Next-Generation Secure Data Transport Capability Tested in Space
Leonardo DRS Achieves Major Milestone for XCM3-Space Program
The successful on-orbit test of a multi-channel software-defined radio (SDR) with integrated advanced cryptography has been successfully completed by Leonardo DRS. This milestone marks a significant advance in validating a technology poised to establish a new standard for secure U.S. military satellite data transport at the tactical edge.
“Secure, flexible satellite data transport is the backbone of modern military operations.”
Larry Ezell, Leonardo DRS
The eXtended Crypto Module3-Space (XCM3-Space) adapts the company’s next-generation crypto and multi-channel SDR capabilities to the space domain, addressing emerging cyber and electronic warfare threats to military satellite data transport. Leveraging deep expertise in multi-domain secure tactical communications, Leonardo DRS developed this capability to enable high-performance secure satellite communications across multiple frequencies and networks simultaneously.
The Department of War has routinely called on its industrial base to invest and innovate at speed. Leonardo DRS has seriously undertaken that charter through increased research and development investment across its business. This internal investment, which was completed in less than twelve months, also demonstrates the company’s ability to design, build, test and launch unique and operational capabilities rapidly.
The future of space-based data transport in low-earth orbit will require computing and processing at the edge. This capability will be a key enabler for space-based detection and interception of ballistic and hypersonic missile threats, which will require onboard data encryption and decryption capabilities.
“Secure, flexible satellite data transport is the backbone of modern military operations,” said Larry Ezell, senior vice president and general manager of Leonardo DRS Airborne and Intelligence Systems. “Our investments in next-generation low Earth orbit SDR provides a decisive leap forward, overcoming the limitations of legacy systems that are rigid and difficult to update once deployed. With crypto-enabled, fully reprogrammable architecture, this SDR is designed to support current and future secure transport needs for the U.S. Space Force, Space Development Agency, the Missile Defense Agency’s Golden Dome priorities, and other critical all-domain missions.”
Launched aboard a Proteus Mercury satellite in late November, the XCM3-Space testbed operated successfully in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), meeting all primary objectives. A second system is scheduled for launch in 2026 to demonstrate additional edge processing and waveform capabilities.
Leonardo DRS accelerates delivery of advanced tactical-edge solutions by integrating cutting-edge commercial technologies with proven open-architecture innovations. Alongside XCM3-Space, the company’s strategic investments in AI and open-architecture edge computing promise to transform the space domain.
Impressive pivot from rigid legacy systems to fully reprogrammable crypto-enabled SDR. The real breakthrough isn't just the encryption itself but the flexibilty to update in-orbit as threats evolve, which legacy satcom could never do. Completeing design-to-launch in under 12 months shows what happens when R&D investment meets actual urgency.