[Satellite Communications ①] Space Is a Sovereign Battleground Too: Secure the LEO Satellite Network

LEO satellite communications are evolving beyond a simple telecom service and emerging as a key element of national security and communications sovereignty. Non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology is taking on the role of replacing ground base stations and expanding communications coverage. In particular, after Starlink was used for military and civilian communications networks in the Russia-Ukraine war, discussions around securing independent satellite networks have spread worldwide.

Amid this trend, efforts are also emerging in South Korea to build a LEO satellite communications ecosystem across satellite networks, terminals, and communications equipment. The government is responding at the national level and aims to build a Korean-style LEO satellite communications network by 2035. This article examines the global reshaping of the LEO satellite communications market and the domestic situation in two parts.

In the global LEO satellite communications market, Starlink, operated by SpaceX in the United States, is leading the field. Competing players include Eutelsat OneWeb of France's Eutelsat and Amazon Leo of Amazon in the United States, with Eutelsat OneWeb and Amazon Leo engaged in a race to secure market share.

Backed by its massive satellite constellation, SpaceX is rapidly expanding commercial services. Eutelsat is broadening services centered on satellite communications for enterprises and governments, while Amazon is moving in earnest to enter the market as it pushes ahead with building a constellation of several thousand satellites.

Beyond satellite internet, SpaceX is also supporting D2C, or direct-to-cell, satellite-to-mobile phone connections. SpaceX is also expanding into the enterprise and defense markets, while later entrants are likewise seeking to broaden use cases in mobile communications, government, and defense.

The main use case for satellite communications used to be satellite broadcasting. In the past, satellite communications were centered on broadcasting signals over wide areas based on geostationary satellites.

Another earlier form of satellite communications involved installing separate antennas and terminals, such as very small aperture terminals (VSAT), before transmitting and receiving data. In this way, satellite communications have long been used mainly for fixed services.

Later, the range of satellite communications technologies expanded from fixed services into mobile communications. Non-terrestrial network (NTN) technology was included in 3GPP's 5G standard, and this accelerated efforts to connect satellites and terrestrial mobile networks into a single communications ecosystem.

NTN refers to communications networks that use airborne and space infrastructure such as satellites, high-altitude platform stations (HAPS), and drones as base stations or relay stations instead of terrestrial fixed base stations. In Release 17 in 2022, the basic framework for NTN standards was established in the global 5G standard.

In Release 18 and 19 that followed, the detailed functions were refined. These included improved coverage and mobility, support for frequency bands above 10 gigahertz (GHz), and VSAT support.

A major research topic in Release 20 is technology to maintain NTN communications even when global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals are disrupted. Accordingly, the role of satellites is also being redefined, moving beyond use as a supplementary network for ground base stations toward integration as a component of mobile communications networks.

Against this backdrop, D2C technology, which enables direct connections between ordinary mobile phones and satellites without a dedicated satellite terminal or large antenna, is gaining attention. A representative example is SpaceX's Starlink Mobile. Cooperation between mobile carriers and satellite operators is also expanding, and T-Mobile in the United States is offering a Starlink-based satellite text messaging service. KDDI in Japan launched au Starlink Direct in April 2025, a service that directly connects Starlink satellites with ordinary smartphones and marks the commercialization of that service by KDDI. As a result, the target users for satellite communications are expanding from those with specific equipment to mobile communications users with mobile phones.

One factor driving the change in satellite communications is its close relationship with orbital position. The object drawing attention in the satellite communications market recently is LEO satellite communications.

Geostationary satellites are positioned at an altitude of about 36,000 km above the Earth's equator, and their orbital period is the same as the Earth's rotation period. As a result, they appear stationary to observers on the ground, which is why they are called geostationary satellites.

A single geostationary satellite can cover roughly one-third of the Earth's surface, but the round-trip latency is about 480 to 600 ms. By contrast, LEO satellites orbit quickly at relatively low altitudes, usually 300 to 2,000 km above the surface, and because they are closer to the ground, they can reduce round-trip latency to the 20 to 50 ms range.

However, each LEO satellite has a relatively narrow coverage area and is in constant motion. Accordingly, providing uninterrupted service across a wide area requires deploying a constellation of hundreds to several thousand satellites.

The focus of satellite communications is shifting from broad coverage by a small number of geostationary satellites to a model that links LEO constellations with terrestrial networks. The spread of 3GPP NTN standards and D2C technology is also supporting this shift.

Accordingly, the status of satellite communications is also changing in the direction that it is not an independent infrastructure separated from terrestrial networks. Satellites are increasingly seen as a network for expanding and supplementing the coverage of terrestrial mobile communications networks.

Against this backdrop, the expansion of Starlink services continued, and the areas in which Starlink was mentioned expanded to the battlefield. The Russia-Ukraine war became a catalyst for discussions on building sovereign satellite networks.

In 2022, Starlink was used to provide critical services to Ukrainian civilians, the government, and the military for the purpose of replacing communications networks that were destroyed or degraded during the war. The initial support came from SpaceX, and the initial support arrangement was free service for Ukraine. Since June 2023, the U.S. Department of Defense has been the entity bearing the cost of Ukraine's Starlink service.

Satellite base stations play a major role on the battlefield, performing communications network functions that replace ground base stations. This function of satellite base stations also affects the outcome of wars. Along with these changes in the environment, the way tactical communications networks are linked is shifting from Kill Chain to Kill Web. Kill Chain is a chain-strike system built around a single linear link connecting detection, decision-making, and strike. By contrast, Kill Web is a web-like network-based strike system that connects diverse force elements such as land, sea, and air sensors, command elements, and strike systems.

The nature of war is also changing from the past model of combat centered on powerful weapons systems to one in which combat power competition is changing. In modern warfare, the use of surveillance and reconnaissance sensors is expanding, and strike means are becoming more advanced based on data. Accordingly, the battlefield is expanding beyond land and sea, and the scope of warfare is trending into cyber and space.

The existing Kill Chain approach has been criticized for its vulnerability because it combines surveillance and reconnaissance sensors, command and control systems, and strike systems into a single chain of links. Accordingly, there are calls for the need for a Kill Web approach based on the organic connection of each force element. Kill Web has the characteristic that even if one link is cut, the entire system is not affected.

Jung Gil-soo, a team leader at the Agency for Defense Development, cited GIS ARTA as a representative Kill Web case in the Russia-Ukraine war. GIS ARTA is an artillery fire-control battlefield management system and is also nicknamed the 'Uber for artillery.' The system is described as having dramatically reduced the time required for target detection, identification, and strike.

The time required for a strike used to be 20 minutes, but after GIS ARTA was applied, it was reduced to 1 minute. Jung Gil-soo, a team leader at the Agency for Defense Development, said GIS ARTA adopted a composite network structure centered on LEO satellites from mid-2022 after communications were paralyzed by Russia's cyberattacks in the early stages of the full-scale war.

As tactical communications network connections shift from 'Kill Chain' to 'Kill Web,' there are growing calls for a space-based backbone network to sustain the sensor-command-strike flow even amid disruption or loss. The goal is a space defense network that implements 'Kill Chain,' and the purpose is to deliver battlefield data anytime, anywhere.

In response, the United States is maintaining and advancing a system centered on geostationary satellites while promoting the integration of diverse orbital assets, including LEO constellations. As its integration method, it is envisioning a single connected data network called the Space Data Network (SDN), and it is presenting the SDN that integrates military and commercial space assets as a core infrastructure initiative. Under the relevant regulations, SDN is a space data connectivity infrastructure.

The U.S. Department of Defense has presented the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) based on SDN. PWSA is a large-scale LEO satellite constellation network system that integrates support from detection and tracking to tactical data delivery. Its components include Tracking, Persisting of acquired intelligence, PNT, and ground systems and management systems for operations. Under the relevant regulations, PWSA is a LEO satellite-based backbone construction system.

In the global LEO satellite communications market, SpaceX's Starlink, a representative global LEO satellite communications service, as well as other global LEO satellite communications services such as Eutelsat's OneWeb and Amazon's Amazon Leo are being mentioned.

Over the past 5 years, companies working with those firms have grown rapidly, and this group of rapidly growing firms also included small and midsize U.S. manufacturers. The background to this is the U.S. Department of Defense's expanded investment in manufacturing based on the PWSA architecture.

The United States is pushing ahead with HALO. HALO is a program designed to select companies with promising technologies, carry out demonstrations of LEO satellite communications technology, and use that to quickly sign large-scale military satellite contracts.

This year, AST SpaceMobile, a satellite communications company, received USD 30 million in support through HALO. In addition, satellite maker Capella Space signed a prototype contract through HALO this year, with a total potential value of USD 48.9 million.

Kim Jae-hyun, vice chair of the Satellite Communications Forum and a professor at Ajou University, said that small U.S. satellite manufacturers have grown rapidly over the past 5 years. He cited Department of Defense and SDA investment as the background, and explained that in the United States, legacy space companies are expanding sales and production scale while small companies are also expanding sales and production scale, leading to the introduction of factory-automation-based manufacturing systems and the creation of 'megafactory' structures capable of producing hundreds of satellites.

Kim said this mass-production system became possible on the basis of vertical integration, factory automation, and standardization of satellite platforms. He said that when sourcing parts externally, delivery delays and supply-chain problems can arise, which can in turn cause production delays, so manufacturing capabilities are being internalized to enable in-house production of key components. He added that factory automation linked with physical AI is also being introduced, and that factory automation is improving production speed.

In satellite production, a common-purpose satellite platform that can be used regardless of satellite size or mission is being proposed, with mission-specific functions implemented through software upgrades. This is an approach that builds on a common platform rather than designing hardware anew for each mission.

This common-platform and software-based approach is being cited as a factor that improves production efficiency. Satellites can be produced quickly on the basis of a common platform, and mass production can also be handled by changing the software.

In addition, the software-change approach is linked to the ability to respond to a wide range of missions. Because mission-specific functions can be implemented without redesigning the hardware each time, it is presented as a production method aligned with building a common-purpose satellite platform.

Amid these industrial trends, major countries overseas are pushing ahead with the construction of LEO satellite communications networks. The South Korean government is also focusing on securing a Korean-style LEO satellite communications network.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration established the LEO Satellite Communications Industry Council in February 2026. Participating in the council are KT SAT, LIG D&A, Korea Aerospace Industries, Intellian Technologies, Hanwha Systems, Solid, and Arion.

This article was put together by interviewing Kim Jae-hyun, vice chair of the Satellite Communications Forum and a professor at Ajou University, regarding the discussions at the LEO Satellite Communications Industry Council. Kim Jae-hyun was presented as the interview subject for the article.

The K-LEO Industry Council was established from the recognition that government-led investment and contracts alone make it difficult to immediately link private-sector entities responsible for the practical development and operation of satellites. The background to the council's creation included both the need to bring domestic private companies together and the need for a practical discussion and collaboration platform.

Accordingly, the council has focused on creating a venue where domestic companies can gather and collaborate. The idea is that a council is needed because government-led methods alone are insufficient to connect private-sector operations in practice.

As a reference case, EU IRIS² was cited. Europe formed the SpaceRISE consortium to respond to Starlink and China's satellite network, and is pushing ahead with the construction of an independent LEO and MEO satellite communications network through the IRIS² project, or 'Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnection and Security by Satellite.'

Subsequent discussions related to the council led to many talks starting last year on the need for international cooperation centered on the Defense Acquisition Program Administration. At the same time, the need for rapid acquisition of a LEO satellite communications network based on military requirements was also highlighted.

The background for these discussions included the war in Ukraine and cases related to Iran. These cases showed the use of satellite communications such as Starlink as a military and emergency communications tool, and the speaker also explained, in essence, that government-led methods alone were insufficient to connect private-sector operations in practice, so a council was needed, that the EU case was used as a reference, and that recently international cooperation centered on the Defense Acquisition Program Administration and the military's need to secure a LEO satellite communications network have been under discussion.

On the premise that South Korea cannot independently produce satellites and ground infrastructure end to end right away, the need for cooperation with overseas companies is being raised as an alternative for building quickly and at low cost while meeting domestic needs. Companies mentioned as possible partners include SpaceX, Amazon, Rocket Lab, Telesat, and MDA. In addition, alternatives beyond simply introducing foreign satellite networks are being considered.

However, if overseas companies participate in domestic projects, they must meet domestic security requirements. As a way to do this, the possibility of building production facilities in South Korea is being proposed. Items for direct production in South Korea include satellites and related equipment.

Offset trade is also being considered. Offset trade is a method of providing reciprocal benefits such as technology transfer, local production, and procurement of related equipment to countries that win large-scale projects. In particular, there is also a proposal that if a major defense project with Canada materializes, a plan could be considered to link Telesat and others with domestic LEO satellite communications projects.

With the rise of LEO satellites, the development paradigm for satellites is changing. Geostationary satellites cannot be repaired in the event of a space failure, so reliability has traditionally been ensured by using board-level redundancy or triplication, which increased component and design costs. By contrast, in LEO satellites, costs are falling sharply as design and verification methods for using commercial off-the-shelf components in the space environment are becoming more widespread.

Amid these changes, there were calls for the accumulation of space operations experience to grow South Korea's domestic LEO satellite communications industry. South Korea is a world leader in communications, but it lacks practical operational experience in space with communications components and systems, or heritage. Accordingly, it has been pointed out that launching many small satellites is necessary to accumulate actual space-environment experience.

Such accumulated experience can lead to the securing of satellite operation know-how. In addition, it is expected to have the effect of externally demonstrating that domestic communications component and materials companies have verified actual space performance. Verification of actual space performance is linked to improved product reliability and competitiveness.

Source: IT DAILY · Seong Won-young
Original: https://www.itdaily.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=241250

References

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