Page 70 - SAMENA Trends - May 2020

SATELLITE UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

and SES to assess the use of commercial Army’s command operations centers The cost of equipping Army units with new
SATCOM. Joseph Welch, deputy program access geostationary satellites via large ground terminals will be one of the issues
executive officer for command, control, dishes that are mounted on trailers and that the CRADA will investigate. Another
communications tactical (C3T), said the not very mobile. One of the problems is concern is the security of the data piped
Army is trying to fill a growing demand for that satellite are oversubscribed, provide down to ground stations. Starlink satellites
connectivity in the field. “We have limited limited throughput and have high latency. currently are not connected in space via
SATCOM today across our maneuver “We liken that to a soda straw,” Welch optical links so the data is sent to ground
formations,” he said at a conference said of the Army’s network capacity to stations located around the world. The
last fall. One of the biggest challenges support data flow. To use LEO broadband U.S. military prefers to use systems with
is integrating hardware and software like Starlink the Army will need flat panel inter-satellite links so data can be brought
apps into Army formations, he said. The antennas to track thousands of satellites. down to its desired point of entry.

Russia to Launch First Arktika-M Satellite for Monitoring Arctic Climate This

Year

Russia will launch its first Arktika-M 2.1b carrier rocket with the Fregat booster. regions of the Earth, which will allow to
satellite for monitoring the Arctic climate Russia’s Arktika-M remote-sensing and improve weather forecasts and will enable
and environment at the end of the emergency communications satellites will scientists to better study climate change.
year, General Director of the Lavochkin gather meteorological data in the polar
aerospace company Vladimir Kolmykov
told Sputnik. “As of now, the number one
Arktika-M spacecraft has been developed
and is undergoing radio-electronic testing
… the launch is planned for the end of
2020,” Kolmykov said, adding that the
second Arktika-M satellite is still under
development and will be launched in
2023. In February, a space industry source
told Sputnik that the launch of the first
Arktika-M satellite from the Baikonur
space center was planned for December
9, 2020. According to the source, the
satellite will be launched using a Soyuz-

70 MAY 2020