As the war in Ukraine approaches its three-year mark, NATO and Europe have learned many lessons about the importance multinational and centralized satellite offerings play as they pertain to defense and deterrence capabilities.

“The war in Ukraine has significantly shaped new requirements for space capabilities, intensifying the need for more robust, resilient and responsive satellite capabilities to support military operations, intelligence gathering and real-time communication,” said Francesca De Florio, Chief Communications Officer of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

De Florio explained that the conflict has demonstrated modern warfare’s increasing reliability on satellite technology for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR) and secure communication, making it essential for NATO to enhance its satellite infrastructure to meet these demands.

In the early days of the conflict, imagery and ISR data from satellites proved to be crucial assets for Ukraine’s tactical forces and allowed them to keep pace with Russian warfighting capabilities. “The conflict has highlighted the indispensable role of satellites in providing real-time ISR,” said De Florio. “High-resolution satellite imagery is key in tracking troop movements, monitoring battlefield conditions and identifying military assets, offering a comprehensive and timely picture of the situation on the ground.”

Cyber resilience and security have also proven to be top priorities for NATO, as cyberattacks have been leveraged throughout the conflict in Ukraine. This was especially clear at the beginning of the war when a widespread cyberattack was unleashed on Viasat’s KA-SAT network that disabled modems throughout Ukraine and Europe. “The ability to deny the availability to use satellite services, including through cyberattacks, jamming and spoofing, has certainly put a new light on the need for resilient architectures,” explained Pacôme Révillon, CEO of Novaspace.

As a result, NATO is bolstering the cybersecurity and resiliency of its satellite and space systems. “NATO is now placing greater emphasis on securing its satellite networks to ensure uninterrupted operations during conflicts and is looking to diversify satellite service providers to reduce dependency on any single system,” said De Florio.

Satcom Lessons Learned from Ukraine

In addition to exposing the critical role cybersecurity, satellite imagery and real-time data play, the war in Ukraine has provided many other lessons learned on how to leverage satellites and their capabilities in modern conflicts.

De Florio explained that nations are exploring new satellite technologies, including smaller, more agile satellite constellations that can provide greater redundancy, flexibility and responsiveness in crisis situations. “As a result, NATO’s satellite strategy is evolving to meet the complex and evolving challenges that conflicts like the one in Ukraine have underscored,” she said. “It is prompting a shift towards leveraging a mix of large, traditional satellites and smaller, more agile constellations that can provide greater flexibility, resilience, and survivability in conflict zones.”

Another lesson learned has been the need to integrate commercial satellite services into military operations. “The conflict has shown that commercial satellite data can play a critical role in military operations,” said De Florio. “Ukraine has benefited from the integration of commercial satellite services, which have augmented military capabilities by providing actionable intelligence and enhancing situational awareness. This has highlighted the need for NATO to strengthen partnerships with the private sector and integrate commercial satellite offerings more effectively into its operations.”

NSPA Leverages Commercial Through MEO Global Services Contract

Having multinational and centralized satellite offerings is crucial for NATO, especially when the organization is comprised of multiple nations that may have disparate communication, intelligence and operational systems.

“Most of the actual operations are conducted by national forces who have their own capacity requirement,” explained Révillon. “And it is noteworthy that the involved nations can have a different level of use of satellite communication solutions, as well as different systems. NATO can support the interoperability efforts between its members, including at the satellite communication level.”

According to De Florio, multinational and centralized satellite offerings ensure that all NATO members have access to standardized, interoperable satellite capabilities, which is essential for joint operations and coordinated responses. “Centralizing satellite services avoids fragmentation, ensures compatibility and enhances operational effectiveness across the Alliance,” said De Florio.

As a result of the lessons learned from the conflict in Ukraine, NATO has taken steps to bolster its COMSATCOM capabilities and ensure their interoperability. In September, NSPA announced that it entered into a contract agreement with SES Space & Defense that would allow participating nations to leverage Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) Global Services (MGS) through the O3b mPOWER constellation.

Currently, there are two participating nations in the support partnership (U.S. and Luxembourg), but the contract is open to other NATO nations. “The program is designed to provide a bulk capacity via bandwidth that will be available to any of the participating nations in the MGS contract,” explained Gus Anderson, Vice President of Strategic Business Development at SES Space & Defense. “We anticipate that to be about 10 gigabits per second. Once the bulk capacity of bandwidth is instantiated, the U.S. and Luxembourg can then use that bandwidth for missions inside their militaries and their governments.”

According to De Florio, the MGS contract between SES and NSPA represents a significant shift in how NATO deploys satellite communication services, enhancing flexibility, efficiency and operational capabilities. “This contract will fundamentally change NATO’s approach to satcom by providing access to a range of satellite services,” said De Florio.

This new satcom approach will deliver several key benefits to NATO. First is increased flexibility and scalability. “The SES MGS contract offers NATO scalable and flexible access to satcom services that can be rapidly adjusted based on mission requirements,” said De Florio. “Whether it’s supporting peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance or military engagements, NATO can scale its satellite capabilities in real-time, ensuring that its satcom needs are met under varying conditions and across different regions.”

This approach will also provide higher levels of resiliency, redundancy and improved cybersecurity. “One of the major advantages of the MGS contract is the ability to switch between different satellite constellations in the event of interference, jamming, or attacks on specific satellites,” said De Florio. “This added resilience ensures that NATO can maintain uninterrupted communications even in hostile or contested environments, strengthening NATO’s operational continuity in critical missions...”

Participating nations will also benefit from the improved interoperability and efficiency that the contract provides. “The MGS contract enables seamless integration and interoperability across NATO member nations and their diverse satellite systems,” said De Florio. “This alignment helps streamline communication across different national forces within NATO, facilitating better coordination and joint operations. The multinational procurement of satcom services under the NSPA also allows for more cost-effective resource management, avoiding duplication of efforts and fostering greater efficiency in deploying satellite resources across the Alliance.”

Révillon also highlighted how this approach will help meet the satcom interoperability goals of NATO. “It is very much aligned with the global aim of NATO to develop interoperability and standards and facilitate access to different capabilities for its member states,” said Révillon. “At the same time, the use of such vehicles offers significant flexibility.”

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