Industry asked to build encrypted optical network to link low-Earth-orbit satellites

摘要

U.S. satellite communications (SATCOM) experts are asking industry to develop a small, lightweight, and low-power encrypted mesh optical network to link satellites in low-Earth orbit. Officials of the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) in Washington issued a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) opportunity (HQ085021S0001-05) for the Mesh Network NSA Certifiable Cryptographic Solution project. The mesh network cryptographic solution for Optical Inter-satellite Links (OISL) in low earth orbit (LEO) will be low size, weight, and power (SWaP), and demonstrate an automated initial encryption handshake using National Security Agency (NSA) test keys, maintain encryption link, and encrypt and decrypt data with a throughput of 50 gigabits per second per channel, with a minimum of six channels.