The US Space Force is initiating a transition from proprietary (closed) systems to the model “Ground station as a service” (Gsase). Instead, to spend decades developing their own unique terminals, they integrate into the already existing commercial infrastructure.
Here are the main reasons and details of this new strategy:
- SaTCORE program
Space Force implements Satellite Control Network architecture (SCN), which allows renting capacity from commercial operators. It provides:
Flexibility: The military can use antennas all over the world, owned by companies like Kratos Defense or Parsons.
Speed: Connecting to an off-the-shelf commercial network takes weeks, while building one's own station takes years.
- Unification through cloud services
Instead of thousands of lines of specific code for each satellite, Space Force transitions to Enterprise Ground Services (EGS). This is a software platform, which:
Allows operators to manage different types of satellites through a single interface.
Uses commercial clouds, such as Amazon AWS Ground Station or Microsoft Azure Orbital, for real-time data processing.
- Struggle with “closed” systems
Previously, every contractor (example, Lockheed Martin або Boeing) was creating a satellite along with its unique ground station. This made the Space Force dependent on one supplier. Now:
A requirement for new satellites is compatibility with commercial communications standards.
This creates a market, where different companies compete to provide the best communication services for military apparatus.
For devices with innovative engines, such as MPDT, specific telemetry data and rapid response to maneuvers are often required. A commercial network of ground stations provides:
Coating 24/7: Commercial networks have many more antennas around the world, than the military.
Big data processing: Cloud services are ideal for analyzing the operation of complex plasma systems online.
Source: https://spacenews.com