Of interest to the military are optical inter-satellite links that allow satellites to transmit massive amounts of data to other satellites and ground stations.
WASHINGTON – Among the 143 satellites that took part on SpaceX’s record-breaking orbit on January 24 were technology demonstrations and payloads for the U.S. military, including satellite components, laser communications in space, and remote sensing.
Blue Canyon Technologies has deployed new satellite components that it plans to incorporate into Defense Advanced Projects Agency satellites. Blue Canyon is now owned by Raytheon and manufactures spacecraft for DARPA’s Blackjack low-earth constellation. George Stafford, CEO of the company, said these new components include posture control systems and reaction wheels designed to improve the performance of satellites.
Other smallsats that flew on SpaceX’s Transporter-1 were laser communication loads – known as optical inter-satellite links – that allow satellites to transmit large amounts of data to other satellites and ground stations. The German Tesat-Spacecom has sent a laser communication terminal around the track, which according to him is the smallest in the industry and weighs less than a pound.
Matthias Motzigemba, spokesperson for Tesat-Spacecom, said SpaceNews the company plans to test the payload for optical communications for up to two years and conduct experiments aimed at building a global network of space and ground nodes.
Motzigemba said he could not disclose the customers for these terminals, but said Tesat currently provides optical inter-satellite connections to U.S. companies surrounding low-Earth constellations.
The Pentagon’s Space Development Agency is particularly interested in lightweight laser communications terminals for the fleet of LEO satellites it plans to deploy over the next few years. DARPA and SDA had hoped to launch two optical inter-satellite switching cube sets on Transporter-1, but the satellites were accidentally damaged at the payroll processing facility.
Derek Tournear, director of SDA, said in a social media comment that the loss of the two satellites was ‘painful’ and that Transporter-1 would have had 145 satellites on board if the two loads had made the lasers.
In this mission, SpaceX flew ten of its own Starlink Internet satellites equipped with laser links. The U.S. military plans to use Starlink to connect aircraft and other platforms, and optical inter-satellite links are preferred because they are more cyber-secure than traditional radio frequency communications.
The largest share of small bags in Transporter-1 were Planet image satellites as well as Capella Space and Iceye radar image satellites, and HawkEye 360 radio frequency character satellites. These and other companies are expanding their fleets such as the Pentagon and the intelligence. community plan to increase the use of commercial remote sensing services.
Better technology needed for satellite tracking
The US military is currently serving as a space traffic controller. Space Command’s 18th Space Control Squadron monitors satellites and space debris for close approximations and posts their location on space-track.org.
The unprecedented number of small satellites launched by SpaceX in a single flight draws attention to the challenges of space travel management as orbits become more crowded.
Satellite tracking and astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell said Transporter-1 included satellites from 24 different owners and operators, most from the United States and a handful from ten other countries.
Space safety concerns create opportunities for startups like Kayhan Space Corp, which has developed cloud-based software to help military and commercial satellite operators plan maneuvers so they can avoid collisions.
The company has received two contracts from Small Business Innovation Research from the US Air Force to support satellite tracking.
“There is a lot of room for improvement in space object detection,” said Kayam Space CEO Siamak Hesar and co-founder SpaceNews. Today, it is difficult to determine the exact location of small objects such as kubusat. As the shares become more frequent, Hesar said, the 18th Space Control Squadron and civic organizations will need better tools to manage the congestion and avoid costly accidents.