23 Dec 24. US Space Operations Command preps for new shared domain awareness tool. The leader of U.S. Space Operations Command is hopeful the Space Force can meet its goal of delivering a command-and-control platform that allows operators to see a common picture of the domain by the end of next year.
The software for that baseline capability, known as the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System, or ATLAS, is being developed by L3Harris and is in the final stages of testing.
Lt. Gen. David Miller, who leads Space Operations Command, told reporters that while he knows delivering that system is a “big lift,” having a single platform that units can use to train, plan and fight from is at the top of his must-have list.
“That’s where I’d like to be in 2025,” he told reporters earlier this month at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida. “I want to be done with it, I’ll be honest with you. I’m impatient.”
ATLAS will provide the foundational software for a broader modernization program known as Space Command and Control. Its analysis and data processing capabilities are what will allow the Space Force to decommission its 1970s-era Space Defense Operations Center, known as SPADOC. The system manages the Space Force’s fleet of radars and sensors that track objects in space.
Its replacement will be able to merge data from a range of systems, giving operators a more wholistic understanding of what’s happening in orbit.
The operational transition between the two systems was supposed to happen in 2022 but has been delayed largely do to software integration challenges between L3Harris and Space Systems Command, which is serving as the prime integrator for the program.
Charles Clarkson, vice president and general manager of the space superiority and imaging division at L3Harris, told Defense News the government-industry team has “found a cadence” over the last 18 months. As of November, L3Harris has delivered 95% of the software needed for ATLAS and expects to finish the rest in the first quarter of next year.
“Right now, we’re focused on finalizing the software, and then increasingly, as we get closer to this being real, we’re getting more and more involvement from the ops community,” he said in an interview. “Then we get that increased scrutiny, which we certainly welcome, so that we can kind of find bugs early and address them. And that’s all going well.”
Once testing is done and the ATLAS minimum viable product is delivered, the program will go through a trial operations phase, which should wrap up next year.
Clarkson said that with testing mostly complete and operators starting to get their hands on the system, the remaining transition risks are less technical and more about helping users shift to a new platform.
“It’s getting people familiar with it, trained on it,” he said. “They’re going to do their job differently than they did before. And so, one of the big focuses that we have over the next two quarters is the training piece.”
Meanwhile, Miller said his team at Space Operations Command has been working to ensure that when ATLAS is ready, they have a set of space domain awareness applications ready to integrate into the platform. Partnering with the intelligence community, commercial firms and other offices within the Space Force, the command is experimenting with potential tools derived from existing software.
He wouldn’t share details about the applications, but said he expects to be able to field a few of them in the coming year.
“What I’ll say is, I’m interested in maintaining awareness of anything that is on orbit that’s a risk to operations, safety, operations proximity or allows you to track potential threats,” Miller said.
(Source: Defense News)
21 Dec 24. ICEYE, the global leader in SAR satellite operations for Earth Observation and persistent monitoring, announced today that it has launched two new satellites to its constellation of SAR satellites. Both satellites expand the availability of ICEYE’s latest imaging technology to deliver additional 25 cm imaging capacity. The satellites were integrated via Exolaunch and launched as part of the Bandwagon-2 rideshare mission with SpaceX from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, USA. Both satellites have established communication, and early routine operations are underway. With today’s launch, ICEYE has successfully launched 40 satellites into orbit since 2018, with nine satellites launched in 2024 alone.
The new SAR satellites were launched into mid-inclination orbits; compared to a polar orbit, these mid-inclination orbits provide more than twice the collection opportunities at middle latitudes of the globe. ICEYE customers have many areas of interest in these middle latitudes (+/- 45 degrees), and these customers will benefit from increased persistence over these regions. Customers with imaging interests outside these middle latitudes will continue to benefit from the frequent revisit enabled by ICEYE’s dozens of satellites in polar orbits. ICEYE’s unique mix of mid-inclination and polar orbits provides its customers with deep revisit capabilities for targets all around the globe. The new satellites will serve ICEYE’s commercial missions as part of the world’s largest SAR satellite constellation owned and operated by ICEYE.
Rafal Modrzewski, CEO and Co-founder of ICEYE said: “This launch marks another significant milestone in ICEYE’s ability to provide our customers with a rich diversity of collection opportunities. We bolster our industry-leading SAR constellation and expand our customers’ collection opportunities in the areas most important for them.”
Today’s launch is another step forward in ICEYE’s steady drumbeat of innovative breakthroughs in Earth Observation. This year alone, ICEYE has, for example, introduced Dwell Precise, a new 25 cm imaging mode that offers its customers the highest-fidelity 25cm imaging capability, and adds advanced capability to ICEYE’s line of Dwell products; launched an API that allows customers to directly task its SAR satellite constellation; and launched ICEYE Ocean Vision to provide actionable intelligence for maritime domain awareness.
19 Dec 24. New US Space Force jammers aim to disrupt China’s SATCOM signals. The U.S. Space Force is on track to field its first batch of a new ground-based satellite communications jammer in the coming months — designed to disrupt signals from enemy spacecraft.
Space Operations Command just approved the Remote Modular Terminals for initial fielding, a spokesperson told Defense News Wednesday, adding that the jammers will be in the hands of military users imminently.
The Space Force plans to field 11 systems as part of the first release, giving units a chance to use the system before it’s accepted for operations. The program has funding to build around 160, and the service expects to need as many as 200 in the coming years.
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, a fast-moving acquisition team based at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, is the lead for the RMT program. Space RCO Director Kelly Hammett told reporters last week the small, modular terminals are designed to block adversary communications from satellites that are surveilling U.S. and allies, particularly in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
“We want to be able to disrupt their comms and their kill chains and their targeting links,” Hammett said during a Dec. 11 media briefing at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla. “That’s what these systems are intended to do: to block reception going either from, say, sensors that are that are looking at our joint forces and reporting up to a satellite and back to a battle management node, or vice versa.”
The U.S. is particularly concerned about surveillance satellites China has launched in recent years. The remote systems, called Yaogan, provide continuous, uninterrupted coverage of the Indo-Pacific theater to identify gaps in U.S. and allied forces. The latest version, Yaogan-41, launched to geostationary orbit late last year and can track car-sized objects, according to a January 2024 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The RMT jammers will essentially “yell in their ear” so the radars can’t command other systems to attack U.S. assets, according to Hammett.
Hammett declined to say where the first systems will be fielded, but said the initial locations have been identified. Speaking this fall at a separate Space Industry Days conference in Los Angeles, Hammett said operators will be able to control the systems from locations in the U.S. even as they’re deployed around the world.
The Space RCO awarded contracts for the program just 18 months ago, working with a small, Virginia-based company called Northstrat. The firm partnered with a larger company, CACI, to leverage mostly off-the-shelf technology to build the terminals.
The terminals themselves are small, Hammett said, and cost roughly $1.5 m each.
“As far as space electronic warfare goes, you can’t get much better than that,” he said. (Source: Defense News)
19 Dec 24. New Low SWaP GNSS Anti-Jam Technology Launched. NovAtel’s new GAJT-310 is a low SWaP GNSS Anti-Jam Technology, the latest in a line of battle-proven solutions for assured PNT that protects against hostile RF interference.
Hexagon | NovAtel has released the GAJT-310, the lowest size, weight, and power (SWaP) GNSS Anti-Jam Technology (GAJT) in the company’s line yet.
The GAJT line is a battle-proven solution for assured positioning, navigation and timing (A-PNT) that protects against hostile radio frequency interference on land, at sea and in the air.
GNSS signal jamming is a considerable threat in today’s unstable geopolitical environment. Almost everything users count on today depends on GNSS PNT, including communications, transportation, agriculture, the Internet and banking.
To stay ahead of the jamming threat, affordable, practical and easily implementable solutions are required. The new GAJT-310 provides users with the latest powerful anti-jam technology with low latency in a smaller device.
Low latency means the GAJT-310 can be put to work protecting signals immediately — no additional setup — just plug in and protect.
What sets the GAJT-310 apart from other low SWaP options is how flexible and cost-effective it is as a product. It is available as an integrated enclosure or federated option, with separate electronics card and Controlled Reception Pattern Antenna (CRPA).
The GAJT-310 also provides protection for more GNSS signals than many other products on the market, such as on the L1 and L2 bands. Not only this, it is a commercially exportable technology, making the GAJT-310 accessible worldwide.
Stig Pedersen, executive vice president of aerospace & defence at Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, stated, “The GAJT portfolio of tried and tested anti-jam technology can now protect all platforms. GAJT-310 is ideal for space-constrained and cost-sensitive platforms, including uncrewed or autonomous vehicles and UAVs.”
Neil Gerein, vice president of product at aerospace & defence at Hexagon’s Autonomy & Positioning division, also commented, “We’ve taken everything we learned from the successful in-theatre deployment of the GAJT-710 and GAJT-410 for NATO forces worldwide and built it into the GAJT-310.
“Regarding assured positioning, navigation and timing, we believe every platform in any industry should be protected.” (Source: https://www.defenseadvancement.com/)
19 Dec 24. Norway, Germany sign space cooperation intent letter. Norway’s latest Defence Long-Term Plan places emphasis on advancing military space operations.
Norway Defence Minister Bjørn Arild Gram and his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius, have formalised their commitment to bolster space cooperation through a letter of intent.
This move comes at a time when the security landscape is seen to be increasingly challenging, particularly for space-based assets, highlighting the necessity for enhanced defence partnerships.
Norway’s latest Defence Long-Term Plan places emphasis on advancing military space operations and the establishment of new satellite systems.
Norway reached a consensus on the implementation of the new long-term defence plan that will span over a 12-year period, starting from the current year and extending to 2036.
This initiative will see an increase in defence expenditure by Nkr600bn (approximately $60bn). The proposed financial allocation for Norway’s defence sector is projected to be Nkr1624bn throughout this 12-year timeframe.
The plan is set to enhance the overall strength of the Norwegian Armed Forces by incorporating additional manpower and introducing advanced capabilities across all military branches.
Bjørn Arild Gram said: “Space-based services and capabilities are essential for effective military operations going forward. Leveraging space-based capabilities will be crucial for Norway’s ability to sustain situational awareness in the High North.
“Norway is a significant space nation, but collaboration with allies is vital for further development, creating synergies, and sharing costs. This will bolster Norway’s position as a key player in space, while enhancing security and stability.”
The collaboration between Norway and Germany in the realm of space was previously solidified with a joint declaration, allowing German satellites to be launched from Andøya Spaceport on 19 June 2025.
Andøya Spaceport has since secured a long-term contract with Isar Aerospace, a German firm, to use the Spectrum rocket for satellite launches.
“The signing of the letter of intent between Norway and Germany lays the foundation for collaboration across several areas, including space operations, defence industrial initiatives, and satellite launches from Andøya Spaceport,” added Bjørn Arild Gram.
Besides, Norway has recently declared its intention to augment its support for Ukraine by contributing to the air defence of Rzeszów airport in Poland, a critical logistics centre for Ukrainian aid.
Beginning in December 2024, Norwegian forces will deploy approximately 100 soldiers to safeguard the airspace using NASAMS air defence systems and F-35 fighter jets.
(Source: airforce-technology.com)