SATELLITE COMMUNICATIONS DEVELOPMENT
Melissa K. Dobson, Esq.
Sr. Strategic Advisor and Founder
The Space Force and other space agencies are reconfiguring complexities of satellites to build a more reliable and advanced network. The restructure of satcom and other space systems will help lay the groundwork for Pentagon’s JADC2 (Joint Domain Command and Control) mission. With space architecture being prioritized, legacy systems will continue to operate as they are upgraded. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the bridging strategy will manage risk as it transforms to redesign the data transport layer. The plan for low-Earth satellites will provide connectivity for 95% of the world, a key part of the JADC2 mission. A study out of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies emphasizes the importance in updating the military’s current space architecture, a system of which puts the United States in danger of superseding Russian and Chines modernization capabilities with communication satellites.
According to the same report, the People’s Liberation Army and the Russian armed forces regard U.S. information flows in space as high priority targets to which they are developing and deploying options for multiple attacks. Beijing accesses the space domain with space-based remote sensing and precise positioning, navigation and timing data capabilities. Moscow’s portfolio spans anti-space weapons including jammers, directed energy weapons and ground-based anti-satellite missiles. As adversarial nations ramp up, the United States is recognizing the gaps and acknowledging vulnerabilities. The Pentagon has thus realized that satellites and satcoms must be more resilient to provide secure, on-demand connectivity required for our warfighters. Drawbacks in U.S. development are apparent as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance systems produce so much data for information to be effectively used by decision makers, the systems of which struggle to process all the data necessary for them to operate. Add to the data compiling issues the drawbacks with current architecture and larger individual satellite systems whose costs exceed $1B per spacecraft acquisition. U.S. military communications satellites cover about 42% of the world with a core of about 36 space system; most are positioned in geostationary orbit (GEO). Priorities for the U.S. government focus on satellite configurations to integrate the needs for services and organizations that rely on the technologies.
In the meantime, don’t forget to follow Elon Musk’s SpaceX program with annual orbital launch breaking records, and looking to excel the pace at a rate of one per week. As well, the private company is targeting the launch of 52 missions this year according to NASA.