The Space Development Agency (SDA) has taken a major leap forward in its mission to create a robust space-based military network. In a groundbreaking demonstration, SDA’s Tranche 0 satellites, manufactured by York Space, successfully established a space-to-ground Link 16 connection in low Earth orbit. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the development of SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA).
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The Link 16 demonstration involved three Tranche 0 Transport Layer satellites communicating with ground radios via L-band radios. The data transmissions occurred at a ground test site within a Five Eyes partner nation (specific location undisclosed).
The PWSA aims to establish a comprehensive space data network providing seamless data transfer between satellites and military systems on land, sea, and air. The recently launched Tranche 0 satellites, including 19 communications satellites and four missile-tracking spacecraft, play a crucial role in realizing this vision.
The Link 16 connection is particularly significant because SDA’s transport layer satellites are designed to integrate with the existing Link 16 network. This secure tactical data protocol, used since the 1970s to connect military vehicles, ships, and aircraft, will gain crucial advance capabilities with this space-based extension.
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SDA Director Derek Tournear highlight the importance of this achievement, stating it “demonstrates the feasibility of the PWSA and its ability to deliver space-based capabilities to the warfighter over existing tactical data links.”
Following approval from an allied nation and a refusal from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, SDA conducted the Link 16 tests. This international collaboration allowed them to transmit data from space to ground and provides the way for future tests over international waters. While domestic approval for transmissions within US airspace is pending, the successful international demonstration highlights the potential of this technology.
The operational PWSA promises to revolutionize military communication by enabling real-time secure transmission of critical information, from updated commander’s instructions to vital intelligence, directly to soldiers on the ground. The successful Link 16 demonstration validates the potential of the PWSA to create a truly “proliferated warfighter network.”
Charles Beames, York Space’s executive chairman, compared this achievement to the first cell phone connection, highlighting the future potential of a global Link 16 network integrated with the PWSA’s laser communication backbone. The successful space-to-ground Link 16 connection marks a new era in space-based military communication.
The Team, M31Global News