Key facts
- Kratos will provide the Q/V/Ka-band gateway on a turnkey basis instead of antennas alone, embedding the hardware in Gulf Space Technology's broader space-to-ground operations.
- The multi-site gateway architecture can switch between locations to keep service running when weather weakens Q/V/Ka-band signals, supporting continuity through diversity switching.
- The value of the contract, the particular gateway sites and the delivery schedule were not released by Kratos.
- John Chay, Vice President of the APAC region for Kratos, said advanced gateway systems are essential for unlocking the full potential of software-defined satellites.
Gulf Space Technology Public Company Limited (GST), formerly Thaicom, selected Kratos Defense & Security Solutions on November 9, 2026, to supply ground infrastructure for the THAICOM-10 satellite before it enters service.
Under the turnkey award, Kratos will provide the Q/V/Ka-band gateway rather than antennas alone, placing the hardware inside Gulf Space Technology’s broader space-to-ground operations. The award expands Kratos’ role on the satellite from the operations center into complete gateway infrastructure. GST described THAICOM-10 as its first fully software-defined satellite, with a payload that can alter capacity and coverage and change service configuration while in orbit. Kratos framed the gateway as supporting GST’s strategic direction in the New Space Economy.
Kratos will furnish Q/V/Ka-band antennas and radio-frequency gear, plus fiber-optic transport and timing and reference subsystems. Gateway-site infrastructure will be complete at primary and planned diversity locations. Kratos said the higher-frequency gateway adds feeder-link capacity GST needs to monetize the satellite’s flexibility and accelerate new services, providing about two to three times more bandwidth than Ka-band high-throughput-satellite systems. Kratos noted that higher frequency bands allow higher throughput and more dynamic assignment of resources across beams and service regions.
The multi-site architecture can switch between locations when weather weakens Q/V/Ka-band signals, keeping service running through diversity switching. An integrated monitoring-and-control system will display live equipment status, track advanced alarms, execute automated control actions, and link to Gulf Space Technology’s Satellite Operations Center. The system will supervise each gateway element and coordinate operations across the full installation, with seamless diversity switching designed to reduce weather-related degradation.
Gulf Space Technology said the satellite’s adjustable payload requires agile ground systems to coordinate satellite and gateway operations. Kratos said combining the Satellite Operations Center with the new gateway gives Gulf Space Technology a unified operating environment that can adapt quickly to changing customer requirements and market conditions. Kratos added that the operations center is intended to fly the satellite, manage satellite resources and coordinate payload setup with ground systems so services can be provided as needed.
The new work follows a multi-million-dollar ground-system pact Kratos announced on September 16, 2024, back when the customer was Thaicom, covering an end-to-end ground system for the THAICOM 10 Satellite Operations Center. Kratos had earlier provided satellite control for THAICOM 8, extending its ground-system relationship with the operator. Park Boonyubol cited Kratos’ history of supporting Thaicom satellites including THAICOM 8, along with its current work on the THAICOM 10 operations center.
Gulf Space Technology’s Head of Satellite Programs, Park Boonyubol, said the complete turnkey Q/V/Ka-band gateway supplies critical infrastructure for GST’s operations and its move toward becoming a space technology company. John Chay, Vice President of the APAC region for Kratos, said advanced gateway systems are key to realizing the full potential of software-defined satellites. Kratos management said the Q/V/Ka-band gateways mark the company’s first fully integrated delivery for a commercial high-throughput spacecraft.
Kratos says its end-to-end software-defined satellite support capabilities include satellite Command and Control and Telemetry, Tracking and Command. Those capabilities extend to payload and resource management with network orchestration. They also cover performance monitoring and spectrum management together with critical gateway systems. The firm says it has a proven record of delivering advanced ground segment capabilities to commercial and government satellite operators worldwide, including earlier projects with Thaicom.
Airbus is building the THAICOM-10 satellite with its software-defined OneSat product line. Eutelsat and Gulf Space Technology will share capacity on the spacecraft under an agreement announced in 2023.
On November 9, 2026, Kratos’ press release called Gulf Space Technology Public Company Limited (SET: GST), formerly Thaicom Public Company Limited, a leading Asian provider of space technology and satellite communications. The company wants to strengthen Thailand’s ability to handle critical data using domestic infrastructure and service providers, a goal linked to its New Space Economy participation. GST said it is modernizing its space and ground capabilities before the THAICOM 10 launch as it shifts from satellite operator to broader space technology provider.
Securities.io frames the commercial question for Gulf Space Technology as whether the unified system can convert the satellite’s adjustable capacity into services quickly and reliably enough to back its shift from satellite operator to broader space technology provider. Kratos said it has not released the contract value, the specific gateway sites or the delivery schedule.
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