SES Space & Defense has announced an interesting new collaboration in the arena of space station connectivity. It will work with Starlab to develop a communication architecture to deliver continuous, resilient, low-latency connectivity services supporting the full lifecycle of Starlab’s commercial space station via its LEO Relay Services (LRS). SES Space & Defense announced the collaboration, July 27.
Starlab, which is developing the commercial space station under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development (CLD) Program, selected SES Space & Defense due to its integrated multi-orbit space and ground architecture. The integrated architecture will provide Starlab customers with a seamless path to scale as additional relay capabilities and next-generation terminals come online. SES Space & Defense’s communication services will be available at Starlab’s launch and expand throughout the station’s operational lifecycle.
SES detailed an ongoing engineering collaboration with Starlab. Throughout this year and last year, teams worked together to model in-orbit performance and assess terminal solutions that work with the relay architecture and Starlab’s design requirements.
“Mission success in LEO depends on resilient, always‑available communications infrastructure. Through our collaboration with SES Space & Defense, we are building a robust, secure, and highly resilient communications architecture that ensures continuous connectivity and real‑time mission awareness across all phases of station operations,” Brad Henderson, chief commercial officer of Starlab, said in a statement.
