preparing for launch from the same site, slated for no earlier than the 18th of January 2024.
“We are delighted to reach new heights in our established partnership with Spire, proud to support NorthStar’s first mission in their new constellation, and pleased to collaborate once again with the Rocket Lab team,” said Exolaunch’s chief commercial officer, Jeanne Allarie. “The smooth integration of satellites with the industry-leading EXOpod Nova deployers demonstrates our dedication to continuous innovation and proven reliability. We look forward to a successful launch on Electron.”
“Spire’s dedication to innovation, coupled with Exolaunch’s proven capabilities, marks a significant leap forward in advancing the capabilities of NorthStar’s constellation,” said Frank Frulio, the general manager of Space Services at Spire. “As we embark on this groundbreaking mission, the collaboration between Spire, Exolaunch, NorthStar, and Rocket Lab exemplifies the seamless integration of expertise, technology and dedication to shaping the future of space services.”
“Exolaunch has played an important role in the launch preparations for NorthStar’s first block of 4 satellites,” said David Saint-Germain, NorthStar’s Chief Operating Officer. “Teamwork and dedication to detail and precision make all the difference. Exolaunch has been a real asset to our inaugural launch campaign.” (Source: ASD Network)
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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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