NASA selects 4 corporations for industrial communications providers

WASHINGTON — NASA chosen 4 corporations to supply communications providers in Earth orbit and out to the moon.

NASA introduced Dec. 20 it awarded activity orders to Intuitive Machines, Kongsberg Satellite tv for pc Providers (KSAT), SSC Area U.S. and Viasat to supply providers to help NASA’s Close to Area Community (NSN), which supplies communications for missions extending out to 2 million kilometers from the Earth.

Intuitive Machines, which received a activity order in September to supply communications providers between the moon and geostationary orbit, received two extra activity orders for direct-to-Earth communications providers, augmenting NASA’s Lunar Exploration Floor Phase. KSAT received a activity order that may even help the Lunar Exploration Floor Phase in addition to one to supply direct-to-Earth communications for spacecraft in Earth orbit.

SSC Area received two activity orders for communications with spacecraft in low Earth orbit and in “distinctive, extremely elliptical orbits.” Viasat received a activity order for communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit.

NASA didn’t disclose the worth of the duty orders however mentioned they may cowl providers from February 2025 to September 2029, with an choice to proceed providers by means of September 2034. All of the contracts for Close to Area Community providers have a mixed most worth of $4.82 billion.

Intuitive Machines mentioned in a press release that it’s going to use its current community of floor stations to help missions, together with agreements with “strategically positioned” radio astronomy telescopes. “We consider these new awards complement our current NSN contract and can increase our house communications and navigation service choices,” Steve Altemus, chief government of Intuitive Machines, mentioned within the assertion.

KSAT, a number one operation of floor stations, mentioned it should use its KSAT Lunar service for its NASA award. “KSAT has invested within the first industrial lunar community, and this may function a cornerstone for future help to NASA,” mentioned Rolf Skatteboe, president and chief government of KSAT, in a press release.

The awards are a part of NASA’s efforts to each construct up capability for communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit and cislunar house and to rely extra on industrial providers. The Close to Area Community consists of floor stations around the globe in addition to the Monitoring and Knowledge Relay Satellite tv for pc (TDRS) system.

These efforts embrace phasing out the TDRS constellation in favor of economic information relay satellites. NASA introduced in October that it will cease accepting new missions into the TDRS constellation, supporting solely current missions. New missions will as an alternative use industrial providers for communications.

NASA doesn’t plan to launch extra TDRS satellites, however the current fleet of seven TDRS spacecraft in geostationary orbit will proceed to function into the 2030s, supporting the Worldwide Area Station, Hubble Area Telescope and different spacecraft in Earth orbit.

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