The increasing reliance of military operations on rapid and resilient communications across various domains has driven satellite operators to develop innovative solutions beyond simply providing bandwidth. SES Space & Defense, under a new contract with the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), is showcasing a software platform designed to simplify access and management of bandwidth from diverse satellite networks spanning multiple orbits.
Developed by SES Space & Defense, a U.S. subsidiary of Luxembourg’s SES, SIMON (Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking) is a network orchestration technology that routes data via a blend of commercial and government satellites in low, medium, and geostationary Earth orbits. The demand for such multi-orbit networks is rising due to sophisticated electronic warfare and anti-satellite threats faced by the military.
SES, operating a substantial fleet of satellites, sees its competitive edge shifting from raw capacity to intelligent network management. David Fields, president and CEO of SES Space & Defense, explained in an interview with SpaceNews that the industry now has abundant satellite capacity but needs to furnish military customers with superior tools to effectively utilize it. He noted that satellite communications have become commoditized: “And you see that in the amount of capacity that’s being deployed… Everybody’s deploying large amounts of capacity. And that’s great for our industry. It’s great for our customers,” he added. “They have choices, but how can you orchestrate all that capacity? And that’s what we’re really focused on.”
This shift is occurring as established satellite providers encounter intense competition from newer players like SpaceX’s Starlink, known for its low latency and widespread availability. SIMON aims to provide an alternative to the military’s traditional PACE (Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency) approach to communication resilience. While more modern “Auto-PACE” systems have automated transitions, Fields describes SIMON as a more extensive solution, particularly suited for contested environments. It dynamically evaluates available satellite resources, optimizing communication pathways in real-time based on changing conditions.
The SIMON contract aligns with DIU’s broader initiative to build a “hybrid space architecture,” leveraging both commercial and government assets for faster and more secure data delivery. SES will demonstrate uninterrupted data transmission by integrating commercial and government networks. Fields highlighted the value of this integration, as the Pentagon increasingly relies on both purpose-built military satellites and commercial services.
The Pentagon's objective is to equip units operating in challenging communication environments—where signals might be jammed, cyber-attacked, or affected by environmental factors—with the ability to seamlessly switch between different satellite systems without manual reconfiguration. This capability is crucial for maintaining robust and uninterrupted communication in diverse and potentially hostile operational scenarios.