US Space Force increases efforts to plug training capabilities gaps
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The Space Cloud system will process and store data, as well as communicate and exchange data autonomously with other satellites. (Image: Leonardo)
Italy’s Leonardo has been awarded a contract by Italian MoD to help develop MILSCA which will support integrated cyber security models designed to provide greater speed and flexibility in the processing and sharing information.
The Space Cloud, which will be tested by creating a digital twin of the architecture, will be able to store more than 100 Terabytes of data generated on Earth and in space on board each constellation satellite.
The project will attempt to define a space architecture capable of providing government and national armed forces with high-performance computing and storage capacity directly in space.
The study will be expected to last 24 months and involve a first phase for defining the architecture, while the second phase will end with developing a digital twin of the satellite with the High Performance Computing (HPC) solution and the multi-constellation satellite terminal demonstrator.
The goal will be to simulate the different application scenarios in a digital environment and these tests will be carried out using Leonardo’s supercomputer, the davinci-1. The study will be a precursor to a further experimental phase which, if confirmed, will involve the deployment in orbit of a demonstrative constellation of satellites.
The Space Cloud for Defense project also sets the basis for future uses to support civil Earth observation programmes and space exploration missions to the Moon and Mars, which could benefit from an in-orbit cloud computing architecture to download and process data more quickly.
The service has been seeking simulation and emulation solutions capable of reproducing multiple in-orbit threats.
The service has been conducting several acquisition and upgrading efforts involving artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve communication, data analysis and ISR systems.
The Syracuse 4B communications satellite, developed by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, was launched last year, bolstering secure military satellite communications for the French Armed Forces. Thales has now been selected to provide terminals for vehicles.
The growing importance of space in modern warfare, advancements in satellite technology, and increasing threats from rivals like China and Russia were among the topics of a Eurosatory 2024 panel on military space operations.
AN/ARC-232A is a Starfire radio that provides VHF/UHF communications to airborne platforms and the transceiver is software-programmable, allowing for multiple waveform support as well as optional national electronic counter counter-measure (ECCM) capability.
During the 18-month period of the contract, Lockheed Martin will apply Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to create surrogate models of aircraft, sensors, electronic warfare and weapons within dynamic and operationally representative environments.