Military Technology 05/2021

about the volume of debris accumulating around planet Earth – and what can we do about it? Which nations have seen fit to create inde- pendent space commands – and which have expanded that thinking to create space forces – and why? Which nations have ambitions but have so far failed to realise them – and what are they doing about that? What of Russia? And China? India? What is the background to (and future of) the European Union’s ambitions for the GALILEO programme after the disruptions of Brexit? And speaking of disruption – what is happening to the US space enterprise? All these questions – and more – are addressed (though not, as yet, fully answered) in the pages of this supplement. Enjoy and – please – let us know what you think. Contents Space Warfare ‘à la française’ – .......................................................... 38 France’s Space Command in the making Marco Giulio Barone Counter-satellite – Attack and Defence.............................................. 40 Peter Donaldson Another Frontline: Israel’s Perspective on Space............................. 42 Arie Egozi Poland’s Unfulfilled (Satellite) Dreams............................................... 44 Robert Czulda Space Enterprise Disruptors. ............................................................. 45 Marty Kauchak GALILEO: a (Floating) Pillar of Strategic Autonomy......................... 47 Caterina Tani The Hypersonic Era – Threat and Countermeasures....................... 48 Tim Fish China’s Military Space Programmes.................................................. 50 Eugene Kogan In another fresh development for MilTech, as we endeavour to keep pace with (and occasionally outstrip) the technology insertions and advances that characterise our defence and security worlds, this is- sue of the magazine sees the first of what will become a regular – though not, perhaps, initially frequent – supplement that addresses the issue of space. Increasingly central to military operations, as will be seen from the articles in this supplement, space is not only now a domain of operations in its own right, it is also a shining example of the manner in which military technology now draws extensively on advances and innovations made in the civilian domain. DSEI 2021, which has just closed in London as this issue of MilTech goes to press, was not only vital and engaging – almost a ‘celebration’ of coming out of a period of over 18 months in which the normal pace of trade fair life had been severely curtailed, and an indicator that normality is, perhaps, making itself vaguely apparent on the far horizon – it also offered powerful evidence that space is increasingly central to strategic capability and procurement thinking. Indeed, the underlying theme of the show itself – Multi-Domain Integration – prompted the style and character of many of the exhibits, a host of which promoted the exhibitor’s creden- tials in the space environment. Not only on the exhibition floor, but also in the keynote addresses and in the seminar and workshop salons, the space drum continued to be beaten. In one such session, a rather thought-provoking address provided your editorial team with food for thought – to be pursued in depth in later issues and online. How long will we wait before witnessing our first act of space terrorism? An answer to that slightly worrisome question – and to so many others posed by even the briefest consideration of the space environment – are notably missing in this initial supplement. But those gaps are uppermost in our collective minds: not only will we endeavour to burrow into some of the darker recesses of the domain and shed light on programmes, projects and aspirations – we shall also try to encourage debate, stimulate official thought and pursue the interesting, the enticing and the innovative. To begin – what is the Kessler Effect – and why should we be concerned With the recent modem compatibility test of TESAT’s Constellation Laser Communication Terminal (ConLCT80) at the US Naval Research Laboratory, a new and defining milestone was reached. The success- ful demonstration assures interoperability within the Transport Layer constellation of the US Space Development Agency (SDA), for which TESAT, as one provider of optical communication terminals (OCT), sup- plies an essential share for several customers. The compatibility test was conducted at an optical level, explic- itly testing coding and framing, according to the SDA standard, the data rate, wavelength compatibility, tracking tone, waveform capture and continuous data transfer. Future testing is planned to demonstrate space optical communication between terminals from different manufacturers. As the world’s only supplier of al- ready space-proven laser communication terminals (LCT), TESAT plays a key role in developing the critical SDA standard, entailing functions such as Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT), timing and ranging as well as Automatic Repeat Requests (ARQ). Aside from current updates on the SDA constellation, TESAT con- tinues to bolster its position as a market and technology leader, laying the crucial foundation stones for the future of optical communication in orbit. Having been in the space business for decades, and having produced several thousand separate items of equipment for hundreds of satellites, the company now defines the art of transforming the high demand manufacturing of system-critical appliances into industri- alised series production – for large volumes within short timescales while simultaneously assuring the highest quality standards. Accordingly, TESAT has established new production lines at its premises in Backnang, Germany, on the basis of its already space-proven automated factories, which stand ready to produce thousands of pieces, relying on over 200 years of accumulated exper- tise and hence guaranteeing reliable supply, even taking into consid- eration the tight schedules and budget constraints of all the upcoming mega-constellations. The ConLCT80, recently tested by the US Naval Research Laboratory. (Photo: TESAT) Military Space MT 5/2021 · Special Supplement · 37