Page 65 - SAMENA Trends - January 2020

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Space Development Agency to Start Building Its First Constellation of

Surveillance Satellites

The Pentagon’s Space Development funding in hand, the SDA wants to start operate in LEO but at higher altitudes, from
Agency is soliciting pitches for building its first constellation — called 800 kilometers to 1,200 kilometers above
technologies that will be used to build a transport layer — that will serve two Earth. The agency believes that there is a
a network of satellites in low Earth orbit primary goals: locate targets on the ground mature enough industrial base to support
that would help the military find targets and at sea, and track advanced missiles building the initial transport layer over the
on the ground and track enemy missiles such as hypersonic glide vehicles. The next two years and then start delivering
in flight. By late 2022, the agency wants constellation will have a mix of sensing one satellite a week to support the other
to have several dozen satellites in orbit “to and communications satellites so data layers. Satellites will be small to medium,
show that we can operate a proliferated collected by the sensors can be passed to in the several-hundred-kilogram category.
constellation and that the constellation the communications satellites, sent down They would have an operational life of
can talk to weapon systems,” SDA Director to commanders on the ground or used to about five years and cost around $10
Derek Tournear said Jan. 21 at a Pentagon directly tip and cue a missile interceptor. million each. A solicitation specifically
news conference. The agency issued The plan is to expand the constellation for the transport layer will come out this
a broad area announcement (BAA) on over time. By 2024 it would have hundreds spring and contracts could be awarded as
Jan. 21 titled “National Defense Space of satellites to provide regional coverage. early as this summer, said Tournear. The
Architecture Systems, Technologies By 2026, there would be enough satellites tracking and communications satellites
and Emerging Capabilities.” A BAA is an for global coverage. The SDA intends to in the transport layer will have optical
open call for ideas. Tournear was named ultimately deploy multiple constellations links so they can talk to each other. In a
director of the SDA in October. The agency that collectively could amount to thousands recent request for information SDA asked
was established in March and sits under of satellites. In addition to the transport for pitches on optical inter-satellite
the office of Undersecretary of Defense layer there will be a battle management link standards to inform the upcoming
for Research and Engineering Mike Griffin. layer, a tracking layer, a custody layer, a solicitation. The communications
Congress in the 2020 National Defense navigation layer, a deterrence layer and a satellites will have tactical data links such
Authorization Act directed that the SDA support layer. Tournear said the SDA will as Link 16. The tracking satellites will have
be moved to the U.S. Space Force no deploy satellites faster than traditional infrared sensors and will share data with
later than 2022. Congress in fiscal year military programs. The agency last year the transport satellites. Tournear noted that
2020 appropriated $30.5 million for SDA issued a request for industry ideas that SDA does not plan to develop a traditional
operations and maintenance, $20 million generated 150 responses, said Tournear. communications satellite network but one
for research and development, and $75 Based on the information received, the designed specifically to share tactical data
million for technology prototyping. With SDA decided that its constellations will over a secure communications protocol.

Gilat Satellite Approaching NIS 2 Billion Acquisition by Unnamed Multinational

Nasdaq and Tel Aviv-listed satellite telecommunications company
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. is in advanced talks to be acquired for
NIS 2 billion (approximately $579 million), according to two people
familiar with the matter who spoke to Calcalist on condition of
anonymity. A large multinational is in advanced negotiations with Gilat,
these people said. The deal’s value reflects a 25% premium on Gilat’s
market capitalization on market open. Gilat’s largest shareholder is
Israel-based private equity firm FIMI Opportunity Funds, which holds
a 34% stake, followed by Mivtach-Shamir Holdings with a 9.7% stake.
FIMI first entered as an investor in 2012 when it bought 11% of Gilat
for NIS 63 million (approximately $17 million), which at that time
reflected a 7% premium. In February 2014, FIMI bought an additional
15% stake from York Capital for $10.5 million, and in October of that
year it acquired an additional 10% in a tender offer for $25 million. In
2016, FIMI bought an additional 11% as part of an option allocation,
reaching a 45% share FIMI has since sold 10% of its shares.

65 JANUARY 2020