The race for connectivity in space is heating up, with private companies launching thousands of satellites to provide global internet access. The United States military aims to harness these new networks in the skies to bolster communications for troops on the ground, ships at sea, and drone aircraft patrolling far-flung regions.
One of the most visible signs of this shift is the growing use of SpaceX’s Starlink low-Earth orbit internet services. About 50 different military commands and Defense Department offices are now using Starlink, said Clare Hopper, director of the Commercial Satellite Communications Office.
Hopper’s office, known as CSCO, is a U.S. Space Force organization that serves as a liaison between private satellite operators and military customers, overseeing nearly $7 billion worth of satcom services contracts across 150 agreements.
While most of those deals still involve traditional geostationary satellites, CSCO is pushing more into newer technologies like low Earth orbit networks. Military satcom buyers are also eyeing emerging capabilities such as small geostationary satellites and direct-to-device satellite connectivity.
“We hope to see more creativity in pricing models and structures,” Hopper tells SpaceNews. “But we also recognize that this is new and can be hard to do.”
The military demand stems from the need to connect troops and weapons systems worldwide as U.S. strategic rivalry with the likes of China and Russia intensifies. Reliable, resilient and secure communications are seen by today’s military as essential for coordination across vast distances.
Low-Earth orbit services
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), a combat support agency of…
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