Kratos Defense & Security Solutions demonstrated end‑to‑end connectivity across a multi‑vendor 5G NR NTN during a demonstration on October 8, 2026.
Kratos said OpenSpace provided a virtualized Radio Access Network (RAN) function and described it as the industry’s first fully virtualized, software‑defined satellite ground system. Druid Software’s Raemis 5G Core managed subscriber session management, authentication, and core network traffic routing. GCT Semiconductor supplied its GDM7275X‑based 5G modem chipset as the user equipment for the satellite‑connected terminal. During the demo, the system performed cell search and registered with the Druid Raemis core, enabling two‑way communication and confirming multi‑vendor interoperability, while showing that a virtualized ground system lets satellite systems behave like terrestrial 5G infrastructure, supporting dynamic service scaling, lowering hardware reliance and enabling multi‑vendor potential solutions.
Kratos said that with multi‑vendor support, operators can choose the software that best fits a service and the cost‑performance option that works best for a particular beam or region, and that the setup could enable handoffs between ground‑based cellular stations and orbiting satellite constellations for smartphones, IoT equipment and defense applications. KT SAT, a Korea‑based satellite operator, participated in the demonstration and expressed its commitment to promoting 5G NTN solutions in the satellite industry. Jennifer Barber, Senior Director of Product Management 5G NTN Solutions at Kratos, said OpenSpace aims to give satellite operators the flexibility and interoperability promised by 5G.
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