Xinhua recently reported that the U.S. Navy will soon begin the full-scale deployment of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites. This will provide high-speed internet connections to all its bases and ships. Satellite internet connectivity is expected to facilitate naval operational improvements. Currently the U.S. Navy uses Department of Defense satellites for connectivity. However, the six geostationary satellites for Internet access provide slow connection speeds. To achieve faster speeds, the U.S. Navy recently began using Starlink and Britain’s Eutelsat OneWeb. Low-Earth orbit satellites can improve the Navy’s connectivity capabilities, with on-ship speeds expected to reach about 1Gbps. This new capability is called Sailor Edge Afloat and Ashore (SEA2) by the U.S. Department of Defense. SEA2 operates 20 times faster than any other satellite before. It’s worth noting that SEA2 received the cybersecurity certification that has never been issued to such services before. Rob Wolborsky, Chief Engineer at U.S. Information Warfare Systems Command, stated that “this is a once-in-a-lifetime transition, and we’re working to deliver it to the fleets as quickly and aggressively as possible.”
During the COVID-19 period, the U.S. Navy recognized the need for increased connectivity. Due to pandemic-era restrictions, ships were not allowed to dock in many ports across the globe, cutting them off from the rest of the world. The U.S. Navy is likely to receive Starlink access through the StarShield program, which was established under a contract signed last year between the Department of Defense and SpaceX to provide satellite Internet connections to the U.S. Armed Forces.
Source: Xinhua, September 5, 2024
http://www.xinhuanet.com/milpro/20240905/dc67d657e8ba43bd80fb5955475ffd5e/c.html