Space Systems Command (SSC), the U.S. Space Force's field command responsible for procuring and providing tools for the space warfighter, said: Awarded Four contracts worth $100 million to develop space laser communications capabilities.
The contract winners, Blue Origin, CACI International, General Atomics and Viasat, will work on developing prototype technology as part of the first of three phases of the Enterprise Space Terminal (EST) program.
“The EST program, part of SSC's Space Domain Awareness and Combat Power Program Executive Office, seeks to achieve on-orbit crosslink compatibility between future space systems using standardized Enterprise waveforms implemented on a small, lightweight, low-power, low-cost (SWaP-C) long-range space optical communications terminal,” SSC said.
The focus of the program is to enhance the Space Force's communications capabilities in areas beyond low earth orbit (LEO).
“The EST prototype will be a major step forward for future space mesh networks across a range of orbital domains from low Earth orbit to the geostationary orbit region and beyond,” said John Kirkemo, senior materiel leader for SSC's Advanced Communications Acquisition Delta.
“These terminals implement a common waveform, so all satellites equipped with these terminals can communicate with each other,” he said. This is important because a satellite network equipped with EST-compatible terminals would provide diverse communications paths for data that is critical to our national security and way of life.”
