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Space Force narrows the field in $100M terminal competition
Three companies are tasked to develop prototypes of the terminals, which Space Force will evaluate for interoperability and fit into a future data transport network.
CACI, General Atomics and Viasat will move into the second round of a potential $100 million Space Force competition to develop laser-based space communication terminals for military satellites.
Space Force started the Enterprise Space Terminal program in June 2024 with the goal of enabling on-orbit crosslink compatibility among future space systems via the use of a standardized enterprise waveform.
The companies selected for phase two will develop prototypes of the terminals for evaluation of their interoperability and potential fit into a future space data transport network, Space Force said Thursday.
EST is structured as an Other Transaction Authority procurement and began with four companies involved including Blue Origin, which did not make selection for the second round.
Space Force sees the terminals as a key building block to the broader space data mesh network it calls MILNET, which is intended to work across different orbits such as low Earth and geosynchronous.