Space Development Agency’s Post

It is quite clear than Link 16 will be with us along with it is 95 per cent fully compatible F series messages few decades ahead of us. Lessons learn from Ukraine war will challenge how to integrate non secure links into MDO and combat cloud.

The Space Development Agency (SDA) is proud to announce we’ve achieved another major testing milestone for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (#PWSA) by successfully demonstrating the first-ever Link 16 network entry from Tranche 0 satellites in low-Earth orbit to a US Navy ship operating in international waters. SDA’s Warfighter Integration Cell conducted a series of successful Link 16 tests over a two-day period with a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier operating in international waters. This recent milestone follows SDA’s successful Link 16 test last November demonstrating the first-ever Link 16 space-to-ground connection from low-Earth orbit (LEO) to a series of terrestrial radios. Link 16 is a tactical datalink communication system used by the United States, NATO, and coalition forces to transmit and exchange real-time situational awareness data among all network participants. Expanding operations to space is necessary to ensure the Combatant Commands have the resources necessary to support operations. #SemperCitius #Satellites #Space #Defense #Army #Navy #Marines #AirForce #SpaceForce #Link16

a topic to follow

Note the emphasis on "international waters." This is to circumvent the FAA bureaucracy that blocks or restricts Link-16 transmissions in the National Airspace System. Read: The government can put a satellite into space, but can't get approval from itself to turn it on. In case you're wondering, the November 2023 space-to-ground test had to be done in another country due this same issue, which says the paperwork has been in various levels of staffing for upwards of a year. Not throwing shade, but quite the opposite: Sunshine is the best disinfectant, spotlighting issues creates awareness.

A huge milestone for SDA and a game changer for the Warfighter. SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Transport Layer will provide multi-band global communications access and persistent encrypted connectivity for warfighter missions. The Transport Layer will be the space backbone for the Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) infrastructure with low-latency data transport, sensor-to-shooter connectivity, and tactical satellite communication (TACSATCOM) direct to platform. Follow-on PWSA Tranches in FY25 and FY27 will enhance capacity and capabilities to go from Regional Persistence to Global Persistence.

A recent discussion at the Defence in Space conference in London explored the growing reliance of militaries on commercial satellite systems such as SpaceX’s Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper. Experts highlighted concerns about the robustness of these commercial systems in critical defence scenarios. Questions arose about whether such systems, not designed with military resilience, could withstand the increasingly hostile space environment. The dilemma pits the affordability and accessibility of commercial satellites against the security and reliability offered by dedicated military space assets. Check out Tereza Pultarova’s report below. #SpaceDefence #Satellites #Starlink #MilitaryResilience #DefenceInnovation https://bit.ly/4gxT3BQ

Watching China watching US GSSAP satellites. Another insightful paper by Kristin Burke of the USAF's China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI) examining PRC's tracking of GSSAP satellites. https://lnkd.in/eU7rTMux (airuniversity.af.edu URL). GSSAP satellites have been operational for more than 10 years. Their on-orbit activities constitutes ex facto establishment of behavior norms by the US in geosynchronous (GEO) orbit. #SpaceDomainNormsOfBehavior #SpaceDomainAwareness

Celestia TTI (TTI) and Indra, as the national industrial coordinator of the NGWS/FCAS program in Spain, have reached a collaboration agreement to jointly develop next-generation antennas, enabling them to design advanced communications systems for the FCAS program. More specifically, they will work on multi-purpose antennas capable of meeting civil and military needs and bands and establishing links with satellite networks in geostationary, high, medium and low orbits. They will also develop internal links to facilitate the integration of the aircraft’s onboard systems, thereby enhancing the distributed data processing and improving situational awareness. Alejandro Serrano, Indra’s Program Manager, stated: “Developing the combat cloud will lead to creating a collaborative space involving multiple air, naval and ground platforms and mark a turning point in the world of defence. The agreement we’ve reached with Celestia TTI will enable us to accelerate its development in the field of communications and explore new concepts and technologies that will shape the future of defence”. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/dz36TCA8 #Indra #CelestiaTTI #Spain #NGWS #FCAS #defence #aerospace #industry #technology #military

🇬🇧🛰️💪 The UK Ministry of Defence has successfully put its first military satellite into orbit, boosting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities. Dubbed “Tyche,” the asset was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California with SpaceX’s reusable Falcon 9 rocket. The satellite will be operated by the UK Space Command to capture daytime images and videos of the Earth’s surface. About the size of a washing machine, the Tyche military satellite weighs 150 kilograms. It is part of a 22-million-pound initiative between the Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL). #military #army #defense #defence #defenseindustry #defenceindustry #defensetech #defencetech #militarytech #technology #uk #satellite #satellites #intel #intelligence

US Air Force Eyes Dedicated Starship Fleet for High-Risk Missions. The US Air Force (USAF) is reportedly exploring a bold move: acquiring and operating a fleet of SpaceX Starship rockets specifically for high-risk military missions. This marks a significant shift from previous proposals that focused on Starship's cargo delivery capabilities. While SpaceX has a history of launching military and government payloads, this new initiative would see "grey tail" Starships – those designated for military use – directly integrated into the USAF's arsenal. This dedicated fleet would offer unprecedented capabilities for critical and potentially hazardous operations. #defense #defence #military #technology #aerospace #space #spacemission #moon #rocket #rockets #spaceexploration #aerospace #satellite #satellites #spacetechnology #spaceinnovation #spacecraft #spacenews #spacestation