by Playfuls Staff |
14th April 2007
Intelsat General Corp. today announced that it has been
selected for an industry-government collaboration to demonstrate the viability
of conducting military communications through an Internet [more] router in
space.
The Department of Defense project to test Internet routing
in space (IRIS) will be managed by Intelsat General, and the payload will
convert to commercial use once testing has been completed. The IRIS project is
one of seven projects -- out of hundreds of applicants -- funded and announced
in fiscal 2007 as a Joint Capability Technology Demonstration (JCTD) by the
Department of Defense.
Intelsat is the first commercial satellite company to be
awarded a JCTD Program. The IRIS JCTD is a three-year program that allows the
DoD to collaborate with Intelsat General and its industry team to demonstrate
and assess the utility of the IRIS capability.
Cisco, the global networking leader based in San Jose, CA,
will provide commercial IP networking software for the on-board router. In
addition, SEAKR Engineering Inc. of Denver,
CO, will manufacture the
space-hardened router and integrate it into the IRIS payload.
Concerto Advisors, a financial advisory firm based in Iowa City, IA,
is organizing equity financing for a new company to provide the funds to
design, build and operate the equipment used for the demonstration. Following
the JCTD testing period, Concerto's affiliate will own the equipment, and
Intelsat will operate the equipment on Concerto's behalf to provide services
for government and commercial users.
Intelsat previously announced that Space Systems/Loral of Palo Alto, CA,
will manufacture the satellite scheduled to carry the IRIS payload. The
satellite, IS-14, is set for launch in the first quarter of 2009. It will be
placed in geostationary orbit at 45 degrees West longitude with coverage of
Europe, Africa and the Americas.
Representing the next generation of space-based
communications, IRIS will serve as a computer processor in the sky, merging
communications being received on various frequency bands and transmitting them
to multiple users based on data instructions embedded in the uplink.
The IRIS payload will support network services for voice,
video and data communications, enabling military units or allied forces to
communicate with one another using Internet protocol and existing ground
equipment.
The IRIS payload will interconnect one C-band and two
Ku-band coverage areas. The IRIS architecture and design allow for flexible IP
packet (layer 3) routing or multicast distribution that can be reconfigured on
demand. With the on-board processor routing the up and down communications
links, the IRIS payload is expected to enhance satellite performance and reduce
signal degradation from atmospheric conditions.
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) will have
overall responsibility for coordinating use of the IRIS technology among the
government user community and for developing means of leveraging the IRIS
capability once the satellite is in space.
Awarding a JCTD for the IRIS program had the strong support
of the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM), which sees the program as a path to
more efficient communications between warfighters around the globe. USSTRATCOM
is a joint military command whose responsibilities include space operations,
missile defense, intelligence, reconnaissance and global command and control.
