Enhanced Polar System Control and Planning Segment (EPS CAPS)

Mission/Vision

Enhanced Polar System (EPS) Control and Planning Segment (CAPS) provides space-enabled, secure communications capabilities to polar users in support of national objectives. CAPS provides telemetry and control, mission planning and cryptographic planning for the EPS payload.

Background
EPS will provide continuous coverage in the polar region for secure, jam-resistant, strategic and tactical communications to support peacetime, contingency, homeland defense, humanitarian assistance, and wartime operations. The system includes Extremely High Frequency (EHF) communications payloads hosted on satellites operating in highly elliptical orbits, modified Advanced EHF communications terminals, a Gateway to provide connectivity into other communication systems and the Global Information Grid (GIG), and CAPS to provide independent EPS payload planning and control for MILSATCOM users. The EPS network replaces the current Interim Polar System and serves as a polar adjunct to the Advanced EHF system for protected SATCOM services for the United States Department of Defense users.

Features
CAPS is the primary means for commanding and receiving telemetry for the EPS payloads. CAPS provides execution of essential mission functions required for military tactical and strategic forces and other users for operations around the northern polar regions. With mission planning and configuration commanding from CAPS, EPS provides connectivity to Combatant Commander Command and Control (C2) centers operating in non-polar regions via the GIG.

General Characteristics
The Control and Planning Segment consists of four functions:

Command and telemetry function provides payload command and control, terminal and payload support, payload resource monitoring, and time and frequency management. In-band command and control passes through a terminal at the Gateway site.
Communications planning function performs communication services planning, antenna coverage and link margin modeling, and terminal cryptographic planning. This function also monitors payload resource utilization and provides reports and trending analysis on actual payload usage.
A test and training function for the CAPS simulation environment.
Finally, a development, maintenance, and sustainment function for software and database development and maintenance used to sustain CAPS after transition to operations and maintenance.