The contract to build a satellite-data operations center includes a $115 million initial order, Air & Space Forces Magazine says. The center is intended to connect networks from different providers and manage traffic for military users.
The US Space Force’s Space Systems Command announced on 5 November that it had selected Viasat to design, field and scale a mission operations center for the Space Data Network Backbone. The award was made in partnership with the Pentagon’s Golden Dome office; the center has not yet been delivered.
The selection follows an earlier contract for SpaceX to build the Backbone’s low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation. Viasat’s separate role is to integrate networks and mission systems and manage network operations. The Backbone is intended to link military and eventually commercial sensor and communications satellites with decision-makers and weapons platforms.
The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract has a $450 million ceiling and includes a $115 million initial task order, Air & Space Forces Magazine said.
Space Systems Command says the center will bring together satellite systems from multiple providers and manage data transport across them. It is intended to adjust routes in real time based on mission priorities and move data between constellations and ground stations when congestion or jamming slows a link.
The command says the center is intended to support fast data paths with low delays and resilience against cyberattacks for military users across air, land, sea and space. The network’s near-term focus is Golden Dome, the Trump administration’s planned missile-defense initiative.
Space Systems Command said in its May 26 announcement that the SpaceX award was competitive and that further competitions would cover integrated mission operations and other capabilities. SpaceX is required to deliver a fully operational Backbone prototype capability by the end of 2027; that is not a deadline for Viasat’s center.
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As the network and mission-system integration partner, Viasat will work across a growing group of satellite providers. Space Systems Command has since awarded Backbone contracts to Rocket Lab, York Space Systems, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Amazon LEO for Government, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported. In a separate August award, Viasat was tasked with developing a maneuverable mini-geosynchronous satellite operating in X and Ka bands for the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program; it selected Rocket Lab to build the spacecraft.
A command spokesperson said future task-order details and specific technical standards and performance measures were not available for public release.
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