NEW HORIZONS
Future mega satellite constellations to power Army network modernization.
by John Anglin, Seth Spoenlein and Amy Walker T
he Army’s tactical network modernization strat- egy will enable a future force that can leverage a network that is vastly more robust, mobile and resilient than it is today. In line with this strat-
egy, the Army is laying the foundation for its future network now, so it can take full advantage of emerging technologies expected to make major impacts when they become avail- able. Tese enhancements include new capability provided by commercial and military space technologies, such as low Earth orbit (LEO) mega-constellations and medium Earth orbit (MEO) and geostationary high-throughput satellites.
Te Army is working across its acquisition, modernization, and research and development communities, joint partners and industry to experiment with these evolving technolo- gies and better understand how they could fuel the network of the future. Te Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications – Tactical (PEO C3T), the Network Cross-Functional Team (CFT) at the U.S. Army Futures Command, and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (CCDC) C5ISR Center are work- ing closely with industry to build a focused road map and test plan that will allow emerging satellite communications capability to be run through its paces in training and exer- cises over the next couple of years. Tese events will inform Army decisions on how innovative technologies could best integrate into the greater network.
ONE NETWORK, MULTIPLE SOLUTIONS Te Army’s current satellite capability provides at-the-halt and on-the-move, beyond-line-of-sight network communi- cations to Soldiers dispersed over large regions in remote and challenging terrain. Te service leverages a mix of commer- cial and military satellites in the Earth’s geosynchronous orbit. Te Army is reevaluating its satellite communications archi- tecture to incorporate both military and commercial solutions across geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), MEO and LEO constellations. Tis diversity would allow for optimizing the best solution set while making the network more robust.
So what’s the physical difference between LEO, MEO and GEO satellites? LEO satellites orbit between 90 and 1,200 miles from the Earth’s surface; MEO satellites orbit from 1,200 to 22,000 miles from Earth; and large GEO satellites orbit farthest away at 22,000 miles plus. MEO and LEO constellations require more satellites than GEO to achieve the required coverage. MEO constellations will typically require tens of satellites, where LEO requires hundreds and even thou- sands of satellites orbiting the Earth. GEO satellites appear stationary from a point on the Earth’s surface, whereas LEO and MEO move across the sky and require additional track- ing and handover capability between satellites.
Each solution has its own strengths and weaknesses. Tere will not be a final one-size-fits-all solution—different threats
78
Army AL&T Magazine
Summer 2020
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172
