JP9102, Australia’s home grown satellite communications project
Earlier this year, the Australian Department of Defence announced the JP9102 tender, the Australian Defence Satellite Communication System. There are currently five companies vying for the opportunity to deliver this Australian first sovereign capability, which will close in January 2022.
In what could be described as Australia’s most important single satellite project, JP9102 is creating an opportunity for Australian industry to show the world the quality of its space industry capability. While the major contractor is likely to be an international defence prime due to the size and complexity of the project, there is plenty of scope for Australian industry to get involved.
The Australian defence industry enjoys an acronym or abbreviation, the convention for major projects such as Land400 or AIR90 does give some indication at least of what they may be for. JP9102, Australian Defence Satellite Communication System (ADSS), is a Joint Project (JP) that will see, according to a Defence report, the delivery of infrastructure that is critical to Australia’s security. The project that was originally announced in July 2020, was released for tender earlier this year, with it due to close in Jan 2022.
Under JP9102, the Australian Department of Defence is looking to increase the capability, resilience, agility and flexibility of defence’s military Satellite Communications (SATCOM) capability. Currently this capability is provided by the hybrid Optus C-1 and Intelsat-22 satellites, that carry both military and commercial payloads and access to the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) which is a high capacity global satellite network. Australia joined the US led WGS in 2007 which is also used by a number of other nations, including Canada and New Zealand. However the new SATCOM system will provide the Australia Defence Force (ADF) with a significantly improved ability to deliver sovereign capability and joint command and control of combined task forces.
This is a comprehensive program that is more than just the provision of satellites, it is an extremely complex program that will see the delivery of at least 4 satellites, as well as support for ground infrastructure, systems integration and ongoing through life support.
According to a defence spokesperson, “while Joint Project 9102 is primarily aimed at addressing the Defence need for satellite communications, the ability to support whole of Government outcomes is a key consideration.”
The program will support an ongoing need for defence and the government to have access to timely, accurate and relevant information and data. It will facilitate an improved ability to gather and disseminate real-time information and increase data capability.
This is also a huge opportunity for the Australian Space Industry with a defence spokesperson saying, “Defence sees significant Australian Industry opportunities in the systems software development, systems integration, facilities construction, system operators, sustainment, and participation in the supply chain through manufacture and supply of sub-systems and components.”
Five groups have announced that they have delivered a bid for the program, including Boeing who currently provide the satellites for the WGS, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Optus. It is hoped that ADSS will deliver an improved response time and capability that won’t require the agreement of another nation state, as is currently the case with WGS.
Airbus and Team Maier
Airbus have formed team Maier, which is a partnership with key Australian space and technology companies, to help deliver their bid for JP9102. Martin Rowse is the in-country campaign lead for Airbus and is heading up Airbus’ bid for JP9102. Airbus are also a founding member of the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC), which is a consortium of universities and other research organisations supported by industry.
Airbus are looking to deliver a variant of their successful Skynet program, which is currently in use with the UK Ministry of Defence. The variant of the Skynet 6A, which will be added to the UK fleet in 2025 will be uniquely tailored to the Australian requirements.
“The way that Airbus always works is that every satellite that we create is tailored to the customer needs, so we have a number of satellites such as Skynet 6A which act as a baseline. They will then be updated for the Australian requirement. Obviously, everything continues to evolve and to improve, so I think we have an ability to really showcase that heritage, showcase what we can do in programs like Skynet 6A but also make sure that it’s tailored to meet the Australian requirement. We don’t believe in creating a single type of satellite, we don’t think that’s a particularly helpful way of working, especially when the country is looking at sovereign capability. We provide sovereign satellite capability to military capability to UK, France, Germany, Spain and the UAE. And they are all different,” confirmed Rowse.
According to Rowse, it is an exciting time for the Australian space industry.
“[We are] really looking at what companies in Australia are doing and also what Australia wants to achieve, and we’re really interested in Australia becoming a sovereign space nation and that’s a really useful and interesting step for Australia. I think it’s good to have that level of ambition that we’re seeing, and so what we’re looking at is really how to support that,” he said.
“What we’re looking at doing is really approaching the market and not only seeing what can be done for [JP9102] but what can be done after that? How can we support that capability over the long term? Looking at other opportunities both in Australia and elsewhere, because we think that’s really what Australia is trying to achieve in terms of that sovereign sustainable space industry. So, team Maier which we launched in November, just in time for the original [tender] release date, is really important as we look at what we can do to support Australian industry,”
It is clear that engaging Australian industry is a key consideration for defence, which has pushed the potential tenderers to ensure they have a good look at the current and near future Australian capability under the Australian Industry Capability (AIC) requirement of the tender. Rowse believes we are on cusp of developing a really strong Australian space industry.
“So, there’s some really exciting companies [such as] Gilmore Space, Clearbox, Blacktree, all these companies are doing some really exciting things and now they’re getting ready for the next step. And I think that’s the next step in terms of both Australia, so it’s the next step in terms of the space agency. How does the space agency take the next step in acceptance evolution? How does it enable those companies to grow? And I think it’s also that next step of becoming internationally competitive. Space by its very nature is inherently a global industry, and you can see there are a number of companies that are now starting to look at that and really grow into the international market. The next 5 to 10 years I see are really exciting for those companies in Australia,” he said.
Airbus recently announced the inclusion of UGL, a specialist in ground control infrastructure, and Willyama, a leading IT and technology services provider, into Team Maier. UGL already have an existing relationship with Barpa, an Indigenous owned construction company and will look to leverage this relationship as part of the overall tender. A leading asset solutions provider, UGL would design and construct all ground infrastructure supporting the JP9102 project, including the communications systems, network operations and systems integration, as well as its ongoing sustainment.
Willyama, director, Kieran Hynes, said: “We are proud to be partnering with Team Maier as the security accreditation partner for JP9102. It’s a unique opportunity to be part of something that will be integral to the sovereign space landscape for years to come and we’re pleased to use our extensive capabilities to contribute to the success of Team Maier.”
Willyama is one of the country’s leading Indigenous and veteran-owned professional services companies. It provides services including classified networking planning, end-to-end cyber security, hardware and software procurement. Willyama will provide Secret and Top Secret security accreditation for the bid team, as well as advising on the risk management strategy, system architecture and security controls proposed by the bid team.
Also on team Maier are satellite control segment experts, Clearbox Systems and ultra-high frequency (UHF) ground systems specialist, Blacktree.
“Clearbox brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Team Maier. We are confident that this collaborative approach will be mutually beneficial; supporting Clearbox’s growth while building a true partnership to deliver the best solution possible to Australia,” said Rowse.
Jeremy Hallett, CEO of Clearbox Systems, said “Our world-leading, Australian-developed satcom control segment technology helps the Australian Defence operate a flexible, resilient and agile satcom service for the warfighter. We are excited to be a part of Team Maier and to apply our technology to the new capabilities Airbus will bring to Defence under JP9102.
Joe Nevin, CEO of Blacktree, said “Working with Airbus on the Skynet programme to deliver innovative solutions to the UK MOD, was a key enabler in our mission to become a global market leader in satcom ground segment solutions. Blacktree’s reach now extends from our headquarters in Australia, to solving communications problems for customers in the UK, Europe, US, and to our long-standing customer, the Australian Defence Force. We welcome the opportunity to join Team Maier to deliver world leading, proven, sovereign solutions to military satcom programmes in Australia and, in particular, JP9102.”
Airbus used the Industry Capability Network (ICN) to collaborate further with Australian Industry and find the best fit for the project.
“Companies that responded have also been shared with our Tier 1 suppliers to explore further collaboration opportunities. Airbus also launched a Call for Innovation using the ICN Gateway to seek companies and universities interested in a wide-range of Space capability topics. We were pleasantly overwhelmed by the response and decided to extend the programme. We are taking over 30 of these proposals forward and looking at how Airbus can collaborate with these companies and universities,” added Rowse.
Boeing
Boeing is the next defence prime to put its hat in the ring and has announced that Kathryn Burr will be the program manager for Boeing’s tender bid. Boeing could be said to be in the box seat, having developed the BSS-702 bus that is the basis for the satellites used in the WSG. WSG-11 is due to be added to the system in 2024 and will use the latest variant of the 702 bus, the 702X. In 2007, Australia provided $927 million to fund the ground infrastructure for the sixth satellite of the group, and in return gained access to the data provided from it.
Australian industry content is an important part of the tender requirements with each organisation looking to set up partnerships and utilise local knowledge, Boeing is no exception. So far Boeing has announced that Saber would support the program with their troubleshooting AI system, Clearbox would provide expertise in SATCOM software development and integration and Leidos Australia would provide cyber security and network integration services as well as software development environments.
“[Leidos Australia] are joining in an area of strength but for Leidos to support Boeing, which is in that large scale ICT and Cyber Arena. Really, we bring industrial strength capability to that portion of the program and look to back up the other engineering that is done by Boeing,” said Paul Chase, Chief Executive, Leidos Australia.
“Leidos Australia has been [in Australia] for 20 years and has 1400 engineers delivering solutions in Australia. We have produced a significant portion of all defence software that is in operation, and we do the back-end ICT services for the larger percentage of them,” added Chase.
Executive Director at Clearbox Systems, Jeremy Hallett said the company was on a mission to use technology to help Defence better operate and manage their satellite communications networks.
“We already provide our solutions to Defence to allow them to operate their current military and commercial SATCOM systems. It makes sense for us to work with a company such as Boeing to develop a solution for Defence’s next-generation SATCOM system delivered under JP9102,” said Hallett.
A component of the tender also requires the bidder to recognise and support local Indigenous businesses, with Boeing partnering with the Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC).
“On the JP 9102 project iDiC is working closely with Boeing in a range of areas from facilities, training, ICT, design and cyber. With our partners iDiC brings an Indigenous lens to the project to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People continue to play an important and lead role in caring for and respecting land, water, air and space as they have done for tens of thousands of years. Indigenous business and People want to be a part of this long term national building project as we continue to build capability and capacity in technologies of the future,” said iDiC Director George Mifsud of the partnership.
“Aboriginal People have cared for and nurtured our Land, Sea, Air and space for Tens of Thousands of years and to be involved in this next generation technology safeguards that important practice into the future. What could be more sovereign than having Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses working on a sovereign SATCOM solution,” he added.
Burr is under no illusions as to the size of the project and its importance to Australia’s SATCOMs capability.
“This is a significant investment in sovereign space capability for the Australian Defence Force. Their requirements are very much focused on a combination of our capacity to support the ever-growing need for SATCOM across all 3 services and joint domains. They have a need for coverage, obviously a primary area of interest in the Australian region but more broadly Pacific and Indian oceans,” she said.
The space domain is currently changing at a rapid pace, and with a sovereign capability highly important to Australia’s defence strategy, it is clear that any winning bid will need to be flexible and able to be updated as requirements and technology change, Burr agrees.
“The threat environment today is not going to be the same as the threat environment tomorrow, so a system that is resilient and able to be adapted to meet the changing threat environment is incredibly important,” she said.
Whilst the mainstream understanding of the project is that the Australian Department of Defence is looking to acquire satellites, the reality is that is only half of the story, JP9102 is a total SATCOMs solution and Boeing believes that they have the experience and team partners to deliver this.
“The big-ticket item in JP9102 is the satellites, and they are a hugely important part of it, but equally it is important to offer that total system capability for the defence forces consideration of the control segment, which is really the software that stitches it all together and then the ground segment, the infrastructure, the antennas, modems, terminals. All those sorts of things that you need to make the whole system work. Whilst Boeing obviously has a pedigree in satellite communications from BDA (Boeing Defence Australia) and our partners perspective we feel like we’re offering capability that covers all of those segments. So, we’re very much looking at this as a holistic program, not just selling satellites and I think that’s a really important consideration,” said Burr.
“Traditionally Australia has consumed satellite and space-based capability and we are quite excited now to see the narrative in Australian space looking at more sovereign capability,” said Matthew Buckle, Director of Emerging Markets, Boeing.
“Building resilience in space is all about building more capability, more control and more contributions of space-based capabilities, such as SATCOM, and JP 9902 is an important opportunity for us to help defence do that. We can do that by accelerating what is probably quite an embryonic Space industry and capability here in Australia,” added Buckle
Boeing will also be supported by Viasat Australia, who already have defence SATCOMs experience having worked with Northrop Grumman on the WGS program. This time they are teaming up with Boeing. According to Rob Teesdale, Viast Australia’s Managing Director, Government Systems that experience sets them up well for this program.
“[We hope to] leverage the experience we gained on JP2008 to deliver that capability to the ADF as a whole capability, and so, we’re supporting Boeing today in this announcement, but you know the core of what we actually want to achieve is good outcomes for the ADF altogether,” said Teesdale.
ViaSat will also look to bring in their experience of Hybrid Adaptive Networking (HAN) which according to their media release will “enable users to roam freely across both private sector and government networks. This approach will also allow military users to easily integrate capabilities as well as tap into and keep up with the rapidly advancing private sector capabilities in areas such as tactical networking, cybersecurity, information assurance, cloud-enabled battlefield applications and SATCOM.”
Lockheed Martin
Lockheed Martin has a significant space heritage, including Satcom-1 which became their first commercial satellite when it was launched in 1975. The company globally in 2020 turned over around /$US65 Billion across its market sectors of space, aerospace, defence, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing and command and control (C4ISR). The company operates in 70 countries around the world with around 7000 employees, around 1000 of those based in offices across Australia.
Within its space portfolio, Lockheed has expertise across the whole satellite system from ground stations to commercial and civil space systems as well as defence communications and Earth observation. According to Rod Drury, Vice President International for Lockheed Martin Space, the civil aspects of its space portfolio relate to the “exploratory aspects of space”, but “It is military space in an organisational context under which the JP9102 program is pursued and it’s ultimate delivery will fall under.”
Lockheed Martin is very proud of its history and capabilities within Australia, having over 70 years worth of experience working with the Australian Department of Defence and started their growing space presence in 1998 with the investment in the Uralla Station. According to Lockheed’s website, they will be building upon this and their extensive international heritage.
“Under Defence project JP9102, Lockheed Martin Australia — Space is poised to deliver a sovereign military satellite communications system to the ADF. That system will leverage Lockheed Martin’s long heritage in the development and delivery of some of the world’s most resilient satellite communications networks, including MUOS (Mobile User Objective System, which is a secure ultra-high frequency (UHF) SATCOM for mobile forces) and AEHF (Advanced Extremely High Frequency, which is a jam-resistant system also serves international partners including Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom).”
According to Drury, Australia is a great place for a company like Lockheed.
“Australia is important because it represents a stable economy with governance, a very good and innovative workforce and a very good environment, meaning engineering, technical science environment upon which to establish our business and one of the [little known] aspects about Lockheed Martin in Australia is that we have been here for just under 30 years,” said Drury.
Lockheed has announced several new appointments to bolster their space capability, including Ms Julia Dickinson as Chief Engineer, Military Satellite Communications.
Ms Dickinson will be responsible for the overall Australian engineering performance for Lockheed Martin’s JP9102 program solution. She joins Lockheed Martin Australia from NBN Co where she was the lead technical authority for the space segment of the national broadband provider’s satellite program. Previously, Ms Dickinson was satellite operations director at Worldspace, where she was responsible for all operations of the AsiaStar satellite and, prior to that, with OPTUS Satellite for twelve years in satellite procurement and operations.
“With Lockheed Martin’s rich heritage, industrial capability and commitment to working with local industry and research partners, I am thrilled to join a company that is contributing so significantly to the development of Australia’s space-oriented industries and technologies,” she said. “I look forward to the opportunity to contribute to Australia’s future satellite communications capabilities.”
Ronson Gears will be providing components for the Lockheed Martin solution. This agreement, which was signed in 2020, will see Ronson Gears join Lockheeds global supply chain and will lead to them becoming the first-ever Australian company to supply precision gear components that will be carried into space. The Melbourne-based company is providing prototype gears for the Common Solar Array Drive Assembly (CSADA), which will be utilised on several Lockheed Martin satellite platforms. The CSADA performs key functions, including the deployment and rotation of the solar cell arrays that power the spacecraft. This helps ensure they remain optimally positioned towards the Sun.
“Coming from the automotive industry, it was important that we prioritise innovation and invest in digital technologies that could enhance precision across our production processes — especially for a Space environment,” commented Gavin New, General Manager, Ronson Gears.
Earlier this year, Lockheed announced they would be working with Clearbox Systems on the project. Clearbox who were the inaugural graduate of Lockheed’s mentor protege program, which saw the team at Clearbox receive extensive mentoring support from Lockheed executives in both Australia and the US. Clearbox has created a platform that brings together independent systems and provides a “single pane of glass” operating environment. The ability to bring together legacy, independent and sometimes disparate systems will be a significant priority for this program as it looks to replace and replicate a number of systems.
The integration of Clearbox’s proprietary Foresight ESM software has also been used to demonstrate the agility of LMA’s satcom control segment, which serves as the crucial link between the satellites and ground stations in Defence’s future sovereign satcom system. Based on modular, open architecture software, LMA’s control segment is specifically designed for rapid integration of third-party, best-of-breed software products.
Foresight ESM is a sovereign Electromagnetic Spectrum Management (ESM) application born out of Clearbox’s bi-lateral collaborative research and development agreement with Australia’s Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and is key to Defence satellite communications. The software provides ADF operators with the ability to efficiently plan, coordinate and use the electromagnetic spectrum in ways that optimise operational performance by limiting interference.
LMA has also announced they will be collaborating with Shoal Group, a leader in model-based systems engineering. Early risk mitigation activities have been underway since mid-2020 and have so far included capability definition, proposal development, systems design, integration management, and supply chain strategy development. Shoal Group’s longer-term follow-on support to Lockheed Martin Australia for JP9102 will encompass work on the development of systems engineering modelling and management, key project reviews, milestones, and modelling, simulation, and analysis.
“Our partnership with Lockheed Martin Australia reflects the trust, respect and complementary skill sets needed on a project of this scale and importance. It builds on a legacy of successful multi-domain cooperation in everything from undersea warfare to Integrated Air and Missile Defence and now space-based communications,” said Shaun Wilson, Founder and Head of Business Development for Shoal Group.
The latest organisation to join the LMA team is Av-Comm, a leading satellite communications infrastructure and services provider. Sydney based Av-Comm, will oversee design, implementation, integration, and testing of the installation of high capacity wide-band antenna and radio-frequency subsystems at several satellite ground stations should the LMA proposal win.
“Working with Lockheed Martin Australia, a company committed to exceptional program performance and leading innovation, presents us with a unique and mutually beneficial opportunity to contribute to the future of Australia’s satellite communications capabilities,” said Michael Cratt, Av-Comm Managing Director. “As we support Lockheed Martin Australia to develop and deliver a superior satellite system, we welcome their support for us in expanding and up-skilling our workforce, strengthening our capacity to contribute to Australia’s sovereign space industry.”
According to LMA, their JP9102 solution is uniquely designed for operational superiority over current systems in the industry. It not only delivers unparalleled coverage, capacity and resilience, but also extensibility on an expedited schedule to meet the ADF’s unique strategic and capability requirements for satellite communications.
Team AUSSAT
At the end of August, Optus, Thales and Raytheon announced they would form team AUSSAT to bid on JP9102.
According to Nick Leake, Head of Satellite and Space Systems, Optus, the AUSSAT team feel they have the best mix of capability and experience to deliver this complex project.
“We have a unique proposition being the only team with an unrivalled history of owning and operating satellites in Australia, by Australians, for Australians — including the current defence payload on Optus C1 — with Team AUSSAT drawing synergies from our partners with their exceptional pedigrees in building and delivering world-class Defence capabilities for a number of decades,” said Leak about the team bid.
The hybid Optus c-1 was launched in 2003, and carries 24 commercial Ku-band transponders which cover Australia and New Zealand as well as Papua New Guinea, Hawaii and South East Asia. The platform that was jointly funded by defence, and sits in a geostationary orbit, had its contract to support defence extended in 2017 for a further 10 years.
Team AUSSAT take their experience and strong Australian ties seriously and believe that the AIC component of the tender falls in their favour.
“Optus as a leading telecommunications provider has invested over $22 billion into our Australian telecommunications network and, along with our partners, we employ over 19,000 Australians today. We all have strong AIC to begin with, and this tender provides Team AUSSAT an opportunity to continue to grow Australian skills in a high-tech sector, strengthen existing partnerships with local universities and further build SME partnerships under a joint strategy that is going to benefit Australians and position our nation as a global leader in space,” added Leake.
Raytheon Australia Managing Director Michael Ward said the company was ready to draw on decades of expertise in delivering certified and integrated space systems. “Raytheon Australia has been delivering certified sovereign space solutions and complex system integration to the Australian Defence Force for decades, partnering with them and local industry to unlock the full potential of satellite data.
Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins said the team of Optus, Raytheon Australia and Thales Australia would deliver a genuine sovereign Australian capability with the global reach to access world leading space technology from Europe and the USA.
“Thales Australia has been a trusted partner of the ADF for more than three decades, delivering advanced secure communication solutions, and we’re proud to partner with Optus and Raytheon Australia on this project.”
In combined operational deployments the enhanced sovereign system will support the ADF where intensive data networks are required. Continued development of new assets and a drive towards a more cohesive and interoperable ADF will mean this program will be critical to the future defence force.
It won’t just be the ADF that will benefit from the capability delivered under JP9102. During the unprecedented bushfires that burnt an estimated 18.6 million hectares in the summer of 2019/20, Australia relied heavily upon the WGS. The extended capability to support the containment efforts, whilst approved within 24hrs of the request to the US for access, would not have been delayed with a sovereign system.
It will be interesting to see who wins and with what capability, as the tender does not specify a solution. The system needs to be reliable, resilient and flexible, catering to the changing needs of the ADF and each of the tenders will bring their own unique solution. It is still to be seen if anyone else puts their hand up at this late stage. Whoever wins, it is hoped that there will be significant support for Australian industry and whilst none of the contenders have indicated that the satellite buses will be manufactured here, there should still be a significant amount of technology and skills transfer to the Australian Space Industry.
Addition — Northrop Grumman have confirmed they have submitted a bid for the program, but have declined at this time to provide further information.
This article was originally published on SpaceAustralia.com
