Kratos OpenSpace completes multi-vendor 5G NTN connectivity trial
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has demonstrated end-to-end connectivity across a native, multi-vendor 5G New Radio Non-Terrestrial Network (5G NR NTN), using its OpenSpace software-defined satellite ground system platform. The trial, conducted with Korea-based satellite operator KT SAT and two technology partners, represents a meaningful step in the push to bring terrestrial 5G interoperability standards into satellite communications infrastructure.
The demonstration integrated three vendor components: Kratos' OpenSpace Radio Access Network (RAN), Druid Software's Raemis 5G Core, and user equipment built on GCT Semiconductor's GDM7275X chipset. The system successfully performed cell search, registered with the Druid core network, and established two-way communication, validating that a multi-vendor NTN stack can function end-to-end without reliance on a single integrated supplier.
What the demonstration showed
The significance of the trial lies in its multi-vendor composition. Satellite ground systems have historically been delivered as tightly coupled, proprietary stacks from single vendors, making it difficult for operators to swap components, optimise for cost per beam, or adopt best-of-breed software as standards evolve. Kratos positions OpenSpace's software-defined, virtualised architecture as a remedy: because the platform abstracts hardware dependencies, it can, the company says, allow operators to mix and match RAN, core and device vendors in ways that mirror how terrestrial 5G networks are increasingly built.
Jennifer Barber, Senior Director of Product Management for 5G NTN Solutions at Kratos, said the collaboration is "an important step toward open, multi-vendor 5G NTN deployments," adding that OpenSpace was designed from the outset to give satellite operators the flexibility that 5G promises. KT SAT's chief technology officer, Sungho Choi, described the trial as proof that interoperable multi-vendor systems are "not just theoretical, they are happening now."
Kratos did not disclose throughput figures, latency measurements, or the frequency band used in the demonstration. The company also did not provide commercial terms or a timeline for a productised NTN ground system offering based on the OpenSpace platform.
Market and regulatory context
The satellite NTN market is attracting significant attention as 3GPP Release 17 formalised NTN support within the 5G standard, opening the door for smartphones and IoT devices to connect directly to low-Earth-orbit and geostationary satellites without specialist terminals. Several well-funded ventures are pursuing similar ground-system virtualisation plays, and the hyperscale cloud providers have also entered adjacent ground-segment-as-a-service territory through partnerships with satellite operators.
Regulatory tailwinds are present but complex. In the European Union, the proposed Gigabit Infrastructure Act and the Space Strategy for Europe both encourage seamless terrestrial-satellite integration, though spectrum harmonisation across national regulators remains unresolved. In the United States, the FCC's ongoing proceedings on supplemental coverage from space (SCS) are directly relevant to the commercial viability of NTN deployments; authorisation frameworks are still being developed.
For Kratos, the NTN opportunity sits alongside its core defence and national-security business. The company has historically positioned affordability and rapid productisation as competitive differentiators. A commercially viable multi-vendor NTN ground system would extend those claims into a growing civilian connectivity market, but operators will want to see named service deployments and published performance benchmarks before committing to the platform at scale.