Two paradigms are at work in the efforts of the U.S. military to get more capability from its larger remote piloted aircraft (RPA) platforms, Global Hawk and Predator variants.
The first is that sensor quality continually improves, generating more and better data. That includes full-motion, high-definition – and bandwidth eating — video, on which military intelligence, […]
With 75 satellites connecting through 550 antennas at 30 sites around the globe, Intelsat operates one of the most sophisticated communications networks in the world today.
This video details how our satellite operations and engineering team flies both Intelsat satellites and about 25 spacecraft owned by other companies. Together the satellites represent platforms built by all
New Video Highlights Intelsat’s Ground and Flight Operations Read More »
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu, The Art of
Automatic Beam Switching Is the Latest Link in a Long Chain of ISR Read More »
This week I was honored to speak on a panel at the Satellite 2016 show at National Harbor across the Potomac from Washington, DC. The subject of the panel was government airborne satellite services.
Civil and military use of airborne platforms equipped with satellite terminals continues to expand, fueling an accelerating demand for beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) satellite
Airborne Satellite Service — Helping the Military See Clearly Read More »
The American military faces an inflection point in space. Potential adversaries are aggressively developing new space capabilities in response to decades of U.S. preeminence. The DoD must respond to these developments in a reduced budgetary climate, and find more affordable ways to upgrade space assets and design a space architecture for the future.
In such a
What’s Holding Back the Adoption of Hosted Payloads? Read More »
Admiral Cecil D. Haney, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), has spoken a number of times over the past few months around the central theme of strengthening U.S capabilities in space for military deterrence and global stability.
The space domain is increasingly competitive and congested. Over 60 nations currently operate satellites in space. Potential U.S. adversaries
Admiral Haney Speaking Out on U.S. Space Posture Read More »
The U.S. Director of National Intelligence has called cybercrime the number one security threat this country faces, even over terrorism, espionage or weapons of mass destruction. These threats demand that DoD become more nimble in response. As DoD’s CIO Terry Halvorsen recently told reporters: “I think the big difference in cyber that we’re having to
Information Assurance Under Attack – How Commercial Space Can Help Read More »
Frank Kendall expects to work his way out the door at the Department of Defense, and decisions concerning the DoD’s use of commercial satellite communications are among the tasks he intends to tackle in his last 11 months in office.
Speaking at the Washington Space Business Roundtable luncheon on Tuesday, the DoD’s Undersecretary for Acquisition, Technology
Kendall “Prepared to Address Commercial SATCOM” in Final Year in Office Read More »
Greater commercial cooperation and data sharing services would help ease the burden on the Air Force for monitoring and reporting on the location of thousands of objects in space that can cause collisions and interference, Intelsat General Corporation President Kay Sears told a government forum recently.
“The commercial industry has to organize itself and expand what
Sears: Commercial Wants to Help With Space SSA Read More »
Satellite innovation continues to evolve at a rapid pace. For example, recently there have been developments in satellite modem technology that can mitigate satellite interference.
To get the latest, SatCom Frontier recently sat down with Stuart Daughtridge, Vice President for Advanced Technology at Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a leading National Security Solutions provider.
Tell us a
Talking Space Technology with Kratos’s Stuart Daughtridge Read More »
One of the most exciting developments in military space this past year was creation of the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC), allowing satellite operators from commercial companies to sit alongside military personnel at the Joint Space Operations Center (JSpOC) The goal was to enhance the JSpOC commander’s situational awareness of the space domain and develop tactics
Inside the Commercial Integration Cell Project Read More »
With exponential growth forecast worldwide for Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA), the commercial satellite industry convinced delegates to the recent World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-15) that more spectrum was needed in this vital area.
The delegates to the November conference in Geneva commissioned the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to develop Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) for the
Future of Ku-band for UAVs, C-band for Society’s Needs Supported at WRC-15 Read More »
2015 was year of transition and promise in space. We finally saw signs that the government demand for commercial bandwidth and services is stabilizing after a steady decline resulting from reductions in U.S. military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the DoD budget challenges following sequestration.
At the same time, we were pleased to
2015 – Great Progress, Great Things to Come in Space Read More »
With a blinding flash of light and the thunder of 220,000 pounds of thrust pushing the Ariane 5 ECA rocket off the launch pad Wednesday at Guiana Space Center, Intelsat 29e began the final leg of its mission to usher in a new era in commercial satellite communications.
Intelsat 29e, the first of a planned constellation
Intelsat Epic Launch Begins a New Era in Satellite Communication Read More »
In November, Brigadier General Nina Armagno gave an excellent presentation on Air Force Space Command’s Enterprise Ground Services (EGS) to industry. The event was organized by the National Defense Industry Association Rocky Mountain Chapter. She painted a clear picture of what EGS is, how it needs to evolve and better support U.S. space resiliency, and
Enterprise Ground Services Critical to U.S. Space Capabilities Read More »
In mid-October last year, the President and Congress were still locked in a standoff over the size and shape of the federal budget for the fiscal year that had already begun at the beginning of the month. There was little certainty about how the White House and congressional leaders would resolve the disagreement. In the
Budget Debate on FY17 Not Over, Possible Ramifications for Space Posture Read More »
With growing concern about emerging or potential threats in space, the U.S. military is challenged to maintain and enhance capabilities to cope with an uncertain future. That challenge means delayed decision making about follow-ons for such programs as the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) system and Wideband Global SatCom (WGS) which could be costly –
Military SatCom Health Should Drive Decision Making, not Delay It Read More »
The Air Force is concerned less with how long a satellite will last in orbit and more about the spacecraft’s “Resiliency Capacity,” Winston Beauchamp, Deputy Undersecretary of the Air Force for Space, told a Space News Washington Space Business roundtable luncheon recently.
For decades, the Air Force used a formula called “Functional Availability” that predicted the
Functional Availability No Longer Sufficient for Space Read More »
General John Hyten bridles at the perception of his Air Force Space Command being comprised of technicians in a 9-to-5 office environment reacting to threats thousands of miles above Earth. It’s a perception he wants to correct, Hyten told the Air Force Association’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies “Space Power for the Warfighter” breakfast seminar,
Hyten: Space Command Should be an Active Force in Dynamic Times Read More »
Earlier this year Telecom Review interviewed Terry Bleakley, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Intelsat. The magazine wanted an update on the dramatic changes that will come to the market once the first two Epic high-throughput satellites are launched by Intelsat in the first nine months of 2016.
In addition to a massive increase in throughput,
Digital Payloads and Higher Throughput Changing the Satellite Market Read More »
