WASHINGTON – Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced April 4 that it will develop a satellite-based system for the U.S. Army using Virtual Ground Systems, a software-defined alternative to traditional hardware-based ground stations for controlling satellite constellations. announced that it had completed a broadband demonstration.
The company was awarded a contract in 2022 to conduct a demonstration for the U.S. Army's Command, Control, Communications and Tactical Programs Office (PEO C3T) as part of a broader effort to modernize voice and data communications for tactical forces. The Army is looking for ways to leverage commercial capabilities rather than building its own custom space network.
Kratos used the OpenSpace platform, a virtual satellite communications (Satcom) ground system. The demonstration showed that it is possible to stream the Internet directly from a spacecraft in low Earth orbit to a small antenna used by soldiers, streamlining the signal path.
Telesat's LEO 3 satellite used in the demo
For the demonstration, Kratos connected a Cobham tracker antenna to Telesat's LEO 3 satellite. This is Telesat, an experimental satellite he launched in July 2023 as a pathfinder for the company's planned network of broadband satellites, the Lightspeed LEO constellation.
“The demonstration demonstrated a flexible network architecture that allows soldiers to connect to Telesat's LEO 3 satellites through the Cobham antenna,” Kratos said in a news release.
Telesat's LEO 3 was launched aboard Rocket Lab's Electron rocket and is one of seven demonstration satellites. LEO 3 has Ka-band and V-band payloads.
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Sandra Erwin writes about military space programs, policy, technology, and the industries that support the field. As editor of NDIA's Defense Magazine, she has covered the military, Department of Defense, Congress, and the defense industry for nearly 20 years.
