Every year NSR writes about an ‘upcoming wave’ of sovereign SATCOM capabilities – WGS-11+, Skynet-6EC, etc. and today is no different. In the past few months, the UK announced $2B in ‘new funding for military space programs’, the European Commission announced “€6 billion program” with a component focused on secure connectivity, and Australia recently opened.
Following on the footsteps of Skynet-6A reaching Preliminary Design Review (PDR), a critical step towards its eventual launch in 2025, the Gov & Mil SATCOM sector is entering into the next-phase of sovereign military SATCOM systems. Built in the age of cyber-awareness, the proliferation of lower-cost RF jamming technology, and the ongoing requirements to move.
Need for Connectivity Only Grows for both COMSATCOM and MILSATCOM Assets, but Slowdown Potential in Medium to Longer Term
Today’s global context is stretching government & military satellite communications. From pockets of instability to geopolitical crises through to the rapid response required in natural disaster management, the requirements for gov/military connectivity continue on a rapid rise upwards. However, with budgets still strained around the world, will users primarily turn to military/government-owned OR commercial satellites.