An SES subsidiary has booked a multiyear contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to test an approach for military personnel to access commercial broadband services from multiple constellations with a variety of frequency bands.
SES Defense & Space will pursue a use case demonstration of its satellite technology under AFRL’s Defense Experimentation Using Commercial Space Internet program as the service branch is seeking a new capability for airborne and Arctic communications, the company said Tuesday.
The Reston, Virginia-based satcom provider intends to use common hardware components in demonstrating its multi-orbit, multi-band approach that can support broadband constellations operated by industry and communication systems used by the military.
Jim Hooper, senior vice president of space initiatives at SES Space & Defense, noted the company is aiming to showcase a “holistic approach to deliver seamless interoperability to the U.S. Air Force to achieve unparalleled situation awareness and strategic advances for mission success.”
The contract marks AFRL’s third award under the DEUCSI Call 003 solicitation.