NASA Awards 3 Companies Up to $1 Billion for Commercial Ka-Band Space Relay Development

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration has selected Astranis Space Technologies, Global Enterprise Solutions (SES Space & Defense), and Viasat to develop concepts for commercial Ka-band space relay services.

The capabilities are intended to support existing spacecraft that cannot modify their onboard communications hardware, allowing them to transition to commercial relay services without changes to their systems.

The awards have a combined maximum potential value of approximately $1.065 billion, including all future options.

Viasat received the largest potential award at $460.9 million, followed by GES at $340.4 million and Astranis at $264.3 million.

Under NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-3 (NextSTEP-3) Broad Agency Announcement, the companies will develop end-to-end service concepts covering space infrastructure, ground systems, launch, operations, and integration.

The initial contract period runs from November 4, 2026, through May 3, 2027, with additional options that could extend work through 2029.

The initiative is managed through NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program and its Communications Services Project. It supports the agency’s gradual retirement of its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) fleet and broader shift toward commercially provided communications services.

While NASA is already working with industry partners to develop commercial space communications capabilities, additional Ka-band services are needed for missions that cannot feasibly update their flight hardware or use other commercial systems. The new awards are intended to address that gap and help maintain communications continuity for spacecraft already in orbit.