통신위성 미 우주개발국, 저궤도위성과의 링크 16 통신 시연

[위종민]

11월 28일 SDA가 우주에서 지상으로 송출되는 링크 16 통신을 시연했다고 발표했습니다. 11월 21일~28일에 걸쳐 세 차례 지구저궤도 위성과 지상수신기 간에 통신을 주고받았다고 하네요. JADC2 계획에 있어 매우 중요한 이정표였다고 합니다. 

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/sda-link-16-from-space

SDA Demonstrates Link 16 from Space for First Time Ever

York Space Systems announced the first-ever successful demonstration of Link 16 technology from space on its Tranche 0 (T0) satellites.

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SDA Demonstrates Link 16 from Space for First Time Ever

Nov. 28, 2023 | By Unshin Lee Harpley

The Space Development Agency (SDA) has demonstrated the first-ever Link 16 network broadcast from space to the ground, the agency announced Nov. 28—a key milestone for its new constellation of satellites.

In a release, SDA said it conducted three Link 16 demonstrations over the course of a week leading up to the announcement. The tests involved sending signals to and from low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites to ground-based receivers using terrestrial radios.

Link 16, a tactical radio technology used by the U.S., NATO, and allied nations, facilitates secure transmissions of voice, text, and data. This real-time information sharing tool has previously been employed only in ground-to-ground or air-to-ground contexts.

The demonstrations are a crucial development for the Pentagon’s broader plans for Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2), which will link sensors to military platforms worldwide.

SDA’s constellation of satellites in low-Earth orbit, dubbed the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) initiative, will form what officials have called the “backbone” of JADC2 in space. They will upgrade communications for military operators and allow for the sending of messages using Link 16 radios on space vehicles, even in scenarios where direct visibility is not possible.

“I can’t underscore enough the significance of this technical achievement as we demonstrate the feasibility of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and its ability to deliver space-based capabilities to the warfighter over existing tactical data links,” SDA director Derek M. Tournear said in a statement. “This is … the beginning of turning the world’s finest warfighting force into a truly connected beyond line-of-sight joint force.”

Space Development Agency Director Derek M. Tournear, delivers a keynote address at the Mitchell Institute Spacepower Security Forum. Mike Tsukamoto/staff

SDA faced hurdles before it could demonstrate the Link 16 capability, due to a dispute between the Pentagon and Federal Aviation Administration that has led to the restriction of Link 16 broadcasts in U.S. airspace. The agency had to get a waiver from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to transmit a Link 16 message to a Five Eyes nation and over international waters.

Five Eyes is an intelligence network established between the U.S., the U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand—SDA has not specified in which nation the demonstration took place. In the long term, the agency wants to test Link 16 over U.S. airspace to prove PWSA’s feasibility in delivering fire control information.

For this first test, SDA utilized three Tranche 0 (T0) satellites built by York Space Systems in Denver, Colo. The 46th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., led the ground operations.

The T0 satellites used in the demonstration are from both of SDA’s launches earlier this year, with the first launch of 10 satellites in April followed by the second batch of 13 in September. A third and final launch for Tranche 0 is “scheduled for the near future,” the SDA release noted.

When completed, the T0 constellation will include 28 satellites, including 19 Transport satellites—used for data transport and communications—and eight Tracking spacecraft—for missile warning and tracking—along with one ground-based testbed satellite.

By late 2024, the agency aims to deploy the first operational Tranche of PWSA, Tranche 1. It will consist of 126 Transport Layer satellites, 35 Tracking satellites, and 12 tactical demonstration satellites.

https://www.sda.mil/space-development-agency-successfully-completes-space-to-ground-transmission-from-link-16-tactical-data-network/

Space Development Agency Successfully Completes Space to Ground Transmission from Link 16 Tactical Data Network

Demonstration included active and passive Link 16 network entry, transmitting messages to and from low Earth orbit to terrestrial radios

Date: Nov. 28, 2023

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Space Development Agency (SDA) today announced it successfully demonstrated the first-ever Link 16 network entry through space to ground connection from low Earth orbit (LEO) to a series of receivers using terrestrial radios during three demonstrations held Nov. 21-27, 2023.

Operators working with SDA conducted both passive and active network entry, obtained fine synchronization, and transmitted multiple tactical messages from satellites using L-band radios aboard Tranche 0 (T0) Transport Layer satellites to a ground test site located within the territory of a Five Eyes partner nation.

This success represents a major milestone for T0 of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) and demonstration of a significant new capability for the warfighter. This accomplishment also reflects a leap ahead in the Department of Defense-wide Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort, connecting available sensors to available warfighting platforms globally. The PWSA Transport Layer is the backbone of JADC2 in space and will enable delivery of tactical messages, including beyond-line-of-sight scenarios, using Link 16 radios aboard space vehicles.

“I can’t underscore enough the significance of this technical achievement as we demonstrate the feasibility of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture and its ability to deliver space-based capabilities to the warfighter over existing tactical data links,” said SDA’s director, Derek Tournear. “This is not only the first time Link 16 has been broadcast from space, but the beginning of turning the world’s finest warfighting force into a truly connected beyond line-of-sight joint force.”

Link 16 is a tactical datalink communication system used by the United States, NATO, and coalition forces to transmit and exchange real-time situational awareness data among all network participants.

For the initial Link 16 demonstration, SDA used three T0 Transport Layer satellites provided by York Space Systems, Denver, from both of the 2023 T0 launches. The 46th Test Squadron, 96th Test Wing, headquartered at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, served as the lead developmental test organization for ground operations. The demonstration leveraged prior fixed-site risk reduction testing at the 46th Test Squadron Datalinks Test Lab and with York Space Systems.

The tests began within 10 hours of receiving approval from an allied nation after the National Telecommunications and Information Administration issued a waiver, in accordance with the International Telecommunication Union process, to transmit from space to ground. The waiver also includes permission to conduct future tests over international waters.

Due to current Federal Aviation Administration restrictions that prevent broadcasting Link 16 from space into the U.S. National Airspace System, SDA coordinated with the NTIA to obtain a waiver to transmit to a Five Eyes nation and over international water to meet established PWSA mission criteria.

While the U.S. military and allied partners have used Link 16 aboard aircraft for years, a fully operational PWSA will require the ability to establish bi-directional communication from space to ground. Testing Link 16 from space, first with an international partner and then over international water, represents a compromise position and SDA’s requirement remains to test over U.S. air space to demonstrate the feasibility of the PWSA and its ability to deliver fire control information to the warfighter over existing tactical data networks.

Tranche 0, the warfighter immersion tranche, demonstrates the feasibility of a proliferated architecture in cost, schedule, and scalability toward necessary performance for beyond-line-of-sight targeting and advanced missile detection and tracking. SDA launched the first 10 satellites in April 2023 and the next 13 in September 2023. A third launch carrying the final T0 space vehicles is scheduled for the near future. Once completed, the Tranche 0 constellation will consist of 28 satellites – 19 Transport and eight Tracking satellites, plus one ground-based testbed satellite – forming a resilient constellation in LEO.   

SDA plans to field the first operational generation of the PWSA, Tranche 1, beginning in late 2024. Tranche 1 will include 126 Transport Layer satellites, 35 Tracking satellites, and 12 tactical demonstration satellites (called T1DES). Tranche 1 will be operated by SDA’s groundbreaking space operations centers based heavily on commercial space operations models.

About the Space Development Agency. As part of the U.S. Space Force, SDA is recognized as DOD’s constructive disruptor for space acquisition. SDA will accelerate delivery of needed space-based capabilities to the joint warfighter to support terrestrial missions through development, fielding, and operation of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. For more information on SDA, contact OSD.SDA.Outreach@mail.mil or visit https://www.sda.mil.  

[엽군]

중요한 이정표죠. 우리도 쓰게해줄지는 모르겠지만...

[위종민]

가까운 미래엔 GMTI 위성, 먼 미래에는 조기경보위성까지 저 기술을 써먹을 테니 어떻게든 쓰게 해 달라고 굽신굽신해야.. ㅎㅎ

[엽군]

우리 것 다 내놓고, 그 쪽 채널 개방해주십사 해야하는데... 그 잘난 한측 "단독" 좋아하는 통신 병과가 그럴리가... ㅋㅋㅋ