Konflikti lähiavaruudessa

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Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace will design and develop the two mission payloads for the U.S. Space Force's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar (NGP) program.

"NGP combines Northrop Grumman's proven experience in missile warning and defense with Ball Aerospace's expertise in optical sensors and mission data processing," said Sarah Willoughby, vice president, overhead persistent infrared and geospatial systems, Northrop Grumman. "Our team's solution for NGP will assure continuous coverage of the northern hemisphere - especially the critical Arctic region - to protect against incoming threats."

In May 2020, the U.S. Space Force awarded Northrop Grumman a $2.37 billion contract for the first phase of NGP program. Together, Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace will design and develop the sensor payloads for the two NGP satellites at Northrop Grumman's site in Azusa, California. The team will also perform systems engineering, flight hardware and ground system design and development, and risk reduction in support of a critical design review.

The two satellites, operating in highly elliptical orbits, will include infrared sensors to detect and track ballistic and hypersonic missiles; an enhanced communication system that will transmit mission data to the ground, allowing decision makers to identify infrared heat signatures of incoming threats; and resiliency features that reduce vulnerabilities to counter-space and cyberattacks.

Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace to develop new missile warning system sensor

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 02, 2022 - Northrop Grumman and Ball Aerospace will design and develop the two mission payloads for the U.S. Space Force's Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar (NGP) program. NGP combines

www.spacewar.com

 

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The Earth exists in a dangerous environment. Cosmic bodies, like asteroids and comets, are constantly zooming through space and often crash into our planet. Most of these are too small to pose a threat, but some can be cause for concern.

As a scholar who studies space and international security, it is my job to ask what the likelihood of an object crashing into the planet really is - and whether governments are spending enough money to prevent such an event.

To find the answers to these questions, one has to know what near-Earth objects are out there. To date, NASA has tracked only an estimated 40% of the bigger ones. Surprise asteroids have visited Earth in the past and will undoubtedly do so in the future. When they do appear, how prepared will humanity be?

The state of planetary defense in the 2020s

Montgomery AL (The Conversation) Mar 03, 2022 - The Earth exists in a dangerous environment. Cosmic bodies, like asteroids and comets, are constantly zooming through space and often crash into our planet. Most of these are too small to pose a thr

www.spacedaily.com

To protect the planet from cosmic dangers, early detection is key. At the 2021 Planetary Defense Conference, scientists recommended a minimum of five to 10 years' preparation time to mount a successful defense against hazardous asteroids.

If astronomers find a dangerous object, there are four ways to mitigate a disaster. The first involves regional first-aid and evacuation measures. A second approach would involve sending a spacecraft to fly near a small- or medium-sized asteroid; the gravity of the craft would slowly change the object's orbit. To change a bigger asteroid's path, we can either crash something into it at high speeds or detonate a nuclear warhead nearby.

These may seem like far-fetched ideas, but in November 2021, NASA launched the world's first full-scale planetary defense mission as a proof of concept: the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. The large asteroid Didymos and its small moon currently pose no threat to Earth. In September 2022, NASA plans to change the asteroid's orbit by crashing a 1,340-pound (610 kg) probe into Didymos' moon at a speed of approximately 14,000 mph (22,500 kph).

Learning more about what threatening asteroids are made of is also important, as their composition may affect how successful we are at deflecting them. The asteroid Bennu is 1,620 feet (490 meters) in diameter. Its orbit will bring it dangerously close to Earth on Sept. 24, 2182, and there is a 1 in 2,700 chance of a collision. An asteroid of this size could wipe out an entire continent, so to learn more about Bennu, NASA launched the OSIRIS-Rex probe in 2016. The spacecraft arrived at Bennu, took pictures, collected samples and is due to return to Earth in 2023.

 

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Russia’s senior space official recently warned that any tampering with the nation’s satellites is grounds for war, underscoring how reliant modern communications and military operations are on the orbiting tools.

Whether America views satellite hacking or attacking as basis for a war declaration, though, isn’t so cut and dry.

“The United States has an abiding interest in a secure, safe, sustainable and accessible space domain for the benefit of all humanity,” a State Department spokesperson told Nextgov on Thursday. “We urge all space actors to abide by their international obligations.”

That response came after inquiries to multiple federal entities, including the Space Force, Defense Department and other federal components regarding whether it would be considered an act of war if U.S. satellites were targeted.

“Again, I'm not going to be able to comment. The only thing I really can say in response to that, I think, is that anyone who attacks a U.S. asset has to be very concerned about the consequences of that act,” Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said on Thursday. “You're talking about something that's fairly unprecedented, quite frankly.”

He was responding to a question regarding whether America considers such actions worthy of a war declaration, during the Air Force Association’s Warfare Symposium. Kendall’s remarks came one day after Roscosmos Director-General Dmitry Rogozin said on Rossiya 24 television that hacking a Russian satellite would be an act of war.

“I want to warn everyone who tries to do it that it is essentially a crime, which should be toughly punished,” Rogozin said, which Interfax and Reuters first reported. “Because disabling the satellite group of any country is generally a casus belli, that is, a reason to go to war. And we will be looking for those who organized it."

If Russia Hacks a US Satellite, Is It an Act of War?

After a Russian official issued dire warnings against tampering with satellites, U.S. officials declined to follow suit.

www.defenseone.com

pitkä artikkeli

 

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Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the prime institution responsible for defence-related research in Norway, has awarded a contract to Exolaunch, a global provider of launch, in-space logistics and deployment services for small satellites, to launch its ARCSAT satellite aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9.

The teams of Exolaunch and GomSpace, the ARCSAT's satellite manufacturer, have just completed a successful integration of the ARCSAT satellite into its deployer at Exolaunch's headquarters in Berlin prior to shipment for the launch campaign at Cape Canaveral, Florida. The satellite is scheduled for launch to a sun-synchronous orbit with Falcon 9 NET April 2022 as part of SpaceX's SmallSat Rideshare Program.

ARCSAT is a 6U nanosatellite designed to demonstrate the use and relevance of a satellite relay for UHF communication at high latitudes. For a polar orbit above 500 km, the satellite will be able to cover any point on the Earth's surface ranging from 4 up to 15 daily passes at higher latitudes.

Norwegian Defence Research Establishment contracts Exolaunch to launch ARCSAT

Kjeller, Norway (SPX) Mar 15, 2022 - Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI), the prime institution responsible for defence-related research in Norway, has awarded a contract to Exolaunch, a global provider of launch, in-space l

www.spacewar.com

https://publications.ffi.no/nb/item/asset/dspace:6776/FFIFakta_ARCSAT.pdf

 

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China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major defense contractor, plans to launch a technology demonstration satellite in the coming months, according to a senior researcher overseeing the project.

"The Tiankun 2 satellite is undergoing final tests by our engineers and will be launched by a Long March rocket," said Ma Jie, Party chief of the CASIC Second Academy in Beijing, which is developing the satellite system. "It will be used to demonstrate and verify several advanced space technologies."

She said that compared with its predecessor, Tiankun 1, the new satellite is smaller and cheaper to produce and operate.

Tiankun 1, launched by a Kaituo 2 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China's Gobi Desert in March 2017, is a small, low-orbiting satellite tasked with testing remote sensing and communications technologies.

In the five years it has been working in orbit, it has obtained and transmitted 80 gigabytes of remote-sensing data back to Earth and made nearly 7,300 interaction tests with ground control, Ma said.

She said the academy has invested heavily in the research, development and manufacturing of satellites and has launched two satellites.

Technology demonstration satellite to be launched soon

Beijing (XNA) Mar 09, 2022 - China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp, a major defense contractor, plans to launch a technology demonstration satellite in the coming months, according to a senior researcher overseeing the proj

www.spacedaily.com

 

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France is several years into a multibillion-euro investment in military space capabilities, and the country is using its temporary role leading the European Council presidency to emphasize the operational domain’s importance across the continent.

Mirroring its American partners, officials in Paris have in recent years upped the rhetoric and investment around military efforts in space. “If space was the ‘new frontier’ of the 1960s, there is no doubt that today it is a ‘new front’ on the battlefield,” French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said in a recent op-ed for Defense News.

France puts space at top of national — and European — security priorities

France is using its temporary role leading the European Council presidency to emphasize the operational domain’s importance across the continent.

www.defensenews.com

 

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The navigation-jamming attacks affecting airplanes started Feb. 24, the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, EASA said – and they’ve continued to proliferate. So far, the affected areas include the Black Sea airspace, Eastern Finland, the Kaliningrad region and other Baltic areas, and the Eastern Mediterranean area near Cyprus, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Israel, as well as Northern Iraq.

“The effects of [Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)] jamming and/or possible spoofing were observed by aircraft in various phases of their flights, in certain cases leading to re-routing or even to change the destination due to the inability to perform a safe landing procedure,” EASA warned (PDF). “Under the present conditions, it is not possible to predict GNSS outages and their effects.”

Agencies Warn on Satellite Hacks & GPS Jamming Affecting Airplanes, Critical Infrastructure

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has coincided with the jamming of airplane navigation systems and hacks on the SATCOM networks that empower critical infrastructure.

threatpost.com

Losing a GNSS signal could result in many negative outcomes, including pilots “flying blind,” without the use of waypoint navigation to tell where they are. Outages could also affect the ability for an airplane’s instrumentation to accurately track the aircraft’s position, which could lead to a plane entering contested airspace; the inability to properly gauge one’s proximity to the ground (which could trigger pull-up commands, according to the alert); or the failure of systems that address dangers like wind shear.


“The magnitude of the issues generated by such outage would depend upon the extent of the area concerned, on the duration and on the phase of flight of the affected aircraft,” EASA warned.

This week, CISA tersely warned that it is “aware of possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks. Successful intrusions into SATCOM networks could create risk in SATCOM network providers’ customer environments.”

The agency advised satellite operators to start monitoring at ingress and egress points for anomalous traffic, including the use of various remote access tools (Telnet, FTP, SSH and so on); connections out to “unexpected” network segments; unauthorized use of local or backup accounts; unexpected traffic to terminals or closed-group SATCOM networks; and brute-force login attempts.

Satellite customers meanwhile should implement multifactor authentication (MFA) on their accounts, CISA warned, and should shore up least-privilege approaches for any sensitive areas served by satellite links.

Andreas Galauner, lead security researcher at Rapid7, noted that in the U.S., critical infrastructure is likely the target for such attacks.

“Almost no private individual uses SATCOM, as it is costly and the latency is too high and slow,” he said via email. “This leaves industrial and critical infrastructures, which makes SATCOM an appealing target.”

James McQuiggan, security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, made a similar assessment.

“Communication is a critical element needed in life these days, whether between families or between governments,” he emailed. “If the ability to communicate is lost, it becomes challenging to strategize, coordinate or plan. When cybercriminals are targeting this element of critical infrastructure, cyber-resiliency is essential to remain in contact. Organizations working with SATCOM products or services need to ensure protections to secure access to the devices with multi-factor authentication. Ensure all systems are up to date with software and firmware updates, increase monitoring of traffic and logs, and review incident response plans to prepare for an outage.”

ISPs of all stripes should be vigilant, Galauner added.

“Even though this particular risk relates to satellite communication networks, this has happened before in ‘normal’ ISPs,” he said. “In those instances, what got ‘pwned’ is the CPE: modems and routers that weren’t configured properly by the ISP. This could happen on DSL and cable lines as much as it can happen here. However, a satellite network, possibly spanning huge geographical areas, might allow attackers to perform more widespread attacks without having to be in the physical vicinity.”

Eli ryssät ELSOsi glonassin ja usutti valtiolliset hyökkäämään GPS sateliitteja vastaan samalla aikaa kun Putleri varoitti hyökkäämästä heidän satelliitteja vastaan.

 

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Australia's government on Tuesday launched "Space Command", a new defence agency with echoes of the United States' Space Force that has been tasked with securing the country's place in an "already contested" cosmos.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the new defence arm would be modest to start with, though he gave no detailed staffing or budget figures.

In a speech to the Australian Air Force, he said space "will undoubtedly become a domain that takes on greater military significance in this century".

"Space is becoming more congested and is already contested, particularly as the boundaries between competition and conflict become increasingly blurred through grey-zone activities," the minister said.

Dutton positioned Space Command as a clear counter to China and Russia's extraterrestrial military ambitions, namechecking both nations in his speech along with all "countries that see space as a territory for their taking, rather than one to be shared".

Space Command will be led by Air Vice-Marshal Cath Roberts -- "a self-professed science fiction buff" -- who will oversee a team drawn from across Australia's Army, Navy and Air Force, as well as private contractors.

Dutton said the agency will "initially be modest" but added that Australia will need "a Space Force in the future" -- a nod to the US service that was launched by President Donald Trump in 2019.

Space Command makes way for close collaboration between the United States and Australia in yet another theatre, coming just months after the two countries signed a new military partnership, AUKUS, along with the United Kingdom.

Australia's conservative government has been squarely focused on the military as an election looms, committing earlier this month to increase the country's defence force to 80,000 troops by 2040.

Australia launches Space Command to counter China's ambitions

METATEXT

www.spacewar.com

 

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More than 22,000 miles above Earth, the KA-SAT is locked in orbit. Traveling at 7,000 miles per hour, in sync with the planet’s rotation, the satellite beams high-speed internet down to people across Europe. Since 2011, it has helped homeowners, businesses, and militaries get online. However, as Russian troops moved into Ukraine during the early hours of February 24, satellite internet connections were disrupted. A mysterious cyberattack against the satellite’s ground infrastructure—not the satellite itself—plunged tens of thousands of people into internet darkness.

Among them were parts of Ukraine’s defenses. “It was a really huge loss in communications in the very beginning of war,” Viktor Zhora, a senior official at Ukraine’s cybersecurity agency, the State Services for Special Communication and Information Protection (SSSCIP), reportedly said two weeks later. He did not provide any more details, and SSSCIP did not respond to WIRED’s request for comment. But the attack against the satellite internet system, owned by US company Viasat since last year, had even wider ramifications. People using satellite internet connections were knocked offline all across Europe, from Poland to France.

Almost a month after the attack, the disruptions continue. Thousands still remain offline across Europe—around 2,000 wind turbines are still disconnected in Germany—and companies are racing to replace broken modems or fix connections with updates. Multiple intelligence agencies, including those in the US and Europe, are also investigating the attack. The Viasat hack is arguably the largest publicly known cyberattack to take place since Russia invaded Ukraine, and it stands out for its impact beyond Ukraine’s borders. But questions about the details of the attack, its purpose, and who carried it out remain—although experts have their suspicions.

A Mysterious Satellite Hack Has Victims Far Beyond Ukraine

The biggest hack since Russia’s war began knocked thousands of people offline. The spillover extends deep into Europe.

www.wired.co.uk

 

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The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate is seeking partners to design and inform the capabilities of the Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS) satellite, to provide space domain awareness beyond Geosynchronous orbit, in the region of the moon that is experiencing increasing activity.

A draft Request for Proposals was posted last week, on the NSTXL.org website, and companies who are part of the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) are encouraged to submit ideas by the deadline of 11 a.m. MST on April 1, 2022.

“The CHPS program will deliver space domain awareness, in a region that is one thousand times greater than our current area of responsibility,” said Michael Lopez, the newly announced CHPS program manager. “AFRL is interested in hearing from companies that may have ideas that differ from ours, and could contribute to the satellite’s capabilities.”

The Cislunar Highway Patrol System is a spacecraft conceived at the AFRL Space Vehicles Directorate, and is being designed to improve the United States Space Force’s (USSF) ability to detect, track and identify artificial objects operating at lunar distances and beyond a range of 385,000 km.

AFRL’s Cislunar Highway Patrol System seeks industry collaboration

KIRTLAND AFB, New Mexico (AFRL) – The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate is seeking partners to design and inform the capabilities of the Cislunar Highway Patrol System

www.afrl.af.mil

 

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Why do we need to put so much effort into space and space defence? One reason is Australia (like the rest of the world) depends on space-based technologies to provide communications, navigation and timing, and Earth-observing services.

However, space is increasingly "congested, contested and competitive", according to the United Nations committee responsible for disarmament and international security in space.

Space services such as Planet's remote sensing network (every part of the planet imaged from space, every day) and Starlink's broadband internet constellation are growing rapidly. There are now almost 5,000 operational satellites orbiting Earth.

The risk of collisions is increasing, as is the potential for conflict. Many nations now regard space as a "warfighting domain", and the challenges are not just technological but political and ethical.

Defence Space Command will prepare for such space conflict, and deter it as much as possible.

A commercial environment
Another reason for Australia to step more boldly into space is increasing commercialisation. Space is no longer solely the domain of government space agencies. A rapidly growing array of private companies are now leading the way.

The Australian Space Agency, established in 2018, is tasked with growing the country's space industry to take a share of the global space economy. Along the way, this industry will support Defence Space Command and defence more broadly.

Australian players are new to the game, and the history of competitive markets shows disruptive innovation - the kind that creates new markets or sources of value - is the only way new entrants can compete and win against incumbents. Australia must be prepared to take risks in space, flying often, learning from failure, and commercialising innovative technologies from research-driven space missions.

Australia (defence included) must embrace disruptive innovation in the space domain, or we will become technically capable but not necessarily commercially or militarily competitive.

Skills for space
To rise to these challenges, Defence Space Command will need a highly skilled space workforce.

There are currently few personnel in defence who understand the complexities and harsh realities of operating in space through hands-on experience. Knowing which missions to do and how to do them right can't be learnt from textbooks.

Analysis from various quarters also emphasises the workforce of the future will have a growing need for technological skills, particularly in the areas of automation and artificial intelligence; social and emotional skills, for leadership and teamwork in complex situations; and higher cognitive skills, including critical thinking and complex information processing.

All these are crucial for defence. The complexities of the space domain, the cross-disciplinary skills required, and the relevance of space to all aspects of society, mean training a future space workforce can inspire and educate, not just technologists and war fighters, but the critical thinkers and leaders of the future.

How universities fit in
This is where universities come in. Many of Australia's universities are rapidly building space expertise, including Curtin University and the University of Melbourne. Take, for example, our work.

We help meet three critical needs: attracting and training a highly skilled workforce; pursuing and commercialising disruptive innovation; and performing early analysis and feasibility studies of potential space missions.

Defence and UNSW Canberra have jointly invested more than A$30 million since 2015 in this program. In that time, we have has developed four missions with five satellites. We have also performed extensive research and development for artificial intelligence-enabled space systems. We have also tracked and predicted the behaviour of satellites and their interactions with the space environment (known as "space domain awareness").

Our most recent mission, M2, was launched in March 2021. It consists of two advanced satellites demonstrating technologies for Earth observation, satellite monitoring, communications and in-orbit artificial intelligence.

Our missions have grown defence's capacity and capability for developing and operating space technologies to meet national needs. The technical and operational lessons we learn feed directly into our space education program and also our plans for the future.

Just as importantly, the team has spawned three Canberra-based spin-off companies (Skykraft, Infinity Avionics and Nominal Systems) and established a domestic supply chain of approximately 30 organisations to support the missions. We have also contributed more than 20 highly skilled space professionals to other parts of the Australian space sector.

UNSW Canberra Space, along with our colleagues across the university sector, agencies such as Defence Science and Technology Group, the Australian Space Agency, CSIRO and Geoscience Australia, and in industry, has ambitious plans for new Australian space missions in the coming years.

The innovations that flow will be many, and the growth in skills across the country will be extensive. With coordination, these outcomes will make an important and enduring contribution to the success of Defence Space Command.

What will Australia's new Defence Space Command do

Canberra, Australia (SPX) Mar 25, 2022 - Australia established a Defence Space Command in January this year, to achieve our strategic space ambitions and lead the effort to assure Australia's access to space. The government also plans to

www.spacewar.com

 

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When a natural or humanitarian disaster occurs halfway around the world, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) aims to send a rocket filled with food, water and other essential supplies to the site in one hour. With the help of UCF researchers, they may be able to achieve this goal within the next decade.

UCF is one of seven universities to receive funding through the USSF's University Consortium Research Opportunity, which connects higher education institutions with the U.S. Department of Defense's space-related research opportunities. Engineering researchers Michael Kinzel, Tarek Elgohary and Luis Rabelo were awarded the $350,000 grant, which makes them the first UCF researchers to receive funding from the USSF.

"Although it puts pressure on us to succeed, it also gives us a chance to thrive and set a precedent for UCF with the USSF," says Kinzel, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. "I think it will open many new doors and partnerships, which is especially important due to our proximity to the Patrick Space Force Base and the entire Space Coast."

This project falls under the U.S. Air Force's Rocket Cargo program. USSF is part of the Air Force. The goal is to determine the viability of using commercial rockets to transport cargo quickly and efficiently across the globe. Ideally, the rockets would be deployed for disaster relief, shipping 100 tons of food, first-aid supplies and blood donations to any location in just one hour.

To work out the logistics, UCF researchers will use their expertise to tackle different parts of the process. Kinzel, an expert in computational fluid dynamics, will use numerical analysis and aerodynamics modeling to ensure the cargo gets there safely and on time. Elgohary, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering, will use control theory and complex modeling techniques to make certain the rocket can land at its destination with precision. Rabelo, a professor of industrial engineering and management systems, will identify any potential bottlenecks in the process so the rockets can be packed and shipped within the shortest timeframe.

Student involvement in research is one of the main goals of the USSF University Consortium, so the trio will rely on both graduate and undergraduate students to help them complete the mission. Graduate students will take the lead on modeling, and they'll coach undergraduate capstone students as they work on related projects.

"The graduate students will help guide two cohorts of Senior Design students who will aim to make the concepts function," says Kinzel. "It's really nice because we will engage around 100 students overall, creating a workforce relevant to USSF missions."

Kinzel says the graduate students will also have opportunities to intern with the Air Force Research Laboratory as well as with the local branch of the Science Applications International Corporation, which support the educational and workforce development aspects of the project.

The USSF University Consortium Research Opportunity is the third of three pilot programs designed to facilitate research opportunities between the Air Force Research and universities that can lead to the technological advancement of the USSF.

Viability of using commercial rockets to transport cargo quickly focus of Space Force research

Orlando FL (SPX) Mar 31, 2022 - When a natural or humanitarian disaster occurs halfway around the world, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) aims to send a rocket filled with food, water and other essential supplies to the site in one hou

www.spacedaily.com

 

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lingshot Aerospace is developing a cutting-edge virtual space environment. The company's Digital Space Twin reflects the current state of space at any given moment, enabling users to simulate various scenarios and identify the best approach to accomplishing missions. The product combines real-time mapping of objects in orbit and space weather data with physics based simulations to show users how planned missions will behave in the real space environment.

Slingshot Aerospace has spent the last two years developing the Digital Space Twin, which attracted the government's attention. This contract will fund the expansion of Slingshot Aerospace's Digital Space Twin to encompass the USSF missions and enhance their ability to analyze and respond to current and future threats. The Digital Space Twin will launch as a commercial product in advance of the final government deployment.

Examples of how the U.S. Space Force aims to leverage Digital Space Twin:

+ Wargaming: Also known as scenario planning, wargaming is a critical aspect of maintaining national security. For example, the USSF will use Slingshot Aerospace's Digital Space Twin to visualize potential nefarious acts that could occur in orbit. By being apprised of and understanding the impact of current threats, users can employ known data to plan and simulate responses and predict future adversary behavior in order to maintain national security.

+ Mission Planning: Space Force Guardians operate satellites and other space objects from earth but the inherent complexity of the space environment makes it difficult to employ predictive modeling of scenarios in response to real world events. Using the Digital Space Twin, Guardians can simulate scenarios that are otherwise challenging to visualize. For example, Guardians can use the Digital Space Twin to map out the best course of action when an unknown object approaches a satellite of interest. The Digital Space Twin provides a real-world, hands-on environment to simulate mission execution so the Space Force can identify the most viable way to respond.

+ Spacecraft and Constellation Design: Whenever a new space requirement, such as launching satellite constellations, is identified to meet a combatant command's need, the USSF must consider various approaches. Guardians will model and evaluate the safest, fastest and most effective way to deploy the satellite constellation. The Digital Space Twin will enable users to quickly model various scenarios and identify the best path forward, taking into account safety, effectiveness and cost. For example, a typical government satellite can cost $1 billion and take several years to develop. By simulating the launch and the orbital environment using the Digital Space Twin, the government can identify the approach that eliminates the most risk and provides the greatest likelihood of success.

The Slingshot Aerospace Digital Space Twin will reduce costs, accelerate product development, optimize decision making and enhance operations for the Space Force. Slingshot Aerospace's ultimate goal is to use its Digital Space Twin with government and commercial customers to promote space sustainability and help the USSF better protect society.

"Space is a complex, rapidly evolving and unforgiving environment," said Melanie Stricklan, Co founder and CEO, Slingshot Aerospace. "Our Digital Space Twin is an unprecedented leap forward that provides a high-fidelity, physics-driven simulation of the actual, live space environment. This combined with the deployment of Slingshot Laboratory creates an extraordinarily powerful product suite that simply didn't exist before. I couldn't be more excited to know that our team and technology has the opportunity to vastly improve and optimize operational decision-making, increase overall readiness, and ultimately empower our Guardians and Airmen to out-innovate a determined adversary

Slingshot Aerospace wins US Space Force contract

Austin TX (SPX) Apr 01, 2022 - Slingshot Aerospace, Inc., a company building world-class space simulation and analytics products to accelerate space sustainability, has been awarded a $25.2 million, 39-month contract from the U.S

www.spacewar.com

 

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"As satellites have become increasingly critical to the infrastructure of modern society, there is an increased need for cyber resilience protecting space," says Anders Linder, head of the global satellites business at Beyond Gravity (formerly RUAG Space). There is a strong demand for both, highly secure IT solutions for ground systems on Earth as well as for satellites in Space.

HENSOLDT Cyber's approach to cyber security is different from conventional IT solutions. Instead of standard add-on security products, which treat symptoms rather than addressing the underlying problems, HENSOLDT offers products that are designed to ensure the integrity of embedded systems at the core: the operating system and the processor.

"We build systems that are secure from the ground up using formal methods (which provide mathematical proofed system features) to achieve true trustworthiness," says Sascha Kegreiss, CTO at HENSOLDT Cyber, who is also member of the governing board of the open-source seL4 Foundation.

"With TRENTOS we are providing an easy way to enable security-by-design for space application development to strongly oppose cyberwarfare." The new high security operating system TRENTOS is based on the seL4 microkernel, which provides proven security capabilities under all operating conditions. "It is therefore an excellent choice to meet the high requirements of the space industry," adds Kegreiss.

"With HENSOLDT Cyber's new IT security operating system for our satellite computer Lynx, we can offer a higher value to our customers worldwide", says Anders Linder from Beyond Gravity.

"This cooperation is an important step to offer spacecraft platforms with IT security at a new level." As the Lynx computer is flexible, it can be easily configured with TRENTOS. "We also see possibilities to combine this computer with several additional capabilities, such as different communication links, as well as other features and hardware."

HENSOLDT Cyber and Beyond Gravity team up for robust satellite cybersecurity

Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Apr 01, 2022 - HENSOLDT Cyber will supply its high security IT operating system TRENTOS to Beyond Gravity's for its latest satellite computer . The company's say this will ensure a high level of IT security for sa

www.spacewar.com

We help humanity explore the world and beyond. | Beyond Gravity

Beyond Gravity has delivered products for hundreds of different missions for over 40 years. What they all have in common? They all ultimately serve an important purpose that advances humankind. Are you onboard?

beyondgravity.com

 

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U.S. Space Command sent Congress a $74 million unfunded requirements aimed at positioning the command to better monitor and defend the space domain.

The funding would support three projects at the National Space Defense Center, which falls under SPACECOM’s Joint Task Force-Space Defense and brings together space domain awareness information from the intelligence community, the Department of Defense and commercial companies. NSDC also provides command and control support for the Space Force’s Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program.

“Russia and China continue to invest in, demonstrate and field counter-space capabilities designed to directly challenge our position as the premier spacefaring nation,” SPACECOM Commander Gen. James Dickinson told lawmakers in an April 4 letter obtained by Defense News. “The command’s priorities for FY23 outlined below enhance our existing abilities to directly monitor the space domain and defend our nation’s vital assets.”

SPACECOM requests more funding for key space domain awareness center

The $74 million request would support projects in support of the National Space Defense Center, an important command-and-control and space domain awareness capability.

www.defensenews.com

 

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The Air Force Research Laboratory and L3Harris will begin integrated testing this summer of an experimental satellite with implications for a future hybrid precision, navigation and timing architecture.

Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) is being designed to showcase new PNT technology that could shape future upgrades to GPS satellites and inform a possible new acquisition program to augment today’s constellation. Once on orbit in late 2023, the satellite will conduct more than 100 experiments testing different technology, like a digital signal generator that can be reprogrammed on-orbit to broadcast new signals. The Air Force awarded L3Harris an $84 million contract in 2018 to develop the NTS-3 satellite.

AFRL has designated NTS-3 as a Vanguard program, which means it’s a high-priority effort due to the potential impact of the technology being developed.

Speaking during a media briefing at the Space Symposium, AFRL Commander Maj. Gen. Heather Pringle said this summer’s integration activity will include participating in the Army’s PNT Assessment Exercise (PNTAX), which is held annually to help inform requirements future requirements and validate concepts. That work, she said Thursday, will help the program reduce risk and develop mitigation options before next year’s launch.

Joanna Hinks, AFRL’s NTS-3 deputy program manager, said the program is wrapping up integration of the payload with a Northrop Grumman-developed bus and noted that risk-reduction efforts will run in parallel to full system testing, providing “initial baseline data” that will get the satellite “ready for primetime.”

While the current constellation of GPS satellites operation in medium-Earth orbit, the NTS-3 satellite is destined for geosynchronous orbit. The decision to send NTS-3 to a different orbit — which was actually a pivot from the original plan to fly the experiment in MEO — was made deliberately as a way to test a hybrid PNT architecture concept, Hinks said.

“The idea here is that we already understand very well how satellite navigation works in MEO,” Hinks said. “So, what we can do with NTS-3 being in GEO is look at how can you use a constellation that is truly a hybrid architecture.”

She added that running the experiment in GEO does not mean a potential future constellation of these satellites would only operate in that orbit. Rather, it allows the program to prove whether signals coming from satellites in multiple orbits can offer a complimentary and improved capability for users on the ground.

That question is key for Space Systems Command as it considers how to incorporate NTS-3 capabilities into its existing architecture. Cordell DeLaPena, SSC’s program executive officer for PNT and military communications, told C4ISRNET after the panel that the NTS-3 experiment will help his team make its case for transitioning the capability into a possible new program of record.

“That’s why we’re doing this prototyping and experimentation, is to use that to support a potential budget decision for a new program,” he said, noting that the Space Force may have the data it needs to feed into its budget submission soon after the satellite launches next year.

“I think the results are going to be fairly quick,” he said. “And then it all depends on how the priorities play out in the service’s budget for that year.”

The experiment will also feed into a Space Warfighting Analysis Center architecture review for next-generation PNT, which DeLaPena said is funded for next year.

US Space Force to test experimental navigation satellite in upcoming Army exercise

The Space Force is considering how it might incorporate the satellite and its technology into a future hybrid positioning, navigation and timing architecture.

www.defensenews.com

 

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China has become increasingly reliant on space to prevail in a major conflict with the United States and is aggressively launching, acquiring, and obtaining through espionage the counter-space capabilities necessary to do so, according to a new Defense Intelligence Agency space security report released Tuesday.

In the 80-page report, DIA updates the gains in satellite operations and human spaceflight that China and Russia, and to a lesser extent North Korea and Iran, have made over the past year.

“As China’s and Russia’s space and counterspace capabilities increase, both nations are integrating space scenarios into their military exercises,” the DIA found.

But the report makes clear that China’s activities are most worrisome to the United States, not only because of the country’s rapid growth in space—doubling the number of ISR satellites it has in space to 250 since 2018—but also its rapid acquisition and pursuit of counter-space capabilities.

The PLA is rapidly modernizing through both “overt and covert” acquisition of foreign space and counter-space technologies, the DIA found. “China uses traditional technical espionage and cyber espionage techniques as well as its open-source collection network, technology transfer organizations, and exploitation of overseas scholars.”

“The PLA probably sees counterspace operations as a means to deter and counter a U.S. intervention during a regional military conflict,” the DIA wrote. “China has claimed that ‘destroying or capturing satellites and other sensors’ would make it difficult for the U.S. and allied militaries to use precision-guided weapons.”

DIA Warns China’s Space Tech Seeks to Block U.S. Radars, Jam Munitions

Beijing’s rapid acquisition of counter-space capabilities is most worrisome, says a new 80-page Defense Intelligence Agency report.

www.defenseone.com

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The outgoing first chief architect officer of the US Air and Space Force urged the Pentagon to lay off wasting time building everything itself, and use commercial kit if available and appropriate to upgrade its technological capabilities quickly.

"If the Department of Defense is going to compete on today's global stage and maintain its technological edge, it has to ride the wave of commercial innovation," Preston Dunlap told The Register on Monday. "If it doesn't, it risks drowning under its own weight."

After signing up for a two-year stint leading R&D and tech acquisition programs for the US Air and Space Force, Dunlap stepped down as CAO this week, three years and four months into the role. In an open letter shared on LinkedIn, he ran through his achievements and offered advice to his colleagues.

He asked them to fight for structural change to how the Department of Defense spends its technology budget. As chief architect officer, Dunlap said he helped manage more than $70 billion of the US Air and Space Force's spending during his time. Instead of trying to create everything it can from scratch, the DoD should use more off-the-shelf components from commercial providers, where possible, to integrate new capabilities more quickly, he wrote. The same was true for commercial services, so long as they were carefully audited for security and privacy issues.

Dunlap listed a number of projects he was proud of, including achieving secure communication of classified info between devices via commercial satellites, shooting down a cruise missile from the ground using AI and 5G, and cutting kill chain timelines in a "critical defense mission" from 16 minutes to 16 seconds. That said, he faced an uphill battle fraught with "extensive technology problems" and "a number of institutional problems," he wrote.

"I naively thought that resuscitating DoD with innovation and speed, solving decades-old unsolvable problems, and getting the warfighter tech they needed and loved would be enough. However … structural change is required … To borrow an analogy from the personal computer world, DoD suffers from an acquisition 'blue screen of death' that requires more of a repair of the proverbial DoD hard drive, not simply a rebooting," he continued.

In short, the Pentagon should stop always "reinventing the wheel," or risk falling behind in technological innovation.

Departing Air, Space Force official on Pentagon tech

US military must 'ride the wave of commercial innovation ... or risk drowning under its own weight'

www.theregister.com

Space Force Trying to Prep Old Satellites for New Threats by 2026

Russia and China are developing new space weapons faster than the U.S. can field new constellations. That’s forcing a big rethink on how to keep the lights on in space.

www.defenseone.com

 

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The US Space Force has created a unit, the 19th Space Defense Squadron, to monitor activity in the region beyond Earth's geosynchronous orbit, all the way out to the Moon and yonder.

Commander of the 18th SDS, Lt. Col. Matt Lintker, confirmed the launch of the task force during a panel discussion at the intelligence and defense-focused C4ISRNet conference held virtually this week.

Lintker said the 19th SDS will be in charge of monitoring the area of space further out than our planet's geosynchronous equatorial orbit, a region officials called "xGEO" space. Space Force is mostly concerned with the operation and defense of its satellites for communications and navigation purposes, but it also keeps an eye on space for any military activity from foreign adversaries and also tracks space junk that could cause a risk to American interests.

Space Force also works closely with NASA, providing airspace security, search and rescue capabilities for the International Space Station crew, and more. In return, NASA conducts scientific research on behalf of the military. As NASA hopes to team up with private corporations to colonize the Moon, Space Force also needs to expand its remit further out into cislunar space to support future missions and capabilities.

"As NASA's human presence extends beyond ISS to the lunar surface, cislunar, and interplanetary destinations, and as US Space Force organizes, trains, and equips to provide the resources necessary to protect and defend vital US interests in and beyond Earth-orbit, new collaborations will be key to operating safely and securely on these distant frontiers," according to the Memorandum of Understanding [PDF] signed in 2020 by NASA's then administrator Jim Bridenstine and Space Force's chief of operations General John Raymond.

Efforts to launch the 19th SDS are being handled by the Space Systems Command. The unit will operate at the Dahlgren naval base in Virginia alongside the 18th Space Defense Squadron.

Chief of public affairs at Space Operations Command Mike Pierson said the latest squadron was set up on April 6 and will replace the 8th Space Defense Squadron's Detachment 1 team, based at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado.

US Space Force to monitor region beyond geosynchronous orbit

Team America: Solar System Police

www.theregister.com

 

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Proliferating levels of debris are posing a threat to the space environment and should be regulated as more satellites are being launched into space, researchers say.

Edinburgh University researchers said in a study published Friday in the journal Nature Astronomy the debris is troublesome, potentially affecting "professional astronomy, public stargazing and the cultural importance of the sky" to indigenous populations.

The situation can also damage "the sustainability of commercial, civic and military activity in space," according to the report.

The research stems from a brief submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals last year supporting the positions of several organizations against a Federal Communications Commission order granting license amendments for SpaceX Starlink satellites.

Each satellite has a roughly 50% chance of a collision each year from untracked debris, and that risk rises dramatically with any increase in debris, researchers contended.

"We have laid out the argument for the urgent need for orbital space to be considered part of the human environment," requiring "environmental protection through existing and new policies, rules and regulations at national and international levels," the researchers wrote.

They urged decisionmakers and policymakers "to consider the environmental impacts of all aspects of satellite constellations, including launch, operation and de-orbit, and to work with all stakeholders to co-create a shared, ethical, sustainable approach to space."

Scientists have already spotted more than 30,000 items of space debris in Earth's orbit through surveillance networks, according to a European Space Agency report released Thursday -- and that amount has been rising.

In the last two years alone, there has been an enormous increase in the number of commercial satellites launched to near-Earth space, with the vast majority of them being small satellites.

"Many of these constellations are launched to provide communication services around the globe," the ESA said. "They have great benefits, but will pose a challenge to long-term sustainability."

The low-Earth orbit has become congested with increased traffic and "the long-lasting nature of space debris in low-Earth Orbit is causing a significant number of close encounters, known as 'conjunctions,' between active satellites and other objects," the agency said.

On a positive note, researchers noted some progress has been made with space debris mitigation measures during the last decade, including rockets burned up via controlled reentries after launch and others placed in orbits that naturally decay within 25 years.

But researchers made it clear that more needs to be done based on future projections.

"The extrapolation of the current changing use of orbits and launch traffic, combined with continued fragmentations and limited post mission disposal success rate could lead to a cascade of collision events over the next centuries," they warned.

Researchers said the most effective way to avoid more collisions is to follow guidelines developed by the Inter-Agency Debris Committee calling for the disposal of spacecraft safely at the end of the mission.

They also said that another necessary step is actively cleaning up the existing debris.

The Clearspace-1 mission planned to launch in 2026 will be the first mission to remove a piece of space debris from orbit -- a defunct rocket part that came from a 2013 launch.

While more satellites reaching the end of their missions are being disposed of responsibly, the researchers said there is still more work to be done.

"An increasing percentage of disposal attempts are successful, but too many are left drifting in important orbits with no attempt made to remove them," they said. "A successful removal rate of at least 90% for all types of space object is required to limit the growth rate of space debris, before we can start cleaning it up."

Experts issue call to regulate space debris as levels of junk mount

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 23, 2021 - Proliferating levels of debris are posing a threat to the space environment and should be regulated as more satellites are being launched into space, researchers say.

www.spacedaily.com