The United States Space Force has awarded Boeing a $2.8 cardinal statement to build nan first shape of nan Pentagon's next-generation satellites to alteration atomic command, control, and communications (NC3). These satellites, portion of nan overmuch broader Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) strategy of systems, will switch nan Cold War relics connected orbit now, called nan Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites. Boeing will build 2 to commencement with, planned to spell into geostationary orbit starting successful 2031; Space Force holds nan action to acquisition an further 2 down nan road.
This is portion of a wider Pentagon effort to upgrade America's full atomic posture, which includes nan in-development Sentinel ICBM and B-21 bomber. While those platforms tin present nan nukes if humanity's worst time ever comes, they are conscionable going to beryllium successful their siloes aliases landing strips if they don't really person immoderate orders. To guarantee that nuclear-necessary communications can get done without being jammed — including up-to-the-second threat detection, calls betwixt nan president and apical advisors, orders sent to applicable commanders, and moreover nan encrypted onslaught commands that request to beryllium authenticated — America has to person a dedicated strategy that's resilient to, well, everything.
Can nan aged AEHF satellites take sides themselves from Russian hackers aliases Chinese interference? If nan Space Force's stated volition to get nan caller strategy retired quickly is immoderate indication, nan reply won't make you slumber good astatine night. The USSF tapped Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Boeing each nan measurement backmost successful 2020 to build retired prototypes for nan abstraction assets for nan caller ESS system. Just 5 short years later (light velocity successful subject acquisition terms), Boeing's creation has won nan contract.
The commencement of a caller constellation
Thank you, @SpaceForceDoD, for selecting america for nan Evolved Strategic SATCOM program, a cardinal measurement successful enhancing U.S. strategical SATCOM capabilities. Our satellites will supply secure, resilient connection for nationalist defense, ensuring bid done strength.
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In its statement, nan Space Force said that nan first 4 satellites are conscionable nan beginning. A further $9 cardinal has been allocated for buying much orbiters successful nan future, pinch nan extremity of creating a afloat outer constellation that tin screen communications needs anyplace successful nan world, including nan Arctic. The apical of nan world has not traditionally needed a batch of awesome reception, truthful outer sum often doesn't scope there.
But pinch ambiance alteration thinning nan crystal caps and making it easier for vessels to run up there, nan navies of nan world are starting to deliberation astir really they mightiness position successful nan furthest north. A nuclear-armed sub being ordered to onslaught adjacent Russia from nan North Pole isn't that acold a agelong anymore. To do that, though, nan Pentagon has to beryllium capable to nonstop a awesome to that sub successful nan first place.
Classified technologies

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Boeing says that nan caller ESS satellites will usage akin exertion to its WGS-11 and WGS-12 satellites successful improvement for Space Force and which are already successful commercialized usage connected its O3b mPOWER constellation. In addition, nan caller orbiters will usage "a highly protected waveform and classified technologies developed successful business pinch nan U.S. Department of Defense," which sounds suspiciously for illustration it's of alien origin (not).
Taken together, that's meant to supply a communications architecture that tin defy dispute attempts to jam aliases disrupt it. Down nan road, if a afloat constellation does spell into orbit, nan sheer number of satellites becomes its ain redundancy, just successful lawsuit personification (China), not saying who (China), tries to physically kidnap immoderate of them.
These satellites are nan benignant of point you really, really dream that cipher ever has to use. But if nan very worst ever happens, you'll really, really want them to work. Hopefully, arsenic Boeing gets its location successful order, they tin present thing dependable.