Slingshot Aerospace, Inc. has been awarded $1.9 million from the United States Space Force’s (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to further develop Slingshot’s existing GPS jamming and spoofing detection, as well as more precisely geolocate the sources and predict patterns of interference.
Intentional GPS spoofing–a malicious technique that manipulates GPS data in order to skew the geolocation of an object–and GPS jamming are used across conflict zones to reduce the effectiveness of combatant technology and often foreshadow future threats to national security.
The new program, PNT-SENTINEL (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing – Secure Electronic Navigation Threat Intelligence and Location), provides Slingshot new funding to enhance its already operational technology by incorporating AI and predictive analytics to more rapidly disseminate insights to warfighters and support faster, more informed decision making.
The PNT-SENTINEL contract was awarded as a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 2 contract by SpaceWERX, a unique space-focused division within the innovation arm of the U.S. Air Force, AFWERX. SSC awarded Slingshot a $1.9 million Phase 1 contract to develop its initial GPS jamming detection capability called DEEP (Data Exploitation and Enhanced Processing) in October 2021.
The technology produced as a result of the DEEP contract provides the foundation for PNT-SENTINEL and is currently being used by the USSF to detect GPS jamming and ground-based interference sources as they relate to ongoing conflicts, potential future conflict zones, and counter-terrorism efforts.
Today’s global community relies more than ever on the signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), which are satellite constellations that provide global PNT services. This includes the U.S. GPS system, the European Galileo system, and more. By interfering with those signals, bad actors can hamper satellite operations over a certain region. This interference also impacts ground- and air-based operations, including crewed aircraft, drones, and precision-guided munitions–and disrupts critical services for everything from troops on the ground to commercial airline operations and passenger vehicle navigation.
As part of the contract, Slingshot will leverage its recently announced AI model called Agatha, which helps identify anomalous spacecraft within large satellite constellations, to further explore, develop, and integrate cutting-edge AI into PNT-SENTINEL. By layering AI into Slingshot’s current technology, it will become more robust and automated in its ability to detect and flag jamming and spoofing threats, as well as differentiate between unintentional or anomalous interference and nefarious acts.
Other enhancements to Slingshot’s capabilities include:
- Implementing pattern of life algorithms: Advanced pattern of life recognition will identify, flag, and evaluate active jamming events, and produce predictions on how a particular situation may evolve.
- Multi-GNSS processing: Slingshot will expand beyond monitoring GPS interference and will detect jamming of multiple global navigation satellite systems. The ability to ingest data from multiple GNSS sources allows allied nations to contribute data from their spacecraft to produce a more complete, real-time view of jamming.
- Interoperable with existing warfighter systems: The capability will seamlessly integrate into existing systems, which will enable disseminating information in near-real time so warfighters can make decisions on operationally relevant timeframes to achieve a strategic advantage.
- Enhancements to the user interface: An enhanced user interface will provide an easy-to-use platform that allows warfighters across the U.S. and allied services to easily review and make informed decisions during national security operations.
Slingshot’s GPS jamming and spoofing detection and geolocation capabilities leverage data passively collected by a mesh network of thousands of satellites canvasing the Earth. By collecting degradation signals from thousands of satellites that are constantly canvassing the globe, Slingshot is able to create a near-real-time picture of where GPS jamming is taking place on Earth at any given moment.
This space-based technology provides a more comprehensive view of global jamming conditions compared to existing ground-based detection systems. Legacy ground-based systems tend to have fixed receivers or limited distance receivers, which creates information gaps due to smaller coverage areas and limited deployment options in contested zones on land or at sea.
“Modern military operations rely on space systems like GPS, so it’s no surprise that GPS jamming is already a pervasive threat,” said Tim Solms, Chief Executive Officer, Slingshot Aerospace. “In addition to military operations, the larger global community is also highly reliant on GPS, but jamming and spoofing may not discriminate between military and civilian users – meaning that functions of daily life like financial transactions and commercial air traffic control could also be affected.”
About Slingshot Aerospace
Slingshot Aerospace provides government and commercial partners around the world with AI-powered solutions for satellite tracking, space traffic coordination, and space modeling and simulation. The Slingshot Platform transforms disparate space data into a common operating picture of the space domain by leveraging advanced space object tracking, artificial intelligence, astrodynamics, and data fusion. Slingshot’s platform combines data from the Slingshot Global Sensor Network, the Slingshot Seradata satellite and launch database, satellite owner-operators, and other third-party space data providers to create a holistic and dynamic view of space for training, planning, and operations. This unified representation of space activities – past, present, and predicted – enhances operators’ space situational awareness, improves operational efficiency, and reduces risk for space operators. Slingshot is driven by its mission to make space safe, sustainable, and secure.
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