WASHINGTON — Army satellites for many years have been constructed like a large toolbox with all of the capabilities crammed into one unit. However this sort of monolithic design makes it costly, advanced and fewer adaptable. The Area Power is now “disaggregating” satellites, breaking down the toolbox into smaller, specialised toolkits.
The thought of disaggregating navy satellite tv for pc capabilities has been talked about for years, but it surely’s solely now changing into a sensible actuality because of decrease launch prices, stated Cordell DeLaPena, program government officer for navy communications, positioning, navigation, and timing on the Area Power’s Area Techniques Command.
Throughout a gathering with reporters final week on the Area Symposium in Colorado Springs, DeLaPena pointed to 2 key applications poised for disaggregation: the Protected Tactical Satcom (PTS) constellation for safe navy communications, and the World Positioning System (GPS).
Up to now, when satellite tv for pc launches have been far dearer, the navy needed to pack each vital functionality onto a single satellite tv for pc, he stated. With launch prices down, largely as a result of emergence of SpaceX, the Area Power is now not constrained to having a handful of super-capable satellites. And people capabilities may be distributed throughout a bigger community of smaller, extra specialised satellites, he defined.
The PTS program, for instance, could have a small variety of extremely specialised satellites designed to offer safe, jam-resistant communications for battlefield operations. However it is going to additionally embody a bigger proliferated community of extra inexpensive, commercially-derived satellites, stated DeLaPena.
The Area Power in its 2025 finances proposal seeks $597 million for PTS satellites. That features $349 million for military-hardened anti-jam satellites generally known as PTS-R (regional), and $248 million for PTS-G (international).
The finances funds two Ka-band and two X-band PTS-G satellites of decrease complexity than the PTS-R spacecraft.
DeLaPena’s workplace is predicted to difficulty a solicitation for bids within the coming weeks for 4 PTS-R satellites. Two corporations — Boeing and Northrop Grumman — have already developed prototypes below earlier contracts. The PTS-G program is new so it may well’t start till Congress approves the 2025 spending plan. This portion of the PTS structure will probably be extra distributed however the whole variety of satellites has but to be determined, stated DeLaPena.
GPS ‘mild’
The Area Power continues to purchase the newest GPS satellites, generally known as GPS IIIF, made by Lockheed Martin. Nevertheless it’s additionally seeking to subject a extra distributed community of smaller, commercially-based GPS satellites that may be refreshed extra ceaselessly.
“I’m very within the business marketplace for GPS satellites,” stated DeLaPena. “I believe it’s going to be a sport changer.”
GPS at this time “will not be disaggregated,” he famous. “With our present GPS satellite tv for pc, when the calculus was the value of a launch you wished to get as a lot functionality on a rocket as potential.”
There at the moment are business corporations that provide satellite tv for pc buses and payloads that will make it potential to disaggregate GPS into smaller and cheaper platforms, DeLaPena added.
When the Area Techniques Command held an “Trade Day” to gauge distributors’ curiosity on this program, about 30 corporations confirmed up, he stated. “I believe the business non-traditional ones have an amazing alternative to associate with traditionals or different non-traditional suppliers.”
The considering is that “we are able to begin making GPS satellites so much lighter and at a a lot diminished value so we don’t need to implement a 15-year design life,” he stated. “That results in weight, that results in mass and that results in expense.”
GPS satellites additionally carry non-PNT payloads — together with one for search-and-rescue and one other to detect nuclear detonations. “All these issues, I believe, sooner or later will probably be disaggregated.”
