Will the Ministry of Defense be able to drown out Iridium, GlobalStar and OneWeb?
The emergence of the “universal Internet” uncontrolled by the authorities is unacceptable both for the Russian state and for domestic telecom operators.
In 2016, the private aerospace company SpaceX requested the US government permission to deploy a satellite communications network to provide high-speed Internet access services on a global scale in the Ku (10.7-18 GHz) and Ka (26.5-40 GHz) bands. In addition to SpaceX, applications for the withdrawal of their own communications devices were submitted by OneWeb, Telesat, O3b Networks (O3b is the European mid-orbit system supervised by SES) and Theia Holdings. Their projects are aimed at providing broadband Internet access to users via mobile satellite technology.
Facebook, as reported by the media, is also working on a secret project of an Internet satellite that will provide access speed 10 times faster than SpaceX. The project involves the launch of the Athena spacecraft to study the possibility of providing remote regions with Internet. The satellite will operate in the range of 71–76 / 81–86 GHz (E-band), which in most countries has a simplified licensing procedure. If the project is implemented, it will allow receiving speeds of up to 30 Gbps, which will require the launch of several hundred devices.
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SpaceX's competitor in the upcoming race is OneWeb (previously known as WorldVu). The British OneWeb Consortium, which is supported by entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Qualcomm. OneWeb plans to place hundreds of telecommunications satellites in an orbit with a height of 1.2 thousand kilometers.
At the beginning of the year, OneWeb requested permission from the US Federal Communications Commission to increase the grouping from 720 spacecraft to 1980. The system will be fully deployed by 2027. The company intends to start providing commercial services in 2019, after the launch of approximately 300 vehicles.
SpaceX expects to begin deploying its own satellite Internet connection network next year. This project, called Starlink, was developed under the direction of Ilon Musk and Greg Wyler. Its implementation began in February 2018: two test satellites, Tintin-A and Tintin-B, were launched into orbit by the Falkon-9 rocket. It is planned to launch about 12 thousand satellites. SpaceX estimated the cost of the Starlink project at $ 10 billion. Due to the fact that the company has its own launch vehicle, the cost of delivering satellites will be relatively low.
The satellites will be located at 83 different altitudes (from 1,110 km to 1,325 km). Thus, they will deliver the signal much faster than to other groups whose satellites are located in high orbits. The difference between the new satellite network and the existing ones will be a low delay - a maximum of 25 milliseconds. For comparison, in 4G cellular networks, the delay is on average about 8 milliseconds, but can vary significantly depending on the network load and distance from the cellular communication station. The satellites will work on the mesh principle and will be able to redirect the signal depending on the load.
In less than 10 years, they should provide full Internet coverage of the entire surface of the Earth. The first devices are already running. The first stage of the Internet service is planned to be deployed by 2020 or 2021. Users should get Internet access at 500 Mbps, and in the second stage, second-generation satellites will be launched, which by 2021 will provide high-speed Internet with a capacity of 2.5 Gb / s. By sending another 7,500 devices into orbit, the company will be able to significantly improve the quality of communication and the parameters of the network infrastructure. It is going to launch the last satellite in 2024, having thus formed a grouping of its orbiters.
In addition to the companies mentioned above, there are also projects of Boeing (2,956 satellites) and Samsung (4,600 devices). The implementation period for all these projects is the next five to seven years. They must provide the Internet with billions of people, including residents of remote and rural regions.
Reportedly, SpaceX user terminals and the like will be approximately the same size as laptops. In fact, this is a common telecommunications equipment operating in the Ku (12-18 GHz) and Ka (26.5-40 GHz) bands. In the future, it is planned to use the V-band (from 40 to 75 GHz).
In order for the equipment of the Ku and Ka bands to be suitable for the organization of a bidirectional Internet channel, an antenna system with a so-called radiation pattern — a phased antenna array — is needed. For data transmission in both directions, such an antenna is a rather complicated and cumbersome design. Therefore, the "subscriber device" is not yet able to be built into the smartphone. But this is far from the main problem.
In terms of international cooperation, everything began quite well. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, OneWeb and JSC Satellite System Gonets signed an agreement on the creation of a joint venture. "Messenger" was supposed to engage in the sale of OneWeb resources in Russia. But then the situation began to change.
The State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF) refused to allocate frequencies for the international satellite Internet network being created, as they “may be required for the Russian grouping of Arctic satellites”. The meeting of the SCRF at the end of 2016, where this issue was considered, was held behind closed doors. According to media reports, the refusal is associated with the creation of the domestic system Express-RV, which is being developed by the state enterprise Space Communications. These are four satellites in a highly elliptical orbit, which should provide the regions of the Arctic with communication at precisely these frequencies.
In addition, Russia has its own Roscosmos project to create a global multi-function infocommunication satellite system (GMISS), included in the action plan of the Digital Infrastructure area in the state program Digital Economy. True, the Supervisory Board of Vnesheconombank (VEB) did not make a decision on the financing of this project worth 299 billion rubles in the established period. The question remains open.
Scheduled for the first quarter of 2018, the development of the system is not implemented. GMISS is considered as “Russian OneWeb”. In essence, this is a project to create a national system for covering the Earth with high-speed Internet access and providing a continuous communication channel for unmanned vehicles, the Internet of things and secure data transmission.
The emergence of satellite Internet from SpaceX, OneWeb, etc. may create difficulties for Russian providers, as security officials will not be able to receive all Russian subscriber traffic, as required by the Yarovoi package, and Roskomnadzor will block sites that have information banned in Russia.
With direct access to the network, bypassing the providers, it will not be technically possible to impose restrictions on regional content. It will not be possible not only to block sites, but also to connect SORM.
And domestic providers and telecom operators themselves have invested very large funds in the development of 3G / 4G land data transmission infrastructure, which will have to be paid back for years. Do they need a satellite competitor?
It is not by chance that the Ministry of Defense of Russia reports about the testing of the newest electronic warfare system (EW), capable of neutralizing the operation of low-orbit satellite communications systems over a significant area. Is it possible to revive the analogue of the Soviet "wilderness"? Will the Ministry of Defense be able to drown out Iridium, GlobalStar and OneWeb?
Electronic warfare (EW) is the impact of radio emissions (radio interference) on the radio electronic means of control systems, communications and intelligence of the enemy in order to change the quality of military information circulating in them, protect their systems from similar influences, and also change the conditions (properties of the medium) of radio wave propagation.
Russian defense enterprises are planning in the near future to increase the production of military equipment for the needs of electronic warfare by 20-30%. At the same time, thanks to the participation of serial plants in the manufacture of prototypes, the time required for the development of large-scale production of new products will be significantly reduced.
Plants supply customers with the Krasuha-S4 complexes, the Mercury-BM, Rychag-AV, Vitebsk jamming stations, and the Khibiny-M individual protection complexes. Some of these systems have been tested in Syria. The Khibiny complex is installed on Su-34 bombers and Su-30SM fighters. It makes it difficult to detect the aircraft by enemy radars and pointing missiles at it.
Similar opportunities are provided by the Vitebsk complex. It is installed, in particular, on the Ka-52 and Mi-8MT helicopters. Krasukha is capable of suppressing optical-electronic means of spy satellite exploration, as well as ground-based and airborne (AWACS) radar.
The above EW complexes are one of the few, details of which were included in the press. Their varieties and modifications are much more. And fundamentally new systems are on the way. Russian EW technologies are among the best in the world.
According to experts, existing and promising models of EW complexes are capable of solving a wide range of tasks. These include systems capable of jamming the radar stations of airplanes and the homing head of high-precision missiles, complexes for suppressing enemy communication lines in the entire frequency range. In the promising state armaments program, which will last until 2025, special attention is paid to the means of electronic warfare.
Meanwhile, according to experts in electronic warfare, there are not even effective EW tools in the world capable of disabling the American Tomahawks. The well-known "jammers" of satellite navigation systems, for example, an EW "Resident" station, which is in service with the Russian army, can only reduce the accuracy of Tomahawks. How are things with low-satellite satellites?
According to media reports, the Moscow Research Radio Engineering Institute has developed a system of jamming for low-orbit satellite communication systems - “The complex of electronic warfare to counter satellite systems in low circular orbits” (CRBSS). The priority location of this latest "jammers" is the Arctic.
Mobile interference stations are already undergoing tests, during which they allegedly achieved excellent results by using active phased antenna arrays containing a large number of receiving and transmitting elements. It is assumed that the novelty will take up combat duty, and its elements will be put into operation in stages.
The main elements of the CRBSS are jamming stations installed on two trucks: they are said to be capable of simultaneously tracking and muffling signals from several dozen satellites. In the future, these stations will be installed on ships, helicopters, airplanes and even drones.
Will it work? It is extremely doubtful. The directivity pattern of this complex will have to be accompanied by each low-orbit satellite, which only Starlink will have 4425 in the first and another 7518 in the second stage. It is unreal to stifle more than ten thousand satellites, and even low-orbit satellites forming a cellular network.
Such a “jammer” will not only be prohibitively expensive, but will also consume enormous power - tens of megawatts will suffice only to suppress the signal on an area of approximately one Moscow microdistrict. Muffle the entire system over the entire country does not fully work. "Glushilka" should cover with interference really huge areas. To do this, it must have a very serious energy capacity and be set at a height of tens of meters.
Therefore, we can assume that everything will be limited to a ban on the import of subscriber devices OneWeb, Starlink, etc. No one will allow our population to use satellite Internet and uncontrolledly exchange information. Ilon Mask will not pass. It is possible that the controlling agencies will begin to look for devices entering the country. Bans and locks in Russia have always found government support.
In the meantime, the launch of test instruments launched the era of global satellite Internet, which will enable the development of many modern trends, such as the Internet of Things. Ubiquitous low-cost Internet means expanding the market for hosting service providers, can give a powerful impetus to the development of cloud services. These innovations will bypass Russia, and the state will have to re-import technology.
Global satellite internet
In 2016, the private aerospace company SpaceX requested the US government permission to deploy a satellite communications network to provide high-speed Internet access services on a global scale in the Ku (10.7-18 GHz) and Ka (26.5-40 GHz) bands. In addition to SpaceX, applications for the withdrawal of their own communications devices were submitted by OneWeb, Telesat, O3b Networks (O3b is the European mid-orbit system supervised by SES) and Theia Holdings. Their projects are aimed at providing broadband Internet access to users via mobile satellite technology.
Facebook, as reported by the media, is also working on a secret project of an Internet satellite that will provide access speed 10 times faster than SpaceX. The project involves the launch of the Athena spacecraft to study the possibility of providing remote regions with Internet. The satellite will operate in the range of 71–76 / 81–86 GHz (E-band), which in most countries has a simplified licensing procedure. If the project is implemented, it will allow receiving speeds of up to 30 Gbps, which will require the launch of several hundred devices.
')
SpaceX's competitor in the upcoming race is OneWeb (previously known as WorldVu). The British OneWeb Consortium, which is supported by entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Qualcomm. OneWeb plans to place hundreds of telecommunications satellites in an orbit with a height of 1.2 thousand kilometers.
At the beginning of the year, OneWeb requested permission from the US Federal Communications Commission to increase the grouping from 720 spacecraft to 1980. The system will be fully deployed by 2027. The company intends to start providing commercial services in 2019, after the launch of approximately 300 vehicles.
SpaceX expects to begin deploying its own satellite Internet connection network next year. This project, called Starlink, was developed under the direction of Ilon Musk and Greg Wyler. Its implementation began in February 2018: two test satellites, Tintin-A and Tintin-B, were launched into orbit by the Falkon-9 rocket. It is planned to launch about 12 thousand satellites. SpaceX estimated the cost of the Starlink project at $ 10 billion. Due to the fact that the company has its own launch vehicle, the cost of delivering satellites will be relatively low.
The satellites will be located at 83 different altitudes (from 1,110 km to 1,325 km). Thus, they will deliver the signal much faster than to other groups whose satellites are located in high orbits. The difference between the new satellite network and the existing ones will be a low delay - a maximum of 25 milliseconds. For comparison, in 4G cellular networks, the delay is on average about 8 milliseconds, but can vary significantly depending on the network load and distance from the cellular communication station. The satellites will work on the mesh principle and will be able to redirect the signal depending on the load.
In less than 10 years, they should provide full Internet coverage of the entire surface of the Earth. The first devices are already running. The first stage of the Internet service is planned to be deployed by 2020 or 2021. Users should get Internet access at 500 Mbps, and in the second stage, second-generation satellites will be launched, which by 2021 will provide high-speed Internet with a capacity of 2.5 Gb / s. By sending another 7,500 devices into orbit, the company will be able to significantly improve the quality of communication and the parameters of the network infrastructure. It is going to launch the last satellite in 2024, having thus formed a grouping of its orbiters.
In addition to the companies mentioned above, there are also projects of Boeing (2,956 satellites) and Samsung (4,600 devices). The implementation period for all these projects is the next five to seven years. They must provide the Internet with billions of people, including residents of remote and rural regions.
Reportedly, SpaceX user terminals and the like will be approximately the same size as laptops. In fact, this is a common telecommunications equipment operating in the Ku (12-18 GHz) and Ka (26.5-40 GHz) bands. In the future, it is planned to use the V-band (from 40 to 75 GHz).
In order for the equipment of the Ku and Ka bands to be suitable for the organization of a bidirectional Internet channel, an antenna system with a so-called radiation pattern — a phased antenna array — is needed. For data transmission in both directions, such an antenna is a rather complicated and cumbersome design. Therefore, the "subscriber device" is not yet able to be built into the smartphone. But this is far from the main problem.
Frequencies will not be
In terms of international cooperation, everything began quite well. At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, OneWeb and JSC Satellite System Gonets signed an agreement on the creation of a joint venture. "Messenger" was supposed to engage in the sale of OneWeb resources in Russia. But then the situation began to change.
The State Commission for Radio Frequencies (SCRF) refused to allocate frequencies for the international satellite Internet network being created, as they “may be required for the Russian grouping of Arctic satellites”. The meeting of the SCRF at the end of 2016, where this issue was considered, was held behind closed doors. According to media reports, the refusal is associated with the creation of the domestic system Express-RV, which is being developed by the state enterprise Space Communications. These are four satellites in a highly elliptical orbit, which should provide the regions of the Arctic with communication at precisely these frequencies.
In addition, Russia has its own Roscosmos project to create a global multi-function infocommunication satellite system (GMISS), included in the action plan of the Digital Infrastructure area in the state program Digital Economy. True, the Supervisory Board of Vnesheconombank (VEB) did not make a decision on the financing of this project worth 299 billion rubles in the established period. The question remains open.
Scheduled for the first quarter of 2018, the development of the system is not implemented. GMISS is considered as “Russian OneWeb”. In essence, this is a project to create a national system for covering the Earth with high-speed Internet access and providing a continuous communication channel for unmanned vehicles, the Internet of things and secure data transmission.
Why jam?
The emergence of satellite Internet from SpaceX, OneWeb, etc. may create difficulties for Russian providers, as security officials will not be able to receive all Russian subscriber traffic, as required by the Yarovoi package, and Roskomnadzor will block sites that have information banned in Russia.
With direct access to the network, bypassing the providers, it will not be technically possible to impose restrictions on regional content. It will not be possible not only to block sites, but also to connect SORM.
And domestic providers and telecom operators themselves have invested very large funds in the development of 3G / 4G land data transmission infrastructure, which will have to be paid back for years. Do they need a satellite competitor?
It is not by chance that the Ministry of Defense of Russia reports about the testing of the newest electronic warfare system (EW), capable of neutralizing the operation of low-orbit satellite communications systems over a significant area. Is it possible to revive the analogue of the Soviet "wilderness"? Will the Ministry of Defense be able to drown out Iridium, GlobalStar and OneWeb?
How to jam?
Electronic warfare (EW) is the impact of radio emissions (radio interference) on the radio electronic means of control systems, communications and intelligence of the enemy in order to change the quality of military information circulating in them, protect their systems from similar influences, and also change the conditions (properties of the medium) of radio wave propagation.
Russian defense enterprises are planning in the near future to increase the production of military equipment for the needs of electronic warfare by 20-30%. At the same time, thanks to the participation of serial plants in the manufacture of prototypes, the time required for the development of large-scale production of new products will be significantly reduced.
Plants supply customers with the Krasuha-S4 complexes, the Mercury-BM, Rychag-AV, Vitebsk jamming stations, and the Khibiny-M individual protection complexes. Some of these systems have been tested in Syria. The Khibiny complex is installed on Su-34 bombers and Su-30SM fighters. It makes it difficult to detect the aircraft by enemy radars and pointing missiles at it.
Similar opportunities are provided by the Vitebsk complex. It is installed, in particular, on the Ka-52 and Mi-8MT helicopters. Krasukha is capable of suppressing optical-electronic means of spy satellite exploration, as well as ground-based and airborne (AWACS) radar.
The above EW complexes are one of the few, details of which were included in the press. Their varieties and modifications are much more. And fundamentally new systems are on the way. Russian EW technologies are among the best in the world.
According to experts, existing and promising models of EW complexes are capable of solving a wide range of tasks. These include systems capable of jamming the radar stations of airplanes and the homing head of high-precision missiles, complexes for suppressing enemy communication lines in the entire frequency range. In the promising state armaments program, which will last until 2025, special attention is paid to the means of electronic warfare.
Meanwhile, according to experts in electronic warfare, there are not even effective EW tools in the world capable of disabling the American Tomahawks. The well-known "jammers" of satellite navigation systems, for example, an EW "Resident" station, which is in service with the Russian army, can only reduce the accuracy of Tomahawks. How are things with low-satellite satellites?
Mask will not pass
According to media reports, the Moscow Research Radio Engineering Institute has developed a system of jamming for low-orbit satellite communication systems - “The complex of electronic warfare to counter satellite systems in low circular orbits” (CRBSS). The priority location of this latest "jammers" is the Arctic.
Mobile interference stations are already undergoing tests, during which they allegedly achieved excellent results by using active phased antenna arrays containing a large number of receiving and transmitting elements. It is assumed that the novelty will take up combat duty, and its elements will be put into operation in stages.
The main elements of the CRBSS are jamming stations installed on two trucks: they are said to be capable of simultaneously tracking and muffling signals from several dozen satellites. In the future, these stations will be installed on ships, helicopters, airplanes and even drones.
Will it work? It is extremely doubtful. The directivity pattern of this complex will have to be accompanied by each low-orbit satellite, which only Starlink will have 4425 in the first and another 7518 in the second stage. It is unreal to stifle more than ten thousand satellites, and even low-orbit satellites forming a cellular network.
Such a “jammer” will not only be prohibitively expensive, but will also consume enormous power - tens of megawatts will suffice only to suppress the signal on an area of approximately one Moscow microdistrict. Muffle the entire system over the entire country does not fully work. "Glushilka" should cover with interference really huge areas. To do this, it must have a very serious energy capacity and be set at a height of tens of meters.
Therefore, we can assume that everything will be limited to a ban on the import of subscriber devices OneWeb, Starlink, etc. No one will allow our population to use satellite Internet and uncontrolledly exchange information. Ilon Mask will not pass. It is possible that the controlling agencies will begin to look for devices entering the country. Bans and locks in Russia have always found government support.
In the meantime, the launch of test instruments launched the era of global satellite Internet, which will enable the development of many modern trends, such as the Internet of Things. Ubiquitous low-cost Internet means expanding the market for hosting service providers, can give a powerful impetus to the development of cloud services. These innovations will bypass Russia, and the state will have to re-import technology.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/358350/
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