Interference

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Issue.pmd 2 18/02/2020, 00:05 Contents - Volume 1, Issue 1

News & Social Media Editor Laurence Russell [email protected]

Marketing and Business Development Belinda Bradford 2020 Space Trends: Ossi Saarela, Space Segment Manager [email protected] at MathWorks

Sales Director Front cover photo courtesy of Shutterstock Jill Durfee [email protected] Americas News Review 4,5,38

Sales Manager Q&A Tony Radford, Vice President Global Sales Sam Baird at Advantech Wireless Technologies 6 [email protected] Q&A Rob Spicer, President and CEO, TriSept 10 Circulation Manager Elizabeth George 2020 Space Trends: Ossi Saarela, Space Segment Manager at MathWorks 16 Publisher Richard Hooper Global Broadcast Service provides needed [email protected] communications resiliency 20

Managing Director Gaming at 33,000 feet – But keep an eye on your David Shortland data 24 [email protected] Space Flight Laboratory and Kepler Communications No part of this publication may be transmitted, take a new approach to satellite development and reproduced or electronically stored without the written production 28 permission from the publisher. Q&A Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President Sales & DS Air Publications does not give any warranty as to Marketing, talks about Certus, Iridium NEXT 30 the content of the material appearing in the magazine, its accuracy, timeliness or fitness for any particular Tactical communications developments 32 purpose. DS Air Publications disclaims all responsibility for any damages or losses in the use and dissemination of the information.

DS Air Publications 1 Langhurstwood Road Horsham West Sussex, RH12 4QD United Kingdom T: +44 1403 273973 F: +44 1403 273972 Email: [email protected] Gaming at 33,000 feet – But keep an eye on your www.satellite-evolution.com data

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Issue.pmd 3 18/02/2020, 00:05 News, Views & Analysis is the fifth pilot to complete a flight in VSS Unity. VMS Eve was piloted by Mike ‘Sooch’ Masucci and Frederick ‘CJ’ Sturckow. The move of the spaceship to Spaceport America marks a key step in the relocation of Virgin Galactic’s to the state of New Mexico. In May 2019, Virgin Galactic announced that Virgin Galactic welcomes as part of this move, approximately 100 teammates would move to New Mexico from Mojave, California, Spaceport America would become operational and the vehicles would SpaceShipTwo unity to be transferred to the Gateway to Space. Today, nearly all of those team members have relocated, the spaceport is operationally ready, and both VMS Eve and VSS Unity have now arrived. Of Virgin Galactic’s total current New Mexico spaceport America, New work force, more than 70 team members have been hired locally, the result of a conscious effort to attract New Mexico- based talent. Mexico “New Mexico is going to be the world’s launchpad for Virgin Galactic Holdings has successfully completed another commercial spaceflight,” New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan vital step on its path to commercial service, relocating Grisham said. “Today marks another step closer: We will have SpaceShipTwo, VSS Unity, to its commercial headquarters a genuine Space Valley in Southern New Mexico, a hotbed at Spaceport America’s Gateway to Space building. of innovation and achievement and space tourism VSS Unity, attached to the carrier aircraft, VMS Eve, made development. I congratulate Virgin Galactic’s workers, George the journey from Mojave, California, where the Company’s Whitesides and Sir Richard Branson on today’s successful manufacturing facilities are based. The vehicle landed at flight – and once again I say to them: Welcome to New Mexico, 15.49 MT, where it was greeted by an enthusiastic group of we’re very glad to have you!” teammates who will operate the spaceship in New Mexico. “When Virgin Galactic started moving to New Mexico last This captive carry flight provided an opportunity for year, everyone felt the sheer magnitude of the task ahead, engineers to evaluate VSS Unity for over three hours at high but we were encouraged and excited by the team’s confidence altitude and cold temperatures, a longer period of time than and strong vision for the future,” said George Whitesides, is experienced during missions to space. These CEO of Virgin Galactic. “Today we realized the next step in environmental evaluations of system performance are difficult that dream by bringing our beautiful spaceship to New Mexico. to replicate at ground level, making captive carry missions a We still have significant work ahead, but we are grateful to vital component of VSS Unity’s flight test plan. all our teammates who have made this day a reality.” The flight also provided a valuable opportunity to conduct The relocation of VSS Unity to Spaceport America enables pilot training and familiarization, with veteran Italian Air Force the Company to engage in the final stages of its flight test Test Pilot Nicola ‘Stick’ Pecile joining Chief Pilot Dave ‘Mac’ program. This will begin with a number of initial captive carry Mackay in the cockpit of the spaceship for the first time. Nicola and glide flights from the new operating base in New Mexico, allowing the spaceflight operations team to familiarize themselves with the airspace and ground control. Once these tests are complete, the team will carry out a number of rocket- powered test flights from Spaceport America to continue the evaluation of VSS Unity’s performance. During this phase, the final spaceship cabin and customer experience evaluations will also be concluded in preparation for the start of commercial spaceflight operations. The Spaceship Company, Virgin Galactic’s design, testing and manufacturing arm, remains firmly rooted in Mojave, California. While VMS Eve and VSS Unity are now based in New Mexico, they will make periodic journeys back to Mojave to support ground and flight tests of new spaceships, as well as for vehicle maintenance and upgrade activities. There is significant progress being made on the next two spaceships, including achieving the Weight on Wheels milestone for the second spaceship and completing over 50% of the structural and system part fabrication for the third spaceship, which were announced in January. Dan Hicks, Spaceport America’s Executive Director, congratulated the Virgin Galactic team, saying “This truly is the dawn of a new era for the commercial space sector. We are tremendously proud of our foundational partner Virgin Galactic - as we see and support their historic progress in making human space flight a reality for our beautiful world. The New Mexico and Spaceport America leadership will continue our strong support for our visionary Virgin Galactic teammates; and we Photo courtesy of Virgiin Galactic are looking forward to an exciting 2020!”

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Issue.pmd 4 18/02/2020, 00:05 News, Views & Analysis

trains, operating on this section of track, with Cobham EXPLORER 325 Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) terminals, EXPLORER Mobile Gateways and the PRISM PTT+ service, delivering uninterrupted connectivity, even in the most isolated of areas without mobile coverage. This will enable accurate real-time tracking of each train as well as reliable voice and data communication between drivers, maintenance crews and regional control centres. The framework’s intent is to see 1,600 locomotives provisioned with highly reliable BGAN connectivity, ensuring an efficient, profitable and safe railway network.

Viasat, fuboTV sign first-of-its-kind In-flight video distribution and technology partnership Viasat Inc and fuboTV have announced a video streaming distribution and technology partnership that advances how content can be delivered and consumed in-flight. The partnership is the first to leverage innovative technology standards from the global technical Photo courtesy of Rumo SA association, the Streaming Video Alliance (the Alliance), and apply them to in-flight connectivity. These standards enable airlines that sign-up for the Viasat/fuboTV partnership to seamlessly make fuboTV’s live streaming premium over-the-top (OTT) and video Globalsat Group, on-demand (VOD) sports, entertainment and news programming available to all passengers—at no charge—on US flights equipped with Viasat satellite Inmarsat and Cobham internet.

Technology breakthrough drives higher quality sign multi-year in-flight streaming As the first to implement the open caching specifications of the Streaming Video Alliance in-flight, Viasat and fuboTV are using multicast techniques to deliver live OTT contract with Rumo and VOD content at-scale. Specifically, the companies Globalsat Group, through its Brazilian affiliate Globalsat do have implemented the Alliance specifications over Brasil, has signed a multi-year contract with Rumo SA, the Viasat’s capacity-rich network, to optimize video delivery largest transport and logistics company in Latin America. In of fuboTV’s live TV streaming service, including their free a deal that is set to significantly improve the running of Rumo’s linear channel, fubo Sports Network. Brazilian rail infrastructure, Globalsat Group will provide a This technology optimization provides for more solution leveraging satellite connectivity from Inmarsat, the reliable live and VOD streaming with faster web page world leader in global, mobile satellite communications, and downloads and enhanced video streaming image Cobham connectivity terminals. This solution will connect quality—on any personal device connected to the Viasat Rumo’s cargo trains, increasing the speed with which goods network. can be transported across the country and improving the “We’re focused on delivering the best live TV and safety of trains, vehicles and the people operating them. sports streaming service to our customers—anywhere, Rumo is responsible for managing 14,000km of railway and now that includes at 35,000 feet,” said Cristina track in Brazil, with the project initially focusing on 2000km Arango, Director of Strategic Partnerships, fuboTV. of the Northern Railway which connects six key states to the “Streaming live television is complex, and fuboTV prides Port of Santos. As most of the tracks pass through remote itself on our internally-built tech stack that allows us to areas with unreliable or non-existent network coverage, train bring a stable experience to our subscribers. That’s why drivers, railway engineers and transport managers have no it was critical for us to work with a proven technology way of communicating effectively. As a result, drivers cannot partner like Viasat to enable fuboTV to be one of the receive live traffic updates and trains cannot progress until first live streaming services to expand distribution to the they receive updates from the control centre. This causes US aviation market. We are excited to offer both fuboTV long delays to trains and creates a variety of logistical and fubo Sports Network without the need to purchase challenges as well as increased operational costs. an in-flight Wi-Fi package, to millions of passengers every The first stage of the project will begin in early 2020 and month—which is an untapped environment for us.” will see Globalsat Group equipping 300 of Rumo’s cargo

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Issue.pmd 5 18/02/2020, 00:05 Q&A Advantech Wireless Technologies

Golden era of innovation Established in 1988, Advantech Wireless Technologies designs, manufactures and deploys satellite and terrestrial wireless communications equipment for broadband connectivity, broadcast solutions, video contribution/distribution, mobile 3G, 5G, LTE backhaul, DTH & DTT, and MIL- SUMMIT - High-Power, Satcom. Advantech’s product portfolio consists of Modular, Soft-Fail Redundant SSPA Systems next generation GaN-based Solid State Power Amplifiers (SSPAs), Block-Up Converters (SSPBs), to new heights with proprietary combining structures. frequency converters, terrestrial microwave Our digital design team is preparing to launch a complete products, Pulsed Amplifiers for Radar refit of our monitor and control platform to CAN Bus, a move Applications, Transmitter and Transceiver that promises exponentially greater speed and status products, as well as RF Passive Components and monitoring down to the device level. This is particularly critical integrated systems. Tony Radford, Vice President for our new Summit II and Olympus high-power SSPA Global Sales at Advantech Wireless systems. With the need for ever increasing bandwidth and Technologies, opines on the present day satcoms power, we’re always looking for new devices and techniques sector, and Advantech’s place within it. that will allow us to continue to be leaders in this industry. Question: In April 2019, Advantech announced the official Question: The space sector is in the midst of a golden opening of its Advantech Wireless Technologies Centre era of innovation; change is coming on all fronts, and of Excellence in Kirkland, Quebec. What can you tell us with remarkable speed. What’s your assessment of the about this new facility and the implications for the space and satellite sectors as they stand right now? company? Tony Radford: I have been in the satcom industry for 40 Tony Radford: When we combined the R&D resources of years and I don’t recall having seen the industry being pulled Advantech and Alga, it was decided that the best way to in so many directions at the same time. Innovation in our ensure coordination and process efficiency was to centralize industry used to happen at a much slower pace. in one location. Our Tech Center is treated like a separate With the advent of CubeSats, SmallSats and whatever entity whereby everything related to R&D can be accounted else gets spun into LEO, everything is being affected one for on a free-standing basis. We currently have three R&D way or another. Spacecraft designs, ground stations, labs that are part of our new center. antennas, launch vehicles – even the way services are accessed is changing. Today, seamless global ubiquity is the Question: In 2019 we saw the release of Advantech’s new goal along with unlimited data rates and as close to zero link line of Solid-State Power Amplifiers and Block Up latency as you can get. Converters; what improvements does this new product line deliver compared to previous iterations? Question: With so much change well underway, what will Tony Radford: Shortly after Baylin’s acquisition of Advantech, Advantech’s role be within such a rapidly developing Alga Microwave was acquired, giving us two product portfolios sector going forwards? with overlap in some bands and power levels. This prompted Tony Radford: As has always been the case, satellite architecture defines what we do on the ground. The focus on LEO and MEO constellations is changing everything we do in satcom, whether it’s RF amplifiers and converters, antennas, launch services, satellite tracking or comms architecture. When you consider all of that along with the push for 5G, attempting to survive on legacy technology and products is futile. Advantech’s R&D team is constantly innovating to ensure our products keep up with (and ahead of) these trends. As one of the world’s largest suppliers of satcom products, we have a sizeable design team currently engaged in new product development. In addition to the sustainment of our broad portfolio, thanks to our deep experience in passive component design, we’re pushing solid state RF power levels Taurus Line - 500W Ku-Band GaN based SSPA/BUC

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Issue.pmd 7 18/02/2020, 00:05 Q&A Advantech Wireless Technologies “With the advent of CubeSats, SmallSats and whatever else gets spun into LEO, everything is being affected us to critique both brands so we could standardize on the one way or another. Spacecraft best models, based on performance, cost and designs, ground stations, antennas, manufacturability. launch vehicles – even the way Advantech has always been known, particularly for high power amplifiers, whereas Alga’s legacy has been in low to services are accessed is changing.” medium power, at least as far as mainstream production is concerned. Alga brought an extensive library of microwave passives, along with sophisticated modelling and prototyping RF combining designs will grant us the ability to achieve high tools. Last year, we announced the release of a new 1kW levels of RF output power with modular architecture that will Ku-band SSPB that is truly a hybrid of Advantech’s high- permit cost effective sparing and field maintenance. power RF circuit design coupled with a new combining All of our new products are designed around our CAN assembly developed by Alga. Bus M&C platform. Commonality will simplify the integration Our new Summit II soft-fail, redundant SSPA system is of our products into earth station networks regardless of their slated for launch next quarter. Summit II represents the heritage – Advantech or Alga. culmination of everything new at Advantech – high-power The recent launch of Olympus high-power redundant and SSPAs with Alga combining and high-performance monitoring phase combined system indicates our never-ending pursuit and control based on CAN Bus M&C. of projects that require very high levels of solid-state power. Summit II will pick up where Olympus leaves off. Though our Question: What new technologies is Advantech Summit systems have proven themselves in the market with considering for its next round of innovation? seven years of 100 percent availability, Summit II will carry Tony Radford: Since Ka-band is forming the basis for many, that legacy forward with even greater reliability, less weight, if not most, of the new satellite platforms, Advantech has a a smaller footprint, faster reaction time and superior team specifically dedicated to the design and development diagnostics. of a new line of Ka-band RF modules and BUCs. Our new Another recent launch was our 5G interference rejection filter for C-band operators. Olympus Line - High-Power Solid State Power Amplifier System Question: 2019 was a fantastic year for Advantech; what do you expect 2020 to have in store? Tony Radford: 2020 is going to be a busy year for us. We have a long list of new products we’re planning to launch. In addition to our satcom products, we launched a new pulsed amplifier platform last year. Though Advantech isn’t well known for RADAR products, we have decades of experience in pulsed and CW/pulsed amplifier deployments. Last year we launched a new Troposcatter amplifier line that will be expanding upon this year. Also, our line of RF converters will be getting a face lift, as will our universal controllers – including touch screen front panels. Though Advantech is not a system integrator per se, we won’t hesitate to integrate our amplifier systems with antennas up to 13 meters. Our new Summit II is designed to be suitable for mounting on the work platforms of large aperture antennas. The Advantech design team is hard at work on a list of initiatives that will combine the best elements of multiple products and drive an increase in performance and manufacturability. Soon, we will announce our entrance into a new technology that will give us access to a market where we’ve never played before, so stay tuned!

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Issue.pmd 9 18/02/2020, 00:05 Q&A TriSept

TriSept: Shaping the future of NewSpace TriSept Corporation has enabled more than 200 satellite launches on 70 missions since its inception 25 years ago in 1994. Working with commercial organizations, government, and defence agencies alike, TriSept has helped shape and conceptualize the rideshare model we all know today. TriSept President and CEO, Rob Spicer, who’s as passionate about space as anyone in the industry, shares his view of the evolving launch sector on the heels of several major missions and announcements. TriSept President and CEO, Rob Spicer Question: TriSept has been around for an impressive 25 years now: What are some of the highlights of the exciting developments and breakthroughs. For example, we company’s history, and the services you’re offering were at the Rocket Lab press conference at Small Sat 2019 today? in Logan, Utah, where the company announced its plan to Rob Spicer: There are so many highlights to celebrate during initiate a reusable rocket program. our 25th year at TriSept, including our mission support to We’re thrilled to see so many innovations and options national security and Intel programs, working with small across this evolving global market. Some of those options satellites long before they were cool, and constantly are still paper rockets, of course, and there will be companies diversifying our portfolio. Many of our early rideshare that simply can’t realize their dreams and vision. innovations contributed to SpaceX’s milestone Falcon 1 But there’s plenty of room for new space entrants with launch of a Malaysian satellite in 2009. new ideas, and investors are backing quite a few offerings Following the Falcon 1 success, the Air Force’s out there today. The number of companies vying for a spot in Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office tapped TriSept this burgeoning industry will certainly get whittled down to to lead payload integration and next-gen platform solutions the firms with the strongest financials and collaborative for cubesat rideshares and to help demonstrate commercial partnerships. use of Cold War-era missile assets on the Minotaur launch We continue to build the TriSept business through a high vehicle. The ORS-3 Minotaur 1 mission briefly held the record level of expertise and collaboration with complementary for the most payloads (31, including 28 cubesats) released providers. There is a historic manifest ahead and that’s into space during a single launch in 2013. exciting for all of us in this industry – so many satellites and Most recently, TriSept led the launch integration for the mission payloads that need to be lifted into orbit. NASA VCLS ELaNa XIX mission that lifted 13 cubesats into Our launch brokerage business is growing fast, built on orbit aboard the Rocket Lab Electron from Mahia, New our ability to build missions and identify existing missions for Zealand in December of last year. That was Rocket Lab’s commercial and government customers. Our database first government mission – an exciting milestone for sure. enables us to simplify a once complicated brokerage process We’ve built close collaborative relationships with all of to the point where we can pinpoint the best launcher for a the leading and emerging launch providers and satellite client’s mission in near real time. producers, as we bring unparalleled integration and mission That capability is keeping TriSept busy matching and management experience to the launch sector. We like to say integrating payloads with NewSpace and traditional we are bridging the gap between traditional space and launchers, and the pipeline is steady. NewSpace with our expertise and knowhow. We’ve always approached the missions we manage, broker and support from our customers’ perspective – never Question: The launch sector is looking pretty dynamic losing sight of their mission goals and objectives. at the moment, with re-usable launches, dedicated small satellite launchers, air and balloon launches, all hitting Question: At the start of the year, TriSept and Equatorial the headlines. What’s your assessment of the sector as Launch Australia (ELA) signed an open agreement which a whole, and is there room for everyone? provides TriSept’s customers with access to one of the Rob Spicer: This is a very exciting time to be in the space most efficient new launch sites in the world. Can you tell business. We work with all of the traditional and NewSpace us more about the deal, and what makes it so exciting innovators and launch vehicle providers, and fresh from a for TriSept’s clients? series of conferences this summer and fall we’ve seen some Rob Spicer: The TriSept-ELA agreement provides TriSept

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Issue.pmd 11 18/02/2020, 00:06 Q&A TriSept

customers with access to one of the most exciting and efficient new launch sites in the world – ELA’s Arnhem Space Center (ASC), located just 12 degrees from the equator in Australia. We’re able to leverage the extra rotational velocity that comes with launching so close to the equator – an important advantage for spacecraft producers looking for a site ideal for rapid, reliable and cost-effective access to LEO, GEO and deep space missions. TriSept is the first company to confirm priority access to ELA’s ASC site, which means we can work with our customers to define a launch date and program tailored to their specific needs. The Arnhem Space Centre is being built by ELA in the north of Australia where the earth’s rotational speed is 1635km/hr. Leveraging the Earth’s speed, a launch vehicle can carry more to space than if launched at higher latitudes, which ultimately results in more affordable space access.

Question: Debris is becoming a growing concern throughout the entire space community. What’s your TriSept's Jason Armstrong on launch integration for assessment of the current threat levels, and how might Falcon 1 mission it evolve? Rob Spicer: Space gets its name for a reason - there’s lots satellite launched to have some type of built-in de-orbit of it, but certainly not an infinite amount around our home mechanism to enable a timely reentry when a mission is planet. There’s actually more ‘trash’ in orbit than there are completed or failed. operational satellites. That’s a big problem, and one we view Anything above LEO, in MEO and GEO for example, seriously at TriSept. We see two big items when it comes to innovative solutions are long overdue to make de-orbiting the growing orbital space debris challenge. 1) We must clean easier and more efficient. These spacecraft will most likely up the debris in LEO as soon as possible or we may not be continue to be moved to graveyard orbits at the completion able to navigate through the mess in the near future, and 2) of their missions until a solution is developed. I envision some going forward, we should make it mandatory for every LEO type of shuttle service or even a powerful tether device that

Chris Carlson of TriSept checks out Tyvak dispenser device that TriSept procured for the MSS DRAGRACER mission

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Issue.pmd 13 18/02/2020, 00:06 Q&A TriSept “Space gets its name for a reason - there’s lots of it, but certainly not an infinite amount around our home planet. can pull these larger satellites from their high orbits to a point There’s actually more ‘trash’ in orbit where they can more easily de-orbit and burn up during than there are operational satellites. reentry. That’s a big problem, and one we view

Question: In August, TriSept signed launch service seriously at TriSept.“ agreements with Millennium Space and Rocket Lab to support a unique mission called DRAGRACER, aimed at helping solve the ever-increasing orbital debris terminator tape, which adds significant drag to the spacecraft challenge. What can you tell us about the mission? and allows researchers to study how the device can Rob Spicer: TriSept has always been concerned about the dramatically accelerate reentry and the removal of orbital space debris problem, in fact, we hold four patents aimed at debris once a spacecraft reaches end of life or the end of a contributing to debris solutions. So, when Millennium Space mission. Systems (MSS) approached us with the idea behind the An onboard timer will trigger the tether deployment on DRAGRACER mission and their need for a rideshare to get the experimental satellite a few days into the mission, with this important mission into space, we jumped at the reentry estimates in the two to four-week range for the opportunity to help. spacecraft with the tether tape and eight to 12 months for TriSept brokered MSS’ rideshare slot aboard a Rocket the spacecraft without the drag device. It’s the first of its kind Lab Electron launch vehicle, a mission that is scheduled for deorbit mission – a project dedicated solely to the study of launch in Q2 of next year. Once in space, MSS’ 25kg small an orbital debris solution. And we’re excited to be working satellite will split into two identical satellites to demonstrate with both Millennium Space Systems and Rocket Lab in how a new deorbit technology, Terminator Tape, developed search of an answer to the debris challenge. by Tethers Unlimited, can help reduce orbital debris. One of the test satellites will feature the deployable Question: As we round out 2019, what’s on the horizon for TriSept in 2020? What are your expectations of the launch sector? TriSept secures dedicated rideshare mission aboard Rob Spicer: TriSept continues to support NASA as the lead Orbex Prime integrator on its VCLS ELaNa XX mission, an 11 cubesat TriSept Corporation has procured a full mission aboard an manifest on the Virgin Orbit Launcher 1 that marks the first Orbex Prime launch vehicle set to lift off in the fall of 2022 official operation aboard the new launch vehicle set to lift off from the UK's first spaceport in Sutherland, Scotland. late this year or early next. NASA’s Launch Services Program With its expansion into the UK space market already (LSP) will also look to TriSept later this year to provide underway, TriSept is building a multiple spacecraft manifest Andesite integration on an academia payload rideshare for a dedicated rideshare mission aboard the reusable Orbex mission scheduled to launch on the Rocket Lab Electron. Prime small satellite launcher. TriSept is a long-time go-to And NASA recently announced TriSept made the cut as a launch integration provider in the US space market, enabling launch integration and hardware provider for the next five the launch of more than 200 satellites on 70 different missions years, so that’s very exciting. We’re working through many of aboard 20 different launch vehicles from 13 launch sites the pre-launch developments ahead of the DRAGRACER across the globe. TriSept announced last month it will have a orbital debris solution mission set to go early next year. And full-time presence at the Harwell Space Campus in Oxford, there are dozens of other missions and projects we’re England beginning this year. currently working on in various stages for commercial, The Orbex Prime launch vehicle offers a payload capacity government and academia clients around the world. We have of 150kg to Sun Synchronous Orbit (SSO), ideally suited for a initiated a new SCIF (Sensitive Compartmented Information broad range of commercial, government and scientific missions Facilities) business so that we can provide our customers lifting off from Europe. In December 2019, Orbex revealed the with permanent or portable facilities on the fly where they advanced engineering techniques and materials that it is using can view, store and process sensitive types of classified at its factory in Forres, Scotland, to create the next generation information. of renewably-fuelled European launch vehicles. The Orbex And as we approach 2020, TriSept is going global with Prime, which is up to 30 percent lighter than other small launch plans to open our first overseas office within the Harwell vehicles, utilizes bio-propane, a clean-burning, renewable fuel Campus, at the heart of the UK space innovation movement. that cuts carbon emissions by 90 percent. We’ve established a number of collaborative relationships “TriSept is honored to add Orbex Prime to our growing there and see the UK as a major player in the NewSpace launch portfolio, as we expand into the European space market market. We will bring rich integration, brokerage and mission and prepare to fill an exciting and diverse manifest aboard management expertise and capabilities to the table and look one of the most innovative and efficient launch vehicles in forward to forging some powerful complementary alliances the world,” said Rob Spicer, TriSept President and CEO. that will most certainly drive more access to space in the UK “TriSept is already deep in discussions with spacecraft market and beyond. We believe this strategic move will also developers and a broad range of upcoming missions about in turn further our support of commercial and government securing rideshare slots aboard the Orbex rocket, which we customers in the US as well – as we open the door to new expect will carry a complement of eight to twenty cubesats ideas and innovations aimed at accelerating the efficient and microsatellites into orbit in 2022.” access to space. There’s so much happening at TriSept, stay tuned.

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Issue.pmd 15 18/02/2020, 00:06 New technologies will improve the overall experience of space-travel for Astronauts. Photo courtesy of NASA

to change them – by introducing new techniques this will only increase the risk level of a mission, which is already 2020 space trends fairly hazardous. 2019 marked the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 spaceflight that landed the first two people on Monster mega-constellations the Moon. The progress in space exploration While some prototypes have already been launched, satellite mega-constellations are due to become common and there since then has been vast, but what developments are organisations around the world ploughing investment into can we expect in the industry in 2020? Ossi these projects. The benefits of having these mega- Saarela, Space Segment Manager at MathWorks constellations closer to Earth is that it enables lower latency provides some thoughts. for communications, whereas geostationary satellites don’t allow low latency. Furthermore, and although it seems Autonomy abounding: The next generation of autonomy obvious, it is easier to observe the Earth’s surface when you for crewed spaceflight is nearing certification. In terms of your are closer to it. For companies selling satellite imagery to average space flight, this will mean that humans onboard a analysts and companies in agriculture, mining, finance and spacecraft won’t even need to touch the controls. For a normal other industries, a higher level of image accuracy means that flight from Earth to the space station the flight will be more reliable conclusions can be made off the back of this completely autonomous. In fact, compared to driverless information. technology that is being developed for use on Earth, it is These constellations will also have a huge role to play in more likely that we will see it become a reality for space travel the progression of 5G services. There is a current need to first. After all, there are no pedestrians to jump in front of the increase the bandwidth to carry data around the globe, and space station to complicate the situation! satellites are an excellent way to carry that traffic. The Mars 2020 mission will launch this year. This However, regulation of this technology will inevitably spacecraft will also push the boundaries of autonomy. As impact its success as well as technology that can track other part of the mission, a precise landing is planned whereby satellites and debris that could cause a fatal collision. The upon entry and descent, the spacecraft will use a technique risk of a single collision could impact the pollution of lower called Terrain Relative Navigation (TRN) to take pictures of orbit. the terrain and compare those to maps it already has access to. By comparing the images and analysing the terrain, the “I’ll have any satellite, as long as it’s black” vehicle will be able to compute its position more precisely With new technologies such as 3D printing and artificial than ever. intelligence lending themselves to the improvement of the That said, there absolutely needs to be a business case manufacturing process, we could be about to witness an there for autonomous technology and AI to become the norm. emergence of a production line-type assembly process for There is understandably an attitude that if a mission is satellites. Historically, satellites were built as a one-off design possible using traditional techniques then there is no need – customised and handmade. But with whole constellations

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Issue.pmd 17 18/02/2020, 00:06 Space Trends in 2020 “While some prototypes have already been launched, satellite mega- constellations are due to become being planned for launch, space companies are looking at common and there are organisations how to stamp out identical satellites using the latest design around the world ploughing investment tools in the same way as Henry Ford did with his cars in at into these projects.“ the beginning of the last century. Re-usable rockets are changing launch vehicle engineering processes as well. Unlike rockets that are used once and then discarded, re-usable spacecraft require possible uses, and they are starting to think of small satellites maintenance and refurbishing. Techniques for predictive in the same way. maintenance applied to on-board sensor data from previous flights, potentially using new techniques like machine Dashboards get a redesign learning, have a chance for spreading from the aircraft The next generation of autonomous spacecraft will also be industry into the space industry. accompanied by an upgrade of the user interface. In the past, Additionally, in the development phase, space companies the dashboard consisted of a variety of switches and knobs, will use simulated data to test their designs on a more frequent but new designs will see a more technology-driven cockpit basis. Using this method means reducing the need to do which is even more computerised, offering a user-friendly expensive hardware testing. What’s more, ongoing advances experience for today’s astronauts. That said, it cannot be fully to mathematical computing will enable faster design and digital – there needs to be some manual switches remaining simulation. for emergencies, for example, in case the digital system fails! For engineers, that means that they will be able to As space tourism becomes a more common, it’s likely that accomplish more in a narrower period of time, allowing design other improvements to the entire ‘space experience’ will follow. of more complex systems in a shorter timeframe. Inspire the next generation Dedicated small satellite launch Of course, all of the aforementioned ideas will ultimately rely We might see a continued increase in smaller satellites as on the people facilitating them, yet the engineering skills gap more and more small rockets, that have been designed by persists. Increased autonomy and complexity will leverage the likes of Rocket Lab and Virgin Orbit, enter operations higher levels of AI. Fortunately, the creation of new modelling increasing the capacity for dedicated small satellite launch. and design tools will make the evolving role of an aerospace While the initial uses for Earth sensing and communications engineer more accessible by bringing the latest AI and are clear, it will be interesting to see what other technologies machine learning capabilities into familiar engineering smaller satellites will enable. Some investors believe that environments. Additionally, the flurry of media stories about these constellations and small affordable satellites have the space industry this year will hopefully help revive interest similarities with the birth of Internet. At inception, people in in the sector and inspire the next generation of engineers, the technology industry knew that the Internet would be a who may be the ones who can design and build a spacecraft game changer, even without fully understanding all its that takes humans to Mars.

The potential of satellites to unlock new technologies both in space and on the ground is keenly followed by investors

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Issue.pmd 19 18/02/2020, 00:06 SATCOM Bandwidth & Resiliency

Global Broadcast Service provides needed communications resiliency Though new technologies and services have the potential to provide more SATCOM bandwidth and resiliency to the warfighter, deployed users continue to struggle with congested networks and lack of truly expeditionary SATCOM capabilities. While the use of hybrid networks under the control of flexible and secure network management will mitigate congestion issues, innovative applications of the Global Broadcast System (GBS) can address network congestion and resiliency today without significant additional expense for both fixed and expeditionary users, according to Carl D’Alessandro, President and CEO at AQYR Technologies. AN/PRS-11 Suitcase Portable Receive Suite (SPRS) is a The Global Broadcast Service (GBS) is part of the compact, lightweight Ka- Wideband Global Satcom (WGS) satellite communications band satellite terminal system, allowing authorized users to access high speed data downloads for crucial operations. It is a one-way service (receive only) that provides advantages to users as a located with Defense Information Systems Agency computing supplement to standard two-way systems. GBS was first centers, to broadcast IP-based, real-time video and large data deployed in 2001 to support Operation Enduring Freedom files to garrisoned and deployed forces using net-centric using UHF Follow-On satellites. It currently operates over the prioritized delivery. SBMs are the primary broadcast content WGS constellation of which there are currently 10 satellites sites. Under the overall management of the GBS Operations in geosynchronous orbit, with the 11th next generation satellite Center, the SBMs transmit data through the DoD teleport being built. infrastructure (fixed or theater-based) which allows reception The latest WGS satellites offers 4.875GHz of to multiple simultaneous receivers. This saves considerable instantaneous switchable bandwidth which provides capacity bandwidth resources and allows ground terminal (or ‘Receive ranging from 2.1Gbps to more than 3.6Gbps to tactical users, Suite’) operators to quickly download mission data. GBS depending on the mix of ground terminals, data rates and provides service to 2,000+ ‘Receive Suites’ deployed world- modulation schemes employed. WGS provides 19 wide at Army, Marine, Navy, Air Force ground sites, shipboard independent coverage areas that can be used throughout and subsurface platforms and at NORTHCOM-sponsored each satellite’s field of view to serve warfighters between homeland defense organizations worldwide. 65° North and South latitude. Users are serviced via eight Any DoD customer with a need for data can request steerable/shapeable X-band beams formed by separate access to the Global Broadcast Service. For ground users, transmit and receive phased arrays; 10 steerable Ka-band the three terminals that allow access are the AN/TSR-11, beams served by independently steerable, diplexed gimbaled AN/PRS-11, and AN/PRS-12. The TSR-11 is a large dish antennas, including three with selectable polarization; ‘transportable’ terminal while the PRS-11 and PRS-12 are and one X-band Earth coverage beam. suitcase or rucksack portable. A user can access either the GBS’ one-way, wideband service is capable of near real- classified or unclassified side of the broadcast depending time classified and unclassified data and video transmission on their mission needs and can request access to feeds and/ to support critical missions. It is based on commercial satellite or request specific mission data online through the SBM broadcast technology like that used by direct-to-home satellite portal. TV providers. This readily available, commercial technology The GBS is a critical element of the DoD’s Intelligence, was relatively inexpensive, easily integrated into existing Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) capability and systems and processes and allowed for terminals that are though its primary focus has been to transmit Full Motion usable by smaller and more mobile units. Video from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to tactically GBS uses two Satellite Broadcast Managers (SBM), co- deployed forces, it has considerable value for all types of

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Issue.pmd 21 18/02/2020, 00:06 SATCOM Bandwidth & Resiliency

data needed by the warfighter in a deployed or garrison environment. The flexible, secure infrastructure that supports the core ISR mission can be repurposed to support a broader concept of operations.

GBS as a force multiplier There are many misconceptions concerning GBS’ utility that have limited its use as a bandwidth augmentation capability. The GBS provides critical download capabilities for receiving information such as ISR data, weather data and mission data; it is not just for ‘viewing CNN or the Super Bowl.’ One capability that is slowly gaining traction is to provide high speed data downloads in conjunction with a deployed unit’s organic two- way SATCOM systems. While typical two-way systems are constrained due to bandwidth limitations and download speeds, GBS systems can provide consistent, high-speed download of secure and non-secure data. It is helpful to think of GBS as a military version of a Direct-To-Home services such as DirecTV or Dish Network where one subscribes to a channel and sets the tuner to that channel for reception of the information being transmitted. In this case, however, the user is receiving classified (or unclassified) data essential to fulfill the mission or support the force, not just video. Any DoD customer with a With the congestion on military networks and the delay need for data can request (and expense) of integrating commercial satellite resources, access to the Global it is vital to find a way to offload some of the mission data to Broadcast Service an available, less expensive alternatives. GBS’ typical broadcasts of full motion video, digital maps, biometric data or satellite imagery represent only a portion of the system’s capability. It also allows high speed download of support or utility data. This type of communication between a command large files could occur in a timely, low cost fashion using an and their deployed units, or between multiple deployed units, existing, supported infrastructure. A one-way system used requires large amounts of bandwidth that may not be available in this fashion can augment bi-directional communications using traditional means. A single transmission on GBS can links, reducing congestion and increasing communications be broadcast this data simultaneously to all units authorized resiliency and doing so with a minimal electromagnetic to receive the transmission saving signature. considerable time and bandwidth costs. An added benefit of utilizing the GBS system is to provide Even large file transmission can be an alternate communications path, assisting in resiliency received much faster than using the through diversity. If a warfighter’s satellite is either jammed standard two-way transmission. The or disabled their GBS terminal and still receive mission critical potential ability to offload significant data and information. This could be accomplished via a amounts of data from two-way planned redundant data stream or, when the Network systems to a system capable of a Operations Center (NOC) recognizes the user is off the 45Mb stream is a true ‘force multiplier.’ network, the data can be routed via GBS Operations Center Transfers for data such as software for immediate transmission to that user. updates, security patches, or other Finally, GBS terminal options provide a true expeditionary capability. The AN/TSR-11 is transportable but larger and more suitable for long term sites, while the AN/PRS-11 and AN/PRS-12 are under 50lbs and can be deployed and stowed by a single user in under five minutes. These terminals facilitate a much shorter set up and tear down time meeting increased command post mobility requirements.

GBS could support DoD goals The DoD is currently considering numerous programs to modernize the network to make it more expeditionary, resilient, and effective. The GBS provides a cost-effective way of supporting those goals without significant incremental The AN/PRS-12 GBS ultra-lightweight expenditures. As the DoD moves into a new era of hybrid Rucksack Portable Receive Suite (RPRS) SATCOM networks, the innovate use of GBS should be considered as a key element of a holistic solution.

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Issue.pmd 23 18/02/2020, 00:06 Photo courtesy of Pexels Gaming at 33,000 feet – But keep an eye on and do my grocery shop online at the same time; I can do my Internet banking and pay utility bills while on a train to Europe; your data I can even shop for Christmas and birthday gifts from the With satellite connectivity more ubiquitous, (relative) comfort of a transatlantic flight! affordable and high-speed than ever before, the It’s no wonder the inflight connectivity and entertainment global mobility markets are really taking off. as a market is booming. There’s some dispute over how much - Industry Research estimates a CAGR of 7.77 percent in Aviation is seeing huge gains in both traditional 2019-2024, while Kenneth Research expects a CAGR of inflight connectivity and entertainment spheres, 18.65 percent in 2018-2024 - but everyone agrees, it’s on as well as new applications, such as shopping, the up, and by quite some margin. And this inflight connectivity social media, and live gaming. There are also new is only set to get faster. Some airlines are now looking at challenges on the consumer front, relating to incorporating 5G connectivity, only very recently launched, data privacy. to boost high-speed air-to-ground capabilities, with several Chinese airlines reportedly exploring their options. Indeed, there have been a number of noteworthy When we consider the amount of technology around us developments in inflight connectivity over the last twelve today, it’s undeniable that we’re living in a golden age. Our months that signal changes to day-to-day operations might homes and daily lives have become stuffed full of Smart be looming. devices like phones, tablets, TVs, coffee machines, utilities meters, all connected and communicating by high-speed Inflight espionage Internet. We’ve certainly come a long way from dumb phones, It’s 2020, and digital privacy plays a key role in the lives of dial-up Internet and coat-hanger TV aerials in the last couple billions of people around the world. Every day we’re subject of decades; today, we have fridges that can place orders for to adverts for cybersecurity apps, reminders on using complex their own supplies, vehicles capable of driving themselves, passwords, and not using the same PIN number for and automatic monitoring of everything from ships at sea to everything. And every day, countless individuals, companies agricultural equipment, thanks to the Internet of Things. and government institutes are subject to a huge variety of Where this new era of connectivity and Smart devices breaches, some successful and some not. really comes into its own, is the mobility sector. Thanks to Accordingly, many of us are becoming increasingly wary the latest generation of high-speed, high capacity satellites, in all aspects of life; we use antivirus software on our devices, vessels on land, in the air, or at sea can stay just as well- we shred important documents, and we incorporate connected as the average office or home. That opens up a increasingly complex systems, such as iris or fingerprint whole new host of options for consumers; I can get a bus scanning, to access our electric devices, homes, and places

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Issue.pmd 24 18/02/2020, 00:06 “Cathay Pacific isn’t entirely alone in Inflight Connectivity worrying passengers when it comes to sensitive information. Earlier in 2019, passengers on board American That’s a lot of very personal information for a commercial Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Singapore airline to keep safe, and even the company acknowledges Airlines and United Airlines reported that while they’ll be making security a priority, “no data transmission over the Internet … can be guaranteed to be that the inflight entertainments screens secure from intrusion.” This follows 2018 reports that 9.4 now come complete with cameras.” million Cathay Pacific passengers had their data, including passport numbers and ID cards, stolen after a particularly large breach. The airline also admits that passenger data of work. Privacy and security are of the utmost importance could be shared with third party partners for marketing today for so many of us. We reproach the huge amount of purposes. monitoring of our everyday lives, with ‘Big Brother’ watching Cathay Pacific isn’t entirely alone in worrying passengers over us, despite state assertions that it’s in our own interests. when it comes to sensitive information. Earlier in 2019, And yet, in August 2019 it was revealed that an updated passengers on board American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, privacy policy means that Cathay Pacific customers are Singapore Airlines and United Airlines reported that the having their movements and preferences recorded at the inflight entertainments screens now come complete with airport and on board planes, and that the information and cameras. The airlines asserted that the cameras are not images will be stored ‘as long as necessary,’ as described by active, and later covered the cameras to placate passengers. the airline itself. Some airlines are reportedly planning on utilising the cameras Forbes reported that the new policy was brought into effect to enable video calls. in August, and that images taken from CCTV both on the There’s a lot at stake here. With Cathay Pacific now openly ground and in the air, as well as other data, could be held storing customer data – and we all know that, in the right indefinitely. hands, data is money – the door is open for other airlines to Cathay Pacific is reportedly collecting “information such follow suit. Some passengers are bound to vote with their as previous travel arrangements, feedback about your feet. While these kinds of data storing activities are limited to experiences, details of lost luggage and other claims, your a handful of airlines, that may change in the years to come use of our inflight entertainment system and inflight as more airlines get in on the action. For some customers, connectivity, your images captured via CCTV in our airport it’s not so much the sale of their data, but the storage itself – lounges and aircraft.” people still like to believe in their right to privacy and

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Issue.pmd 25 18/02/2020, 00:06 Inflight Connectivity

anonymity, but in an increasingly digital age, this is fast becoming a distant dream. Meanwhile, for those with malicious intent, airline cybersecurity measures are likely to crack eventually, with massive quantities of data ripe for the taking.

The inflight gaming revolution The gaming sector has been quietly transformed in the last decade or so; no longer the preserve of teenage boys hiding out in their parents’ basements, clicking buttons until all ours of the morning, gaming has become extremely mainstream, thanks in part to the recent changes we’ve seen in society. With hugely popular extremely clever celebrities such as Brian Cox and Neil deGrasse Tyson making being smart ‘cool,’ (although I’m told by our younger News and Social Media Editor that the word is now ‘safe,’ and only old people are using ‘cool’), and hit shows such as The Big Bang Theory celebrating high-IQ scientists, we’ve seen a massive surge in interest in traditionally geeky pastimes, such as comic books, cosplay, and gaming. The demographics of gamers have shifted significantly. The average age is much older than you’d expect, with millennials making up the largest proportion of today’s gamers, and women are increasingly coming on board. There’s also huge money to be made in gaming. We recently saw a UK-based 15-year-old boy win a global Fortnite challenge, bringing home half of a £1.8 million prize (apparently, he plans to buy his mother a house). Gaming is now big business, with millions of people around the world not just gaming but watching videos of other people gaming on platforms like YouTube and Twitch. Moreover, competitive gaming is moving beyond the Earth and into the skies, thanks to high-speed satellite connectivity.

Gaming tournament Over the summer of 2019, Israel’s EL AL airline hosted its first gaming tournament inflight and streamed it to tens of Some familiar faces were on board for the gaming flight too. thousands of watchers back on Earth utilising connectivity Photo courtesy El Al from Viasat. The flight from Tel Aviv to London hosted four or Israel’s biggest YouTube stars embarked on a live gaming passengers via the IMG-owned and produced Sport 24 Extra competition. channel, which is available exclusively inflight on Panasonic- “EL AL is proud to be the first airline to present a gaming equipped aircraft. According to Panasonic, introducing flight out of Israel and to enable the gaming tournament for esports to the aircraft cabin will enhance the passenger leading gamers,” said El Al Vice President of Commercial experience by providing more engaging inflight gaming and Industry Affairs Michael Strassburger. “This is an viewing options. It will also improve operational efficiency by innovative marketing step made possible by EL AL’s high- providing long-lasting value on investment and drive new speed Internet experience and varied media content that we business opportunities through advertising and attracting a offer our customers.” new audience. The participants, which included gamers and YouTube “As passengers get younger and airlines become more stars Eyal Yossef, Shlomi Ben Atar, Ben Keysar and Guy digital, the need for new and engaging content is increasingly Podolitch, competed in a number of games, including Marvel essential to compete,” said David Bartlett, Chief Technology Ultimate Alliance 3, FIFA, Super Smash Bros and Brawlhalla, Officer of Panasonic Avionics Corporation. “Esports brings on Nintendo Switch consoles. Tens of thousands of viewers significant value to an airline by enhancing the passenger on the ground watched the live stream over YouTube, experience with engaging content that has garnered one of Facebook and gaming website Twitch, facilitated by Viasat’s the fastest growing audiences in entertainment. Similar to satellite network. traditional sports, esports is most valuable when broadcasted EL AL’s move towards inflight gaming doesn’t stand in live. Past live esports tournaments and matches have seen isolation. In February 2019, Panasonic Avionics Corporation viewership surpass traditional sports. For airlines, these and IMG announced esports as the latest addition to Sport innovative solutions provide a game-changing way to 24 Extra’s live inflight entertainment programming. The live, differentiate themselves in the market, and a unique way to organized, competitive gaming will be accessible to drive ancillary revenue generation.”

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Issue.pmd 27 18/02/2020, 00:06 Satellite Development and Production

Space Flight Laboratory and Kepler Communications take a new approach to satellite development and production Photo courtesy of Kepler Communications As the newly revitalized space sector marches on, new collaborations between microspace and NewSpace organizations will become increasingly commonplace. One such partnership is that of Space Flight Laboratory and Kepler Communications, which have entered into a sizable agreement for Kepler’s upcoming satellite constellation, as outlined by Kevin P. Corbley, Business Consultant.

Space Flight Laboratory (SFL) and Kepler Communic- production in house as a cost-control measure. ations have entered into a satellite development and “The vulnerability of this business model is the newspace manufacturing agreement that could serve as a blueprint for firms leave themselves open to competition from a new future collaboration between microspace and newspace company entering the market with even better technology,” organizations. said Zee. “A company with a smoothly running satellite Under the deal announced in late January, SFL – a assembly line but with a core competency in providing developer of successful microspace missions for over 21 imaging or communications services is typically not well years – will build the first fully operational nanosatellite in positioned to innovate efficiently in the area of satellite Kepler’s planned constellation of commercial communications development.” satellites. As development of the nanosatellite is underway, Kepler understands these challenges and partnered with SFL personnel will also be assisting with the startup of SFL on a plan to collaborate, building on each other’s production at a Kepler-owned and operated manufacturing strengths to form a business relationship that is not yet facility where duplicate satellites will be mass produced. common in the space industry, Zee added. “For the past few years, an open question has been “Our partnership with SFL has enabled us on many whether the emergence of newspace was challenging the fronts…ensuring we can reach our required cost and market share of microspace manufacturers,” said SFL Director performance targets to provide affordable global connectivity,” Dr Robert E. Zee. “I have always been very optimistic about said Kepler CEO and Co-Founder Mina Mitry. the future because the business models of microspace and newspace are quite different – yet complementary.” Providing global data connectivity “The key to success for a microspace company has always Kepler is based in Toronto near the University of Toronto relied on continuous innovation in an environment that does Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS) which has been home nothing but constantly design satellites for new applications,” to SFL since its founding in 1998. Toronto is also the site of explained Zee. “SFL has been developing micro- and Kepler’s new manufacturing facility where the nanosatellites nanosatellites for 21 years, and each mission has built on will be mass produced to complete its proposed commercial the technological advancements of the previous. No two were constellation of 140 satellites. the same. The microspace companies that have thrived in The Kepler business plan calls for providing two primary the past decade of disruption are the ones that have communications services through its constellation of developed smaller and more advanced satellites in a rapid satellites. The first is a global data transfer service that will succession,” he said. securely relay gigabytes of data in a high-bandwidth store- For newspace companies, on the other hand, the business and-forward solution via a Ku-band high-data-rate model is bottom-line oriented, driven by the need to offer communications system aboard each satellite. The second satellite-derived services at ever-competitive prices. Earth service will provide cellular-quality, standardized Internet of observation and data communications are among the most Things (IoT) connections linking sensors and devices common. These newspace organizations are not in the anywhere on Earth with their service provider. satellite manufacturing business per se, but they bring mass “A critical part of our business model is to bring data

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Issue.pmd 28 18/02/2020, 00:06 “The key to success for a microspace Satellite Development and Production company has always relied on continuous innovation in an environment that does nothing but constantly design satellites for new applications,”

connectivity to remote and underserved areas – including the polar regions,” said Mitry, citing energy exploration, agricultural monitoring, fleet management and maritime transport as example end user markets. The global coverage will be accomplished by placing the nanosatellites in seven sun-synchronous orbital (SSO) planes with two mid-inclined planes as gap fillers. There will be 20 satellites in each SSO plane at 500-600km altitudes. Kepler launched two demonstration satellites in 2018 with CleanRoom. Photo courtesy of Kepler Communications a third planned for 2020. The company already has paying customers retaining its services. The planned fully operational in SFL’s cleanroom, engineers from the microspace firm are satellites which Kepler is calling Gen1, however, will working with Kepler at its 5,000-square-foot plant to train incorporate significant upgrades from the demonstration personnel and set up the testing, integration and assembly spacecraft to deliver higher data transfer rates and last longer processes for the subsequent spacecraft. A crucial element in orbit. in both the satellite design and production workflows is that “The Gen1 satellites will be a big technical step up in both are being built in anticipation of disruption. performance compared to what’s on the market,” said Mitry. “They are designed to allow for upgrades and changes to “By designing and building them in a different way, we are the system as the constellation advances,” said Kepler’s Mitry. able to get this performance very economically.” SFL’s Dr Zee says Kepler is ready for any future competitor that promises to deliver faster, bigger or better data Future-proofed technology connectivity services with advanced satellite technology. At For the Kepler program, SFL is designing a new 6U XL that point, Kepler may collaborate again with SFL to rapidly nanosatellite platform ‘SPARTAN’ that leverages its flight- build another microspace solution that is even more tested 3.5kg THUNDER and 7kg GRYPHON buses. SFL is innovative. And just as importantly, according to Kepler, its tailoring existing power, propulsion, and attitude control manufacturing facility will be prepared to overhaul internal technologies – all developed in-house during earlier missions workflows and begin mass producing the newest generation - for the first satellite in the Gen1 cluster of fully operational of spacecraft. commercial spacecraft. “From innovation to launch, we are creating an agile “We are specifically designing this new nanosatellite with satellite production process,” said Zee. “We expect our mass production in mind,” said SFL’s Zee. approach will define microspace-newspace collaboration for While the first Gen1 nanosatellite is under construction decades to come.”

Kepler test model is prepared for vibration testing at Space Flight Laboratory in Toronto. Photo courtesy of SFL

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Issue.pmd 29 18/02/2020, 00:06 Q&A Iridium

The future for LEO Iridium Communications Inc. is a satellite communications company offering truly global voice and data communications. A technology innovator and industry leader, Iridium works with over 400 value-added partners to advance the way enterprises, governments, and individuals connect through reliable, low latency communications services. Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, talks about Certus, Iridium NEXT, working with Elon Musk, and the future of LEO.

Question: The brand new Icom IC-SAT100 PTT radio device is currently the only PTT dedicated radio offering 100 percent coverage absolutely anywhere on the planet. Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing, That’s an incredible claim, how have you managed that? Iridium Bryan Hartin: The global coverage claim for Iridium is really a core competency for us; it’s a pillar, because we’ve got the world’s truest low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network on the broadband speeds, and those are just some of the sectors planet. we’re currently in. In around 6-9 months we’ll probably also We are able to cover the entire globe from pole to pole, be able to offer aviation with Certus, and that’ll be across all we’ve been in business for 20 years, we have a LEO different sectors from commercial transport, business architecture that’s served us really well, which we replaced aviation, rotorcraft, and eventually general aviation. in January of this year, and we have a brand new constellation Very soon, we’ll be serving aviation, in addition to already in LEO that covers the entire planet. There may be others serving maritime and land mobile with global coverage and capable of making the future claim of 100 percent coverage, higher speeds. but we’ve been consistently delivering it for the last 20 years, and our new network is able to do the same. Question: Quite recently, you delivered Iridium NEXT, a US$3 billion satellite network upgrade with the help of Question: In January 2019, you saw the first commercial SpaceX. Your collaboration with them seems quite installation for the Certus platform aboard an AST vessel. expansive, what’s it like to work with such a popular One of the network’s features is its adaptability to a huge company? variety of sectors; where is the platform seeing the most Bryan Hartin: It’s always been great. We’ve had a lot of great use at the moment? And do you anticipate its popularity partners as we’ve designed, developed, and deployed Iridium to grow across any of them, as it is with maritime? Next, and SpaceX also played a key role in that; they Bryan Hartin: I mentioned that we replaced our network, supported all eight of the Iridium Next launches on their which we invested in for three reasons. Firstly, the old network Falcon 9 rocket, which served us very well. Each of those was aging, and we needed to replace it; secondly we wanted rockets had 10 satellites a piece, except for one which was a to use 21st century technology which gives us more capability ride share and had five. and capacity; and thirdly and most importantly, we wanted to They’re a great partner, Elon Musk and Gwynne Shotwell deliver higher speeds, and that’s what Certus is. Certus gives and the entire SpaceX team worked through all those us a superior alternative to what customers are used to in launches with us to make sure that they were executed the maritime, land, and aviation market, primarily from flawlessly. SpaceX was then also able to retrieve and reuse Inmarsat, and we’re now able to offer a superior alternative. those rockets, and some of our later launches were made Certus is our brand name, it’s our flagship service for our with those very same recycled rockets. new broadband capability, it’s Latin for certain, reliable, and The other partner I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention was sure, which we’re focussed on. Being dedicated to L-band Thales Alenia Space, our primary supporter for the entire helps us do that, which is why we’re sticking to it. development, manufacture, and deployment of the satellites As for AST, they’re a great partner of ours, they were able themselves, and they had a very extensive network of to provide the first activation, but as of today, we’ve got a lot partners worldwide that contributed to the satellite. Finally, of other service providers around the world. Right now, we’ve last but not least, Vanderberg Air Force Base up in California launched Certus for maritime and land mobile, so within is where we conducted all our launches. maritime we’re in a lot of different sectors; oil tankers, cargo Iridium NEXT has spanned perhaps 7-8 years from ships, fishing ships, as well as high end yachts. original design to final deployment, but the exciting thing is In land mobile we’re working with a lot of enterprises, for our partners and customers is that they can confidently governments, and NGOs. They now have a choice for L-band look at Iridium and know that we’ve got a brand-new network.

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Issue.pmd 30 18/02/2020, 00:06 Q&A Iridium

Land mobile radios, for a complete interoperable experience for the user.

Question: With the help of Iridium NEXT, you’ve managed to position yourselves as a key name in LEO just as the category has boomed. Why has there been such a rise in interest for LEO? Bryan Hartin: I think we were LEO before LEO was cool. We’ve competed very effectively with the GEO operators, but Iridium and our LEO constellation is unique. First of all, one of our differences is our L-band focus, a very reliable band. With L-band, we can complement some of these other entrants to the LEO world, a lot of which use Ku or Ka-bands, which do run good services but can run into some difficulty. Let’s say there’s some rain fade, or they don’t have complete global coverage. A lot of times on a vessel, they’ll have an L- band companion so that if that Ka or Ku-band goes out of service, they’ve got the L-band to provide backup and companion service when they go wrong. Thales Alenia Space is the primary supporter for the entire But we welcome the new entrants, I think there’s a lot of development, manufacture, and deployment of the opportunity for Iridium to work with them. I also know that in satellites themselves the satellite industry, every time you’re going to launch a new network, it takes time. Usually the timelines will move to the Across all our existing services and products, we’ve got over right just a little bit, so I expect it to take some time for the 1.2 million subscribers. All those subscribers were able to LEO market to stabilise. I wish them all well. continue to use our products and services through the One of our other unique capabilities is that all of our upgrade without any change, which was very important to satellites are crosslinked, which eliminates or minimises the us. We didn’t want to create any interference for them. need for multiple gateways. This allows our network to operate It’s a good time to be at Iridium. One of the things you’ve very efficiently. Some of these new entrants, they don’t have mentioned that we’ve announced is the Icom PTT (push to that crosslink capability, they also have smaller satellites talk) radio. Icom is a new partner of ours, they’ve got extensive which means they’ll need to continue to launch to refresh experience globally in the land mobile radio business. their constellations to operate their business. This is a new product that is totally focussed on PTT We have 20 years of successes in this arena, and I think services. It gives us the ability to appeal to the Land mobile that’s tracked some interest towards new investments in LEO. radio market. It offers a very familiar look and feel, which is We share some similarities to these new ventures in that very important to the Land mobile radio community, but the we’re LEO and some of them are too, but there’s many best feature is that we’re able to leverage that global coverage, differences that make our network unique, but we welcome so anywhere on the planet you can interoperate using this the new entrants and I’m sure down the road we’ll end up Icom PTT radio. It also interoperates with existing terrestrial collaborating with them.

Iridium NEXT has spanned perhaps 7-8 years from original design to final deployment, but the exciting thing is for partners and customers is that they can confidently look at Iridium and know that we’ve got a brand-new network

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Issue.pmd 31 18/02/2020, 00:06 Photo courtesy of Iridium Tactical communications developments Tactical communications play an essential role in Steve Beeching, UK Managing Director of Viasat, describes every battlefield and command centre across the one of the biggest challenges in delivering tactical globe. Delivering tactical communications, often communications as the accelerating rate of technology in remote, unconnected or underconnected innovation and refresh: “…adapting current acquisition regions, requires the ubiquitous coverage, high systems, originally designed for purchasing major capex programs, to meet and deliver game-changing technology speeds and security that only satellite and turn key operational capabilities into the hands of our technology can bring. warfighters in order to outpace fast moving adversarial threats in the ever changing global environment,” said Beeching. “We Satellite has truly changed the world, offering lightning- believe that there is an obligation to provide military personnel fast, low latency and highly secure connectivity anywhere with the same degree of connectivity and situational on Earth. Such capabilities have enabled a whole host of awareness they have grown to depend upon in everyday commercial industries to thrive. On the government and civilian life. At home, civilians order taxis, check traffic defence side of things, satellite has provided resilient, always- congestion and order meals via smartphone apps nearly on communications for a wide range of applications, every day. However, today’s warfighters lack this level of particularly tactical communications, where timeliness and access to connectivity that can power the same level of cloud- effectiveness are paramount. enabled applications on the battlefield.” Delivering real-time communications was once a major Satellite plays a key role in delivering tactical connectivity, challenge. However, since the advent of Smartphones and whether it’s serving rural areas unserved or underserved by satellite communications systems, the ability to communicate fibre, providing back-up connectivity to terrestrial options, or via text, image, voice or video whenever, wherever, has delivering connectivity on the move for manned or unmanned become commonplace. We can call relatives on the other missions on land, in the air, or at sea. The other advantage side of the world with the click of a button, become registered of satellite over terrestrial options is, of course, security; when to vote with our local authorities within a couple of minutes it comes to government and military data, secure on our Smartphones, and send photos of meals instantly transmissions are absolutely vital. This has become ever- across a variety of platforms with no extra charge, using WiFi more important in recent years as the three Cs become or data packages. increasingly challenging in the battlefield; never before has For government and defence organisations, there are space been so contested, congested and competitive. huge volumes of data that must be communicated across New solutions, systems and services are coming in to the world at any one time, including voice and video, play to help defence forces operate in an increasingly situational awareness, battlefield management, etc. Indeed, sophisticated and unpredictable environment, with

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dismounted users. The XVI program is a key step towards making a global Link 16-enabled LEO satellite constellation, transforming Link 16 from a line-of-sight (LOS) to a beyond line-of-sight (BLOS) network, providing US and allied military forces with ubiquitous, secure, high-speed and resilient communications necessary to improve the common operating picture across the global battlespace. “The XVI award highlights Viasat technology leadership in Link 16 and space-borne tactical communications,” said Ken Peterman, President of Government Systems at Viasat. “Our innovative spacecraft design and development coupled with expertise in next-generation tactical datalinks and cybersecurity places Viasat in a unique position to address the Department of Defense’s urgent need for a fast-to-market, cost-effective, space-based Link 16 solution to maintain a technological edge in contested environments.” Viasat’s Link 16-capable LEO satellite is designed to fit the Viasat Hybrid Adaptive Network (HAN) satellite communications (SATCOM) concept. The HAN architecture will allow users to operate across commercial and government Photo courtesy of Intelsat/GettyImages SATCOM networks and multiple orbitals, creating an end-to- end multi-layered solution resilient to network congestion, intentional and unintentional interference and cyber threats, commercial partners providing a huge amount of support to even in highly contested environments. The Link 16-capable government and military users. However, Beeching reports LEO satellite will allow Link 16 networks to leverage the that the biggest problem right now in delivering battlefield resilient, global connectivity capabilities of the HAN and share communications is not technological, but that “the nature of information with other warfighters, anywhere in the world. modern conflict is evolving rapidly but traditional acquisition Small NGSO satellites are expected to play a major role processes haven’t evolved to keep pace. Processes are in tactical communications going forwards. “The future of geared towards large capital projects, which can inadvertently tactical communications lies in utilising next generation delay the delivery of new capabilities by nearly a decade,” satellites that enable hybrid adaptive networking (HAN) said Beeching. “This approach is no longer suited to the architectures and deliver high capacity bandwidth across the modern high-tech era, where private sector capabilities evolve globe. HANs use a holistic approach that combines multiple so rapidly that a platform could conceivably become obsolete layers of government and private sector SATCOM before it even enters service. For instance, the HMS Queen Elizabeth was delivered with just 8Mb of Internet connection, which is weaker than the average UK home and far below the US ‘gold standard’ at the time of 100Mb. As data demands increase over time, this shortfall will become more apparent. To keep pace with the rapid advance of technology and deliver information advantage, it’s vitally important to engage with the private sector – which has perfected the ability to rapidly innovate and deliver new technologies, so is well placed to help the UK out pace smarter and broader threats and adversaries.”

Viasat to build first Link 16 LEO satellite Over the summer of 2019, Viasat was awarded a contract by the Administrator of the Space Enterprise Consortium, under the Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles XVI program, to deliver and test the first-ever Link 16-capable LEO satellite. The Viasat-designed spacecraft is intended to enhance warfighters’ situational awareness by extending the range of Link 16 networks, using a constellation of satellites to provide greater access to Link 16 capabilities in contested or congested environments. Under the program, Viasat will become the first company to prototype and test space-based Link 16 capabilities compatible with fielded US Air Force, Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Special Operations Link 16-enabled platforms, A Platform for Powerful Capabilities. Photo courtesy including ground vehicles, aircraft, maritime vessels, and Iridium

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Issue.pmd 33 18/02/2020, 00:06 Tactical Communications “Following on from the initial TacCom contract, TacCom II includes satellite technology and services from Hughes architectures, allowing the integration of existing and future that will enhance DHS’ capabilities for satellite capacity,” said Beeching. “Instead of relying on a emergency communications, remote and single satellite that provides adversaries with a single point rural connectivity, and communications of vulnerability to exploit, HANs building a critical element of the assured, resilient, integrated network (ARIN) which can on the move (COTM) systems.” serve as the foundation for the battle-network of the future. This ‘combat cloud’ giving teams the ability to adapt to new technologies and make use of multiple satellites. The HAN Agriculture, Interior, Justice, Health and Human Services, approach integrates land, air, sea, space and cyber to ensure State, Treasury, Veterans Affairs, White House the availability and security of data, making tactical Communications Agency, and the US Air Force. The Hughes communications much harder for enemies to disrupt. This solutions will be utilised to extend network reach and capacity gives the UK an information advantage, allowing for interoperability, and to support a wide variety of missions, rapid decision making that helps to save lives and deliver including disaster response, border security and interstate mission outcomes.” or international law enforcement operations. “Government missions and operations don’t always Hughes selected for DHS’s TacCom II contract vehicle happen near communications infrastructure,” said Tony Bardo, In September, Hughes Network Systems was selected as Assistant Vice President of Government Solutions at Hughes. one awardee of the Department of Homeland Security’s “Satellite services are critical, not only to connect the (DHS) US$3 billion Tactical Communications Equipment and unconnected, but also as a lifeline during and after disasters Services II (TacCom II) contract vehicle. Following on from that disrupt terrestrial networks. We look forward to supporting the initial TacCom contract, TacCom II includes satellite DHS and other agencies under this new contract.” technology and services from Hughes that will enhance DHS’ “At Hughes, we understand that to be mission-ready, the capabilities for emergency communications, remote and rural government needs reliable access to resilient, tactical connectivity, and communications on the move (COTM) communications where and when they need it,” said Rick systems. Lober, Vice President and General Manager, Defense and TacCom II will help foster inter-agency collaboration with Intelligence Systems Division at Hughes. “TacCom II will mission critical information and situational awareness sharing enable agencies to rapidly deploy secure satellite-enabled with DHS and nine participating agencies: Departments of solutions like cellular backhaul, Wi-Fi hotspots, VoIP and

Photo courtesy of Viasat

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mobility to keep their workforces connected, no matter where the mission takes them.”

Iridium wins unprecedented seven-year contract with DoD Iridium Communications was awarded a US$738.5 billion seven-year fixed-price contract with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) through the US Air Force Space Command (AFSpC) to provide unlimited satellite Viasat-designed spacecraft is intended to enhance services from its low Earth orbit (LEO) constellation, in warfighters’ situational awareness Autumn 2019. Through the AFSpC’s Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services lightweight tactical and early entry user terminals, including (EMSS) program, Iridium will continue to deliver access to communications-on-the-pause (COTP), manpack and global secure and unsecure voice, broadcast, netted or emergency responder communications. It enables data, voice Distributed Tactical Communications System (DTCS) and and video communications including the ability to meet the select other services for an unlimited number of DoD and High Definition Full-Motion Video (HD FMV) needs of associated DoD-approved subscribers. intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) Under the current fixed-price contract, the EMSS program applications. has continuously increased its adoption of Iridium services FlexGround delivers the following services for warfighters at a significant rate, while the capabilities delivered have also in the field: evolved over time from simple telephone voice and data to broadcast, multicast and other Internet of Things (IoT) • A high-performing, resilient and easily accessible network: services. Over the course of the previous contract period, Leveraging Intelsat’s multi-layered, Ku-band network and DoD subscribers grew by 145 percent from approximately the Intelsat EpicNG high-throughput satellite (HTS) 51,000 to more than 125,000. This growth in adoption has platform, FlexGround delivers unprecedented data rate also resulted in increased collaboration between the transmissions enabling converged data, voice and video government and Iridium’s ecosystem of partners, bringing communications to the smallest, land mobile terminals. their expertise to further enhance the capabilities of the DoD’s The combination of very high data rates, between 3x and SATCOM portfolio. 10x the speed of existing satellite networks, and the very “Iridium’s EMSS contract serves as a model for how small terminals provide ground forces with the optimal commercial operators can cost-effectively and efficiently solution for mobility without sacrificing speed. deliver critical satellite managed services to the warfighter,” • Unprecedented flexibility, efficiency and affordability: said Scott Scheimreif, Executive Vice President of FlexGround enables government customers to select Government Programs at Iridium. “Iridium offers the DoD among several service options, allowing them to choose unrivalled access to its unique, operational, low Earth orbiting a plan that is based on their data-rate usage, geographic network of 66 cross-linked satellites. When you combine our and budgetary needs, without having to make an upfront unique network, our ecosystem of dedicated partners and commitment. FlexGround offers a flexible pay-as you go an innovative, fixed-price, seven-year contract, you create option that provides a budget friendly cost structure. The an optimal environment for DoD and other USG program flexible service options provide for a full-time lease for offices to effectively plan for and budget their programs, taking long duration missions, or usage based on-demand full advantage of the Iridium capability.” service for limited-duration needs such as emergency In support of the EMSS program over the past 20 years, response. Iridium and the DoD have developed an operational • Advanced interference mitigation capabilities: Intelsat environment that provides the critical network transparency EpicNG satellites have smaller spot beams and an and collaboration to enable successful execution of the advanced digital payload which helps to quickly identify warfighter’s mission. Iridium was one of the initial six industry and mitigate attempts to disrupt signals in the field. Anti- participants in the Commercial Integration Cell (CIC) to jamming capabilities, combined with multiple layers of engage with the US Air Force’s (USAF) Combined Space resiliency provided by Intelsat’s global network, ensure Operations Center (CSpOC) in an effort to improve always-on connectivity, secure communications, and most information sharing and network situational awareness as importantly, a layer of security for the people who depend the DoD continues its use of commercial satellite networks. on them. This now includes the ongoing transition of EMSS, along with all commercial SATCOM services, from the Defense “Our new FlexGround service ensures that tactical users Information Systems Agency to the USAF. in remote environments around the world can stay connected,” said Skot Butler, President at Intelsat General. “The service’s Intelsat General launches FlexGround high data rates and open architecture enable ground forces September 2019 saw the launch of Intelsat General to use a wide array of ultra-portable antennas, providing them Communications’ (IGC) FlexGround, a new service that will with the mission agility they need. The flexible service plans, provide military troops the world over with fast, resilient and pay-as-you-go option, and global availability enable troops secure communications for mobility applications requiring to quickly access the connectivity they need whenever and compact terminals. FlexGround supports a range of wherever necessary.”

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Issue.pmd 37 18/02/2020, 00:06 News, Views & Analysis

Nextologies Limited hires Steve Cadden as SVP Sales Custom end-to-end Video Broadcast Services provider Nextologies Limited has hired Steve Cadden as Senior Vice President, Sales. Cadden is a B2B sales leader with more than 35 years of experience in the satellite and communications industry. Based out of Norwalk Connecticut, Cadden will be responsible for developing new accounts worldwide, managing the uplink and transmission clientele, and translating the company’s business objectives into sales strategies that drive revenue for Nextologies’ assortment of bespoke services. Steve Cadden as SVP Sales “Having worked closely with the amazing folks at Nextologies these past 2 years, I am pleased to be joining a worldwide,” said Sasha Zivanovic, CEO. “Steve’s experience company whose product and technology goes beyond the will bring an unsurpassed dimension to the services we simple distribution model. With the changes happening at provide because of his technical expertise in the satellite the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding space. He will play a key role to introducing Nextologies’ distribution over satellite and spectrum sharing with the 5G cutting-edge IP and 1Mhz satellite technology services to community, the Nextologies portfolio is ideally suited for clients looking to find alternative, reliable, cost-effective and broadcasters and cable programmers looking for customized high-quality broadcasting solutions.” solutions from the simple to the complex.” Previously, Cadden spent 30 years at Intelsat (and “We’re very excited to have Steve join our family. His skill PanAmSat pre-acquisition in 2006) in media sales, where he set, depth of experience in the industry, and database will managed key global accounts providing tele- communication complement our growing team of seasoned sales executives solutions for video, voice and data services. SES GS, Artel and Leidos provide mission-critical connectivity for Palmer Station, Antarctica SES Government Solutions (SES GS) and Artel have teamed collaborate with our industry partners to provide crucial and with Leidos to deliver vital connectivity solutions to Palmer resilient satellite connectivity to Palmer Station,” said Pete Station, Antarctica, operated by the National Science Hoene, President & CEO of SES Government Solutions. Foundation (NSF). The satellite-based service will serve as Palmer Station’s location on the Antarctic Peninsula, due the primary backbone for the sharing of leading year-round south of Argentina, has given the USAP a unique perspective scientific research from the field to the United States Antarctic to provide leading research on global issues such as climate Program (USAP) data center located over 7,500 miles away change and the effects on wildlife and surrounding in Centennial, Co. ecosystems. The transmission of this data from the isolated Artel engineered the solution leveraging the C-band environment to the global population has become pertinent coverage provided by the SES-14 satellite, with backhaul from to the NSF and USAP mission. the SES Government Solutions Teleport in Bristow, Va. “Artel was involved with the NSF’s Palmer Station Satellite through terrestrial circuits also engineered by Artel. The rapid Data Services from the beginning of 2002 to 2008 as a solution data connection ensures the reliable transfer of data for the provider, installing the current 4.9-m C-band Palmer earth station scientific community, but also provides a glimpse into the far and engineering the original satellite-based connectivity solution reaches of Antarctica for the public through their station and to provide end-to-end communications between the Palmer penguin webcam live streams. Station and the USAP data center. We look forward to supporting “The Antarctic Treaty provides the framework for scientists the Leidos team in continuous delivery of mission-critical from all over the world to peacefully come together and better satellite-based data connectivity services to Palmer Station,” understand our planet. We're glad to follow suit and said Ed Spitler, Head of SATCOM Programs at Artel.

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