WASHINGTON — Kratos Defense & Security Solutions reported on April 4 that it finished a display of satellite-based broadband for the U.S. Army using a virtual ground system, which is a software-defined substitute for traditional hardware-based ground stations for controlling satellite groups.
The organization secured a contract in 2022 to carry out the display for the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control, Communications Tactical (PEO C3T) as part of a broader effort to modernize voice and data communication for tactical units. The Army is seeking ways to utilize commercial capabilities rather than constructing its own custom space networks.
Kratos utilized its OpenSpace Platform, a virtualized satellite communications (satcom) ground system. During the display, it demonstrated the ability to transmit internet from spacecraft in low Earth orbit directly to small antennas used by soldiers, simplifying the signal path.
The demonstration utilized Telesat’s LEO 3 satellite
For the display, Kratos connected a Cobham tracker antenna to Telesat’s LEO 3 satellite. This satellite was launched by Telesat in July 2023 as a precursor for the company’s Lightspeed LEO constellation, which is a planned network of broadband satellites.
“The display exhibited a flexible network architecture that enabled soldiers to connect to Telesat’s LEO 3 satellite through Cobham antennas,” Kratos stated in a news release.
Telesat’s LEO 3 was launched on Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket and is one of seven demonstration satellites. LEO 3 has Ka- and V-band payloads.
