US Defense Department Wants To Create A Secure Internet In Space

Hoping to create a secure communication channel in space, the Department of Defense (DOD) is collaborating with four companies to create a network of commercial and military satellites, dubbed the Hybrid Space Architecture (HSA) project. 

New contracts have been awarded to Amazon Web Services, Kuiper Government Solutions, Microsoft Azure Space, and SpiderOak Mission Systems; with previous agreements already in place with four other companies. 

Eventually, the HSA will see multiple ground communications systems linked up with satellite networks in orbit, including those on the Electromagnetic Radio Frequency spectrum (RF/EM), Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISL), Military Tactical Data Links (TDL), and future wired networks. 

Calling a fully-networked battle scape “the dream,” the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) explains the benefits of such a system range from on-demand imagery for warfighters to reliable broadband internet at remote bases for improved employee morale. 

For example, the network could be used in present-day Eastern Europe, where armies are relying on multiple cloud servers and commercial terminals to transmit data across the battlefield. 

With the HSA in place, communications experts will no longer have to worry if a node is blocked or destroyed, as the network will “self-heal” and continue working so long as there is an entry point into the system. 

“This project will pursue the goals of an agile and resilient communications architecture that will be able to move data through commercial, military, and allied assets while integrating multi-domain cloud-based storage and analytics,” says Dr Rogan Shimmin, Program Manager for HSA. 

“It’s time for the internet to move off-planet.” 

[via Gizmodo and Defense Innovation Unit, cover image via Sharplaninac | Dreamstime.com]