SpaceX is currently deploying a constellation-like quantity of Starlink satellites all into low Earth orbit in order to deliver a global broadband internet. There are already about 708 satellites circulating in orbit, out of the whole 4,409 satellites that will be the initial Starlink network. The company is actually focused on being able to connect rural areas all around the world where the existing internet connection is both unreliable and also inaccessible.
SpaceX's deal with the United States Air Force
SpaceX has a deal signed by the United States Air Force with a value of about $28 million that was signed in 2018 in order to assess the whole Starlink network's military platforms performance. The Air Force is already actively experimenting with just how the space-based internet could result in an enhancement of Multi-Domain Operations otherwise known as MDO.
The said operations require being able to move a huge amount of data between five different domains of warfare: sea, ground, sky, outer space, and of course, cyberspace. The military is in need for a reliable communication system at every single time in order to both protect and defend the whole country from any potential threats. The recent assessment of Starlink will be able to offer military insight on whether the US military should purchase a long-term Starlink service.
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The accounts of US Air Force Chief for Acquisition
Dr. Will Roper, the US Air Force Chief for Acquisition who actually serves as the principal adviser in the field of technology development and research, has met with certain reporters in order to discuss a new live-fire military exercise that has taken place some time earlier this month according to Investors news reports.
During the known conference, Roper made SpaceX Starlink go through the live-fire exercise which is part of the military's very own Advanced Battle Management System or ABMS in order to test it. According to Roper, Starlink was both "impressive" and also "positive" during those tests even complementing that they have "cleverly engineered satellites" as well as "cleverly deployed" them. Roper even stated that there's still a lot of things to learn from how these satellites were designed.
The conducted test and its meaning
Roper even shared that the United States Air Force actually connected Starlink with a bunch of air as well as terrestrial assets. The Starlink terminals were being hooked to a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft's cockpit in order to assess the whole network's main performance while the particular airplanes fly.
The addition of a stable satellite-based internet system will in turn enable the US military to be able to communicate at all given times across the globe, even in certain areas where the actual internet mainly does not exist. Roper noted that the advantage of a satellite-based internet system is that it can help supply the Navy, the airplanes, and other military vehicles on the go.
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian Buenconsejo
