Pentagon taps Microsoft Azure cloud business and Ball Aerospace military satellite computing infrastructure

Sept. 18, 2019
Companies develop network computing for 20 military satellites using antennas to pull data down from satellites into Microsoft data centers.

WASHINGTON – The US military is trying to solve a space problem: Its most valuable satellites are huge, unprotected, and everyone knows where they are. Quartz reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

18 Sept. 2019 -- With Russia, China, and even India demonstrating anti-satellite weapons, the space networking that keeps America’s far-flung troops connected and in-the-know is more vulnerable to attack than ever.

The solution may be found in the satellite networks being produced by a new generation of companies, many emerging from Silicon Valley. They use smaller satellites, and lots of them, flying at higher speeds much closer to Earth.

This allows more ambitious and useful constellations and satellite computing to be built on the cheap. From a military point of view, rivals might be able to attack or jam some of these satellites, but not take them all out of the equation.

Related: Two companies join project to design SWaP-C-optimized communications and surveillance satellites

Related: China may deploy anti-satellite laser weapons next year able to destroy U.S. military satellites

Related: Navy chooses L-3 Communications Systems-East to integrate COTS-based HF-radio military networking system

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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