50 Proceedings Spring 2025 Critical Connections LEO research enhances mission execution by JoN turBaN, p.e. General Engineer Research and Development Center U.S. Coast Guard Lcdr ryaN cassidy Chief, IT and Networks Branch Research and Development Center U.S. Coast Guard F or more than 25 years, Coast Guard cutters have relied on geostationary satellites for network con- nectivity to the DoD’s Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network and Secret Internet Protocol Router Network while underway. To overcome the force of gravity, a geostationary satellite needs to orbit the Earth at precisely 35,786 kilometers above the equator. Anything other than that altitude will cause the satellite to desynchronize from the Earth’s rotation. Using geostationary satellite systems requires cutters to operate and maintain satellite terminals with large parabolic antennas and motors to keep a satellite within the antenna’s line of sight. As a ship sails north or south to more extreme latitudes, more than 74 degrees, the sat- ellite drops below the horizon and the ship’s antenna can no longer communicate with it. This creates network connectivity issues and interruptions for vessels operat- ing in the polar regions. The advent of low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites has changed the landscape of satellite communications in reliability, speed, and cost. LEO satellites operate at altitudes between 400 and 2,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface, however, unlike geostationary satellites, LEO satellites do not follow a fixed orbit. These satel- lites orbit at higher speeds and are not limited to the equatorial plane. With enough of them, whole-Earth coverage can be obtained, providing a distinct advan- tage over the legacy geostationary satellite constellation. Understanding the implications of this advantage, the Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) set out to research, test, and evaluate the uses of LEO satellite technology aboard Coast Guard cutters. Capitalizing on a robust relationship within the Department of Defense’s Laboratory Commander Sync, the RDC research team connected with the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), which conducted its own research of the up-and-coming technology on its Global Lightning Project. Global Lightning is a prototyping and experimentation project to provide reliable and secure commercial satellite communications to military air- craft, ships, vehicles, and fixed sites. Starlink was one of the commercial satellite systems Global Lightning was experimenting with. It provides high-speed internet connectivity using thousands of LEO satellites. The AFRL team provided a prototype Starlink termi- nal, satellite airtime, and SpaceX engineering expertise to assist with Coast Guard’s at-sea testing of the Starlink satellite system. In summer 2021, the RDC team and the CGC Healy’s crew installed the first Coast Guard Starlink terminal aboard the polar ice-breaker homeported out of Seattle. During this period, the Starlink system was still being built and was only partially operational. The Healy was scheduled for a routine Arctic cruise during the summer months to circumnavigate North America, providing the research team with a first glimpse of Starlink’s performance on a ship at sea. The Starlink terminal provided by AFRL in 2021 included prototype beam stabilization software that compensated for the ship’s forward motion, as well as yaw, pitch, and roll of the ship. This software enabled the terminal to electronically steer its flat- panel antenna and track satellites while the ship was From left to right, Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Brandon Diko, Coast Guard LT Ian Wood, and the Coast Guard Research and Development Center’s Paul Harvey install a prototype Starlink terminal on CGC Healy. Coast Guard photo by Jon Turban
