SES to Provide Advanced Hybrid Space Network for U.S. Defense Communications
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 14, 2025

SES Space and Defense, a subsidiary of SES, has been selected to support the Defense Innovation Unit's (DIU) Hybrid Space Architecture Network initiative. The company's Hybrid Space Architecture II project aims to demonstrate a fully integrated, multi-orbit network designed to connect commercial and government systems, providing assured, cost-effective, low-latency communications across a scalable and resilient multi-domain architecture.

SES Space and Defense will utilize its Secure Integrated Multi-Orbit Networking (SIMON) technology to deliver this advanced network. SIMON is designed to provide continuous connectivity as a more affordable and resilient alternative to traditional Primary, Alternate, Contingency, and Emergency (PACE) communications currently in use by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) globally.

This approach leverages Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), and Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) capabilities, enabling data to flow seamlessly across multiple orbital layers, dynamically adapting to changing mission needs in real time.

"With SIMON, warfighters will have the ability to 'set and forget' their user terminals and affordably realize assured connectivity across multiple orbits," said David Fields, President and CEO of SES Space and Defense. "This transformational approach solves a decades-long dichotomy of affordability versus resilience, providing SATCOM agility, flexibility, and reliability for forward-deployed personnel."

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