USSF Awards $60 Million to 5 Companies to Build Next Gen Space Data Network

The U.S. Space Force has awarded a combined $60 million in contracts and Other Transaction Authority agreements to five companies as part of an effort to develop a resilient, multi-vendor Space Data Network (SDN).

The five companies are:

Amazon LEO
Lockheed Martin
Northrop Grumman
Rocket Lab
York Space Systems

Each receive a $10 million fixed-price contract and a $2 million OTA agreement.

The initiative, led by the Space-Based Sensing and Targeting Portfolio Acquisition Executive and Space Systems Command, is intended to establish standardized interfaces that allow communications systems from different providers to connect to the SDN.

The first phase will demonstrate ground-to-space and space-to-space data transport over six to nine months, while the second will support the development of Space Exchange Point satellites that can function as orbital routers.

The Space Force said the approach is intended to reduce reliance on single-vendor systems and make it easier to integrate new commercial providers.

Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Portfolio Acquisition Executive for SBST, said standardized interfaces will allow more companies to compete and enable the military to incorporate new commercial technologies more quickly.

The effort will also build on the Enterprise Space Terminal program, which developed optical communications terminals based on government-owned standards for LEO-to-GEO connectivity.

Lt. Col. Alexa E., materiel leader for the SDN Backbone program, said the integration work is intended to reduce technical and onboarding risks before systems are deployed at scale.