This briefing provides information on MEO vs. GEO High Throughput Satellites (HTS), applications that can benefit from this next-generation technology and when to use MEO vs. GEO.

Space is a crowded place, some say, and the closer you look from Earth the more crowded it might appear. A cluster of more than 1,000 satellites orbits at several hundred kilometres above Earth’s surface in the so-called Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

What Kind Of Missions Are Hosted Payloads Suited For? How Do They Benefit The U.S. Government And The U.S. Taxpayer? Take A Look At This Infogrpahic To Find Out More.

O3b is a global satellite service providing a next-generation satellite network for U.S. Government customers. The O3b Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) constellation of satellites offers customers affordable connectivity for up to 1.2 Gbps throughput, fiber-like latency (less than 150 ms) and steerable spot beams for flexible deployment.

As End-of-Life assets, inclined orbit satellites offer satellite capacity at deeply discounted rates as they support fewer applications. For the Defense community, inclined satellites are inherently attractive for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) missions, mobile platforms and Comms-On-The-Move (COTM) applications, as tracking antennas are required due to the moving terminal. In the proposal below for the AMC-5 commercial satellite, one of 11 inclined satellites flown by global satellite operator SES, cost savings of more than 50% could be achieved over comparable station kept capacity in the same region.

SES Government Solutions (SES GS) understands New Jersey has a need for satellite communications to support the establishment of a network to support first responders in areas where cellular LTE communications do not exist or become unavailable. As an interim step to fielding a capability, SES GS is offering to deliver an affordable commercial off-the-shelf test-bed that includes a lightweight mobile cell on wheels (COW), 59MHz of C-band satellite bandwidth, and technical support to provide a robust broadband Communications on the Pause (COTP) capability for first responders to access the internet and Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).

The Haiti earthquake in 2010 and the chaos that characterised the immediate response moved a consortium of companies to organise and develop a rapid response solution for global disaster relief and humanitarian missions. The solution is a public-private partnership between Luxembourg’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, SES, HITEC Luxembourg and the Luxembourg Air Ambulance, and is supported by a number of operational and technical partners. Emergency.lu provides communications support, connects and improves the first responses following humanitarian or natural disasters.

Although we are becoming more accustomed to higher levels of data connectivity, a huge area remains drastically underconnected: the airspace and the oceans. Crisscrossed and cruised by thousands of aircraft and ships every day, these unconnected areas have remained largely uncharted territory for high quality video and data communications until now. It’s all about to change. Aeronautical and Maritime connectivity is about to make its quantum leap into the 21st century.