Defense researchers exceed 1 Gbps in SATCOM throughput

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. –  Department of Defense researchers made a giant leap toward increasing satellite throughput by successfully transmitting an unprecedented 1.3 gigabit per second (Gbps) carrier signal via the Wideband Global Satellite during the wee hours of the morning, May 19 at the Wahiawa satellite communications, or SATCOM,  facility in Hawaii.

The Army’s Research, Development and Engineering Command’s communication-electronics center, or CERDEC, led the effort, which brought together industry representatives and all four services in collaboration to test the achievable throughput using current and emerging SATCOM capability.

Today’s high volume military SATCOM users are tied to the 274 Mbps rate, though there are some reports from industry partners that they’ve achieved throughput at just over 600 Mbps, said Rick Dunnegan, CERDEC project lead. This demonstration doubled that amount and marks the largest data stream ever processed on wideband military SATCOM.

“Cooperation and desire to succeed from all personnel from across the services and industry was and is the key to success in the SATCOM arena,” Dunnegan said.

This joint accomplishment was led by the CERDEC Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate, whose Joint Satellite Engineering Center serves as the DoD lead in satellite and airborne communications research, development, integration, test and evaluation.

U.S. Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity commander and staff provided the initial secure transmission site with independent technical verification personnel. Army Forces Strategic Command approved the test plan and provided Wideband Global SATCOM payload access. The team worked closely with L3 Communications to provided tactical ground hardware and data system personnel. Navy Wahiawa SATCOM provided access to a fixed large aperture system facility and Defense Information Systems Agency provided teleport connectivity. And the U.S. Air Force’s ongoing mission of monitoring and maintaining the MILSATCOM satellite platforms are functioning properly was done at normal tempo leaving adequate time to perform the tests.

U.S., Coalition Nations Form Wideband Global Satellite Partnership

By Tech. Sgt. Chris Powell, Defense Media Activity

Senior defense officials from six countries announced a multilateral partnership in wideband global satellite (WGS) communication, which is valued at more than $10 billion, Jan. 17 here.

The officials from Canada, Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the U.S. held an initial WGS partnership steering committee meeting prior to the announcement.

“This new WGS partnership provides an example of how the U.S. plans to continue exploring opportunities to strengthen our existing cooperative relationship and to build new partnerships,” said Heidi Grant, the Deputy Under Secretary of the Air Force for International Affairs. “These activities will bolster our mutual trust, help to achieve further interoperability for our warfighters, and will increase the capabilities and capacity of all partners.”

Currently, there are three WGS satellites in orbit, with six additional satellites scheduled for launches from 2012 through 2018, including a ninth satellite that is enabled by the new partnership.

“With this arrangement, each partner’s unique level of requirement will be accommodated corresponding to each partner’s level of contribution,” Grant said. “The United States’ contribution to the agreement includes the development, fielding and operation of eight satellites, and the launch services and operations for a ninth satellite.”

According to Grant, the multilateral partners contributed $620 million of the approximate $1 billion cost to expand the WGS System with a ninth satellite.

“This is a model of a good way to do business,” said Maj. Gen. John Hyten, the director of Space Programs in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition. “From an Air Force acquisition perspective, it improves our ability to acquire the constellation in an efficient manner because it keeps an active production line going, it allows us to achieve efficiencies in the production line (and) it saves us money in the long term by having a very efficient program.

“From an operational perspective for our Air Force operators, it puts (them) on the same system as the coalition partners,” he said.

The general explained that Air Force operators receive air tasking orders via wideband communications, and now each partner nation has access to the system and can receive ATOs through that same system.

This article first appeared on AF.mil.