16 www.globalmilitarycommunications.com | June 2017

Global Military Communications Magazine

Governments are increasingly looking to the commercialsatellite sector and in particular next-generation satelliteconstellations to provide the innovative and resilientinfrastructure that they need. The military and government sectorrelies on a number of key attributes when it comes tocommunications networks. Critical operations require bandwidthintensive applications, near real time command and control, andadvanced sensor capabilities. The proximity LEO satellites haveto the Earth translates into lower latencies and better data rates.In addition, a high level of security and resilience are also keyattributes, which is why the defence sector is becomingincreasingly interested in the major performance advantagesof operating communications networks in low Earth orbit (LEO).

New developments in satellite constellations are leading toinnovative new networks that can greatly benefit defence sectorcommunications and network operations. As much ascommunications from geostationary orbit (GEO) and mediumEarth orbit (MEO) satellites have been improved upon, satelliteis still often perceived as a last choice for network connectivitywhen terrestrial and/or cellular infrastructure is not available.Now, with the new LEO constellations, opportunities are availablefor government and defence sector operators which will givethem access to previously unavailable levels of network

Michael Abad-Santos, SVP Americas at LeoSatEnterprises

LEO satellites are agame-changer fordefence sectornetwork operationsLow Earth orbit (LEO) satellites are big news right now,with tens of thousands due for launch in the coming yearsshould every project see fruition. The lower latency is akey selling point for many applications, with security,sensor, Internet of Things (IoT) and defence applicationsall expected to benefit. Here, Michael Abad-Santos, SVPAmericas at LeoSat Enterprises, provides a more detailedexamination of the role LEO satellites will play in militaryand defence operations.

performance and security combined with full global coverage.

Traditional satellite networks sub-optimal for dataIn general, the world is increasingly data-driven, cloud-basedand transnational, creating an ever-growing demand to movelarge quantities of data quickly and securely around the globe.As the entire global community is becoming increasinglydependent on Big Data, government and military markets, inparticular, are faced with new and demanding requirements forcapacity, latency and security, unmet by existingtelecommunications and satellite data infrastructure.

With these developments in mind, there is a clear focus inthe satellite sector on offering better data capabilities. TraditionalGEO satellite operators are adding power to their spacecraft tofacilitate high throughput satellite (HTS) capabilities, furtherfacilitated by deploying spot beams allowing that power to bemore concentrated in smaller areas. To further improve dataservices, latency needs to be reduced as well, which has led tothe (planned) deployment of constellations in lower orbits: MEO(12.000km – latency within beam 135ms) and a new generationof constellations are now being prepared for even lower orbitssuch as LEO (1.200 – 1.500 km). The lower orbit allows for highthroughput and latencies (within beam) below 30ms. The newestinnovation is adding inter-satellite connections that allow for alower than fibre latency on long distances (> 6,000km). Usingthis architecture, which is fundamentally different from satellite’straditional ‘bent-pipe’ architecture, there is no need to downlinkto gateways in order to terminate traffic. When inter-satellite linksare combined with routing and switching capabilities via on-board processors, then a direct point-to-point or point-to-multipoint spatial MPLS network can be deployed in a very shorttimeframe. With these capabilities, native IP is supported in aMPLS configuration.

A new satellite architectureLeoSat Enterprises is preparing to launch this type ofconstellation, offering the defence sector a solution which doesnot exist today – a global, low-latency, very high-speed and ultra-secure network for data transportation. The LeoSat solution willdeliver 1Gbps (a combination of links up to 10x is possible) withlatency below 30ms for domestic links (within the satellite beamarea). For distances beyond 6,000km, the total latency is betterthan the capabilities offered via fibre connections. This is theresult of the lower propagation delay of the optical signal in freespace than through fibre. Traditional satellite (GEO) links havea ‘domestic’ latency of around 500ms. The latest generation MEOis closer to Earth and can therefore achieve better latency

LeoSat - Data User

17www.globalmilitarycommunications.com | June 2017

Global Military Communications Magazine

(130ms) when compared to GEO satellites. The LEOconstellations are even closer and are therefore in a position tooperate with latency below 30ms.

With LeoSat’s constellation designed to have inter-satelliteconnectivity via laser links, this offers additional advantagesover other LEO constellations in terms of latency, as the inter-satellite connectivity provides a direct link to adjacent satellites.Alternative LEO solutions are using the traditional bent pipeconnection which requires a link with a ground station/hub toconnect to the next satellite. Not only is the inter-satellite solutionproviding better latency performance, it also guarantees a muchbetter level of security by avoiding ground stations. Low latencyis important for two main reasons. Firstly, it enables the higherthroughput (note that the effective throughput of a 1Gb link with500ms latency is effectively much lower than 1Gb) and secondly,it allows for native mode IP which reduces processing powerand the use of standard modems/routers, saving both equipmentand operational costs

Security is clearly a key priority for government/militarycommunications. LeoSat provides unprecedented security asdata will travel end-to-end across one single encrypted network,bypassing terrestrial infrastructure. With the LeoSat systemtaking all traffic in its native form and carrying it from any pointon Earth to any other point on Earth without touching the Earth’ssurface in between, and therefore completely isolated from anyterrestrial infrastructure, is totally unique and an enormousadvantage to governments and the military.

Additionally, LeoSat’s multi-satellite (up to 108) constellationprovides inherent redundancy and resilience should issues arisewith a single satellite. At any one time, there are always 2-7satellites in view, depending on the latitude of operation.Regardless of technical or weather issues, there are alternativesto route traffic. In fact, these secondary and tertiary routes arepreprogrammed into the constellation for every datalink. Thisagain underlines the myriad of safety options and high availabilitycapabilities that the LeoSat constellation has inherently built in.This puts it in a class of its own when compared to its alternativeGEO/HTS systems where it is all about one satellite and onelink.

Another feature of the LeoSat system which resonates wellwith military requirements is that LeoSat plans to use flat panel,phased array and fully-integrated antennas. In addition to theantenna being self-pointing, it also has all the necessaryequipment on board, making separate modem and RF units athing of the past. Only requiring a power cord and and Ethernetcable for data connectivity translates into another great stepforward towards rapid deployment in even the harshestenvironments.

Cost-effective, secure, high-throughput network forgovernment communicationsCost is of course a key driver for the defence sector. With theunique benefits of LeoSat’s network solution, cost savings willbe achievable with the military’s ability to further rationalize andstreamline its operations, using a much simpler infrastructurebased on integrated antennas in combination with bandwidththat is very flexible in its deployment. As such, LeoSat is lookingto reduce the overall total cost of operating and using a satellitenetwork. Also, bandwidth capabilities mean that much moreinformation can be used and analyzed during missions makingmuch better and more effective results with a higher degree ofprecision due to extremely low latency. Having to launch onemissile less because of a higher degree of accuracy is wherethe true saving is. In addition, networks will require less Smartboxes to mitigate the negative effects of high latency associatedwith GEO infrastructure, again resulting in cost savings and assuch simplifying the network, making for a much more robustinfrastructure. So, increased precision, simplified infrastructureand higher success rates are inherent attributes of the LeoSatconstellation – something the military can benefit from not justin the monetary sense, but also in an area ultimately more

important: Increased success.In terms of performance advantages against current

broadband satellite communications, as well as against currentand upcoming HTS constellations, LeoSat representsa paradigm shift in capabilities. LeoSat’s bandwidth options willbegin at 100Mpbs up to 1.6Gbps. For surge requirements, thesystem has the ability to supply 5.2Gbps when needed. LeoSat’slatency advantages are again much better than GEO HTS, butwhen compared to fibre, it is even more remarkable: Given theproximity of the satellites to the Earth’s surface in combinationwith the relatively low data transmission speed in fibre optics,LeoSat can bring traffic from New York to Tokyo in less than100ms, whereas fibre will take close to 175ms. Being able tobeat fibre at its own game is something very new to satellites. Itwill allow government customers to utilize latency sensitiveapplications originally designed to be used only over terrestrialfiber networks and deploy them on satellites and benefit fromall the ubiquity that is so characteristic for satellites. This willgreatly expand any DoD’s reach and capabilities at the tacticaledge.

The future is LEOA low Earth orbit solution will become a must for the defencesector for situations where high throughput, low latency, ultra-security and mobility is expected, especially in combination withrapid deployment. LeoSat will be a game-changer forapplications such as near real time command and control,bandwidth intensive ISR applications, advanced sensor andGEOINT applications and ad hoc low latency terrestrial networkaugmentation where necessary. To be able to offer theseservices anywhere on the globe, through one system and onesatellite operator, makes this a very simple and efficient systemto operate. 2019 will see the start of the launch of LeoSat’s newlow Earth orbit satellite solution, with full deployment in 2022,providing the defence sector with increased precision, simplifiedinfrastructure and therefore higher success rates for military andgovernment operations.

LeoSat global coverage

GMC