Rendition of Kacific-1/JCSAT 18. Photo: Kacific.

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions, a U.S. national security solutions provider, was awarded an $11 million contract by Kacific Broadband Satellites, to design and build ground stations for Kacific’s new Ka-band High Throughput Satellite (HTS) network. The Kacific-1 High Throughput Satellite (HTS), launching in 2019, will deliver broadband services to Pacific Rim and South East Asia.

Kratos will help address Kacific’s HTS gateway infrastructure needs by designing and building a state-of-art Ka-band multi-site gateway solution for Kacific-1. Kratos’ gateway solutions are pre-configured in a secure and controlled off-site environment resulting in faster time-to-market. The company’s designs will optimize and protect Kacific’s investment by reducing complexity and risk, and accelerating market entry.

The next generation of HTS promises new revenue and service opportunities for satellite operators, but are also driving important changes on the ground since current ground infrastructure is designed and optimized for traditional satellite operations. HTS spot beams deliver high-bandwidth services to particular locations, causing many operators to re-think established ground station needs and designs.

The Kacific contract award is for a multi-site gateway solution that will additionally include Kratos’ high-performance antennas and RF equipment, as well as several Kratos complementary ground system products, including the Compass® monitoring and control system; Monics® for carrier and spectrum monitoring; and SpectralNet™ RF-over-IP inter-facility links. The solution will be integrated at Kratos’ facility, and installed at various locations in the Pacific Rim, with control equipment centralized in Kacific’s Network Operations Centre