When satellites fall from the sky DARPA’s new ocean network will still work
With China and Russia investing more money in anti-satellite weapons DARPA wants to create a new network that can't be interrupted if their birds go black
Key takeaways
- The fiber cables that connect the buoys together are thin but they're being designed to withstand at least 30 days at sea which the US hopes should give it enough time to restore normal communications.
- The TUNA program has been in DARPA's pipeline for the past few years, and with the first phase now complete, the next step is to build a fully working system and test it at sea.
- DARPA's seafaring solution compliments two other communications programs.
Cite or link to this article
Griffin, M. (2017) 'When satellites fall from the sky DARPA’s new ocean network will still work', 311 Institute, 21 January. Available at: https://www.311institute.com/when-satellites-fall-from-the-sky-darpas-new-ocean-network-will-still-work/ (Accessed: 1 October 2026).
It's never a great time when you lose contact with your $600 billion military machine, particularly if it's because your satellites have been destroyed, or your communications systems jammed. So, in an age where both China and Russia are accelerating the development of new anti-satellite warfare and new artificial intelligence (AI) electronic jamming systems America's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has decided that it wants to provide the American armed forces with as many communications contingencies as possible.
As the name suggests DARPA's latest network, dubbed the Tactical Undersea Network Architecture (TUNA), is being set up in the open ocean and it's a collection of "node" buoys, deployed from ships or planes, that are tethered together by fiber optic cables to create a radio frequency (RF) data network.
The fiber cables that connect the buoys together are thin but they're being designed to withstand at least 30 days at sea which the US hopes should give it enough time to restore normal communications. Asides from the challenging conditions powering the network presents another problem, and the University of Washington's Applied Physics Lab have created a concept buoy that draws energy from the constant ebb and flow of the ocean. The TUNA program has been in DARPA's pipeline for the past few years, and with the first phase now complete, the next step is to build a fully working system and test it at sea.
DARPA's seafaring solution compliments two other communications programs. One called "Dynamic Network Adaptation for Mission Optimization" (DyNAMO) whose goal is to develop a system that allows all different types of equipment found in different types of aircraft to talk to each other, creating something akin to a peer-to-peer communications network in the sky, and another project called “A Mechanically Based Antenna” (AMEBA) that hopes to extend the internet, using low frequency RF into the deepest parts of the oceans and through solid rock into the world's deepest mines.
Stay tuned.
What this means for your organisation
Satellites are now a target.
Anti satellite weapons and AI jamming make space links less certain. Any organisation that depends on satellite connectivity should treat loss as a real scenario.
Fallback networks buy time.
A temporary network that lasts weeks can keep operations running while main links are restored. Leaders should know how long they could function without primary communications.
Communications must reach new places.
Related programmes aim to link aircraft equipment and push signals through deep ocean and rock. Mining, energy and shipping firms may benefit as these methods mature.
Three questions for your next leadership meeting
- How long could we operate if satellite links failed?
- Which of our sites lack a second communications route?
- Should resilience plans include deliberate jamming or attack scenarios?
The trends and technologies behind this story
From the 311 Starburst, the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit’s map of the technologies and trends shaping the next 50 years.
Analysis by the 311 Strategic Intelligence Unit, from Matthew Griffin’s article and 311 data. First published on Fanatical Futurist.
FAQ
Why does this matter?
With China and Russia investing more money in anti-satellite weapons DARPA wants to create a new network that can't be interrupted if their birds go black
About the author
Matthew Griffin Founder, President and Futurist, 311 Institute
Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath."
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Matthew Griffin is a multi-award winning Futurist and expert in Disruption and Innovation, Geopolitics, Leadership, and Technology, who NASA have described as a "walking encyclopaedia of the future" and a "futurist Polymath." 17-time best selling author of the "Codex of the Future" series, Matthew is the Founder, President and Futurist of the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures advisory firm working with royal households, world leaders, G7, G20, and G77 governments, NGOs, and multi-national mid and mega cap firms to help them explore, shape, and lead the next 50 years of business and society.
An award-winning YouTube creator with over a million followers, with an unrivalled global reach and impact, Matthew is a highly sought-after international keynote speaker, lecturer, and mentor who collaborates with global leaders through the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC) and United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to shape pivotal initiatives such as the UN’s AI for Humanity programme, the United Nations Conference of the Parties (UN COP), and the World Economic Forum in Davos.
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Sources and further reading
- Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Defense%20Advanced%20Research%20Projects%20Agency
- University of Washington's washington.edu
- Dynamic Network Adaptation for Mission Optimization darpa.mil
- A Mechanically Based Antenna darpa.mil
Source: first published by the 311 Institute on 21 January 2017. Cite as: Griffin, M. (2017). When satellites fall from the sky DARPA’s new ocean network will still work. 311 Institute. https://www.311institute.com/when-satellites-fall-from-the-sky-darpas-new-ocean-network-will-still-work/
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