BAE Systems has received a US Space Force contract to design and demonstrate compact radio terminals for a space-based network that transfers data between payloads.
Awarded by the US Space Systems Command, the contract covers terminals based on the company’s software-defined radios, which use software to control communications functions.
The equipment is intended to maintain communications despite jamming, electromagnetic interference, and exposure to space radiation.
It will undergo testing to assess its suitability for space operations, with a design intended to work from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous orbit.
BAE will also work with government partners on a software interface to help payloads point accurately toward one another to establish communications links.
Recent US Space Force Initiatives
The award follows other US Space Force contracts covering satellite communications, testing and training, and program management.
Earlier this month, York Space Systems outlined work under two US Space Force task orders supporting the Space Data Network, a planned communications network that uses commercial technologies to transfer large volumes of data with minimal delay.
York will test connections between spacecraft and ground systems from different suppliers and help plan a future orbital demonstration.
In September, Redwire secured a place on the US Space Force’s NITE-STAR contracting framework, worth more than $980 million across participating companies.
The program will fund technologies to test space systems and train personnel, with orders possible over 10 years.
Earlier this year, Integrate announced a Space Force contract to provide an AI-powered platform for tracking program schedules, resources, risks, and dependencies across organizations and security classifications.
