A ground terminal supporting expanding communication from geostationary to medium Earth orbit satellites Photo: SES

A ground terminal supporting expanding communication from geostationary to medium Earth orbit satellites Photo: SES

A US-based subsidiary of Luxembourg satellite operator SES is supporting the US Army in conducting trials and testing of satellite constellations for its operations.

In an increasingly interconnected and data reliant world, high powered connectivity delivers a real competitive edge, not only in business but also in war and geopolitical wrangling. Earlier in the year, the US army managed to leverage new low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites, gaining access to real-time targeting data, as part of its Project Convergence, which aims to use data and technology with the ambition to see, understand and act first.

“Multi-orbit satcom solutions that leverage MEO [medium Earth orbit, editor’s note] significantly extend the Army’s ability to securely transport data between the command post, soldiers-on-the-move, as well as multiple sensors in support of Joint All Domain Command and Control,” SES said in a statement.

The US military prides itself on its intelligence acquisition prowess. However, central command and units in the field are often limited by technical difficulties when sharing mission critical data and fall short of satisfying the intense demand for high-speed warfighter connectivity.

“As the Army increasingly relies on data and network-enabled platforms for deployed warfighters, having interoperable communication systems that are flexible and assured is essential to capturing a common operating picture (COP) for multi-domain operations,” SES said.

The wholly owned US-based branch of the Luxembourg satellite operator, SES Government Solutions (SES GS), “supports the US Army in conducting a series of cutting-edge trials and testing of commercial satellite constellations,” it said in Tuesday’s statement.

SES is the world's leading provider of satellite telecommunications services and is based in Betzdorf, Luxembourg. Its wholly-owned subsidiary SES GS--that works exclusively with US government clients--in the statement outlined how it aims to improve “and exceed the connectivity requirements of today’s warfighting technologies.”

SES in the near year will launch its second generation medium-earth-orbit system (MEO), the O3b mPower network.

“MEO satellites are unique in their capabilities and SES operates the world’s only commercial MEO satellite constellation,” said president and CEO of SES GS Pete Hoene, a retired US Air Force brigadier general.

On Monday, SES GS said it had launched a new --Hydra--to provide situational awareness information.

The Luxembourg government is a shareholder in SES. The state directly holds a 11.58% stake with the Spuerkeess and public lender SNCI holding another 10.88% each. Both are state-owned giving the state a direct and indirect share total of 33.33%. 

With satellite images released this week showing Russia’s continued military build-up on the border of Ukraine, SES said “leveraging MEO satellite technologies provides the modern warfighter the resiliency, high-bandwidth, and low-latency required for mission assurance in contested environments against advanced adversaries.”

Opposition parties such as Déi Lénk have long criticised Luxembourg’s implicit support for US reaper and predator drone missions carried out with SES satellite capacity.