Government

Getting There First: Gen. Hyten on the Need for Speed and Innovation in Strategic Deterrence

Space plays an important role in strategic deterrence and is, in fact, a priority for U.S. Strategic Command. However, in a recent talk, Air Force General John E. Hyten, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, warned that the U.S. military “desperately needs” speed and innovation to maintain an advantage over adversaries. “What really worries ... Read More

High-Throughput Satellites Support Scientific Research

Satellite connectivity and performance requirements are crucial for research scientists like Christopher Zappa, who uses UAS to measure sea ice thickness. Instead of accessing the area by ship, which would affect the outcome of his research, Zappa uses large, fixed-wing unmanned aircraft that can fly up to 24 hours and carry payloads of 10 pounds. ... Read More

Cultivating the Next Generation of Leaders in Space

I’m privileged to be working at Intelsat General this summer and recently attended the Future Space Conference held on Capitol Hill. This annual event is hosted by the Future Space Leaders Foundation, an organization that provides young space professionals with a range of learning and specialized enrichment opportunities. While the conference ... Read More

Portable Satellite Antennas Brought Relief Following Alabama Tornados

The spate of tornadoes and tropical storms in the United States over a number of months left millions of people without power, telephone or internet connections, often for more than a week. Unfortunately, devastating wind and rain storms often knock out communications to local emergency responders in hard-hit areas, limiting their ability to ... Read More

North Dakota UAS Training Center Depends on IGC Satellite Connectivity

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) have played an important role in the U.S. military’s operations in the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia in recent years, using ever-more-sophisticated on-board sensors and cameras to provide valuable intelligence to troops on the ground. As the UAS technology has evolved, companies ... Read More

Defining next generation ground architecture for DoD space operations

Much of the focus in the past few years for U.S. Department of Defense space planners has been on getting more powerful and resilient satellites into orbit. Now the DoD is turning its attention to the ground operations, as evidenced by a recent contract award to Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Inc. to help define ... Read More

Intelsat Epic Enables a New Class of COTM for the DoD

Increasingly, military units require a new kind of Comms-on-the-Move (COTM) that includes the ability to establish small, flexible networks that connect units across the area within which they are operating.  Military units need the flexibility to stay connected at all times, even while on the move, and this becomes easier when using small ... Read More

First UAVs, Now Ships – Connectivity for the next generation of remote naval operations

No military operation is as remote as a single destroyer operating on the open ocean, hundreds if not thousands of miles from the nearest port. Forty years ago, a U.S. Navy ship crossing the Pacific communicated by teletype machine using radio signals. Now satellite connections have forever changed life aboard that ship. Today, ship captains ... Read More

Video: Air Force Secretary Wilson Lays Out Priorities in Space

“Everything we do in our daily lives is enabled by space.” Dr. Heather Wilson, who was sworn in last month as the 24th secretary of the U.S. Air Force, said this and more in front of a Capitol Hill audience June 16. Her address was recorded and the video was sponsored by Intelsat General. In ... Read More

Government Agencies Turn to Private Sector for Help Adopting Intelligent Technologies

Intelligent technologies like advanced analytics and biometrics/identity analytics can help government agencies fulfill their missions to improve the delivery of public services and meet the rising expectations of citizens, a recent survey found. However, successful adoption of intelligent technologies first requires overcoming ... Read More

New Technology in Space Enables Real-Time Analysis of Big Data

Here at SatCom Frontier we have recently discussed the scope of the technological transformation occurring around the world today. One of the more important aspects of that transformation for national defense is the broadening adoption of Big Data analytics. Modern military platforms produce gigantic amounts of data on a continuous basis that ... Read More

An Inside Look at How the FY18 Budget Request Affects Space

Even though one influential Senator called President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal for the Defense Department “dead on arrival,” there are many positive takeaways for the national security space community that could very well survive as the budget moves through both houses of Congress. The Trump administration released its request last week ... Read More

USAF Secretary Heather Wilson Determined to Stay Ahead in Space

The White House recently swore in former Congresswoman Dr. Heather Wilson as the 24th Secretary of the U.S. Air Force, the first Air Force Academy graduate to hold the service’s top civilian post. Wilson assumes her new position at a time when many believe the U.S. Air Force faces a number of serious readiness and ... Read More

Government Space Resiliency Front and Center at Washington Space Business Roundtable

The topic of improved resiliency for space communications was the main topic at a forum discussion organized by the Washington Space Business Roundtable. Speakers addressed the accelerating rate of technological change in space, and how, in response, government and industry are collaborating more closely. Skot Butler, President of IGC talked ... Read More

In-flight Demonstration Shows Power of Intelsat Epic

A recent in-flight demo using a Gogo modem connected to an Intelsat Epic satellite confirmed the powerful throughput of these new high-performance satellites.  This type of performance will have broad uses for both commercial and government, manned and unmanned aircraft. As reported by Ari Magnusson, news editor for APEX Media, “Gogo ... Read More

UAS Update with NSR Analyst Prateep Basu

In a recent report, Northern Sky Research (NSR) analyzes how unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are evolving, along with their current and potential applications. As the number of in-service units increases, the demand for satellite capacity will grow. NSR Analyst Prateep Basu spoke with SatCom Frontier about the report findings and how the latest ... Read More

What’s the Best Way to Meet the SatCom needs of Global Governments?

At Intelsat and Intelsat General, we know that customer needs typically differ to some degree. However, decades of experience serving government customers have demonstrated recurring themes and requirements, especially in the areas of performance, resiliency and flexibility. To better meet these needs in the international arena, Intelsat has ... Read More

Video on New Test Results for High-Throughput Satellites Confirm Higher Performance

High-throughput satellite (HTS) platforms like Intelsat EpicNG are poised to take on the growing demand for more flexible connectivity and enhanced performance, all at a lower cost per-bit. Our new video reviews the results of Intelsat EpicNG performance testing. Intelsat General tested its EpicNG IS-29e satellite using unmanned aerial systems ... Read More

How Outsourcing Your Satellite Related Services Saves You Time and Money- An interview with Claudia Diamante

The budgetary climate and the pace of technological innovation are making outsourced satellite-related services (SRS) increasingly compelling for government and commercial customers alike. The Air Force, for example, has been developing a strategy for better managing its satellite operations. One of the areas discussed has been leveraging ... Read More

Information Assurance: The U.S. Military’s Growing Need for What Commercial SATCOM Providers Offer

When the U.S. military began using satellite communications many decades ago, space was a sanctuary. That’s no longer the case today. New potential adversaries and a proliferation of non-kinetic techniques have increased the risks to satellite communications even as the military’s reliance on this technology grows. Meanwhile, the commercial ... Read More