Satellite News

Breaking Defense

Viasat wins up to $450M Space Force contract for Space Data Network operations center

The Space Force awarded Viasat an initial $115 million task order to design, field and scale a Mission Operations Center for the Space Data Network Backbone, with the contract ceiling reaching $450 million. The center is intended to coordinate connectivity across multiple vendors and domains, supporting the Pentagon’s Golden Dome effort and other modernization priorities.

Payload

Op-ed: Russia’s X36 rendezvous may have helped it characterize ICEYE radar for jamming

An opinion piece argues that Russia’s recent rendezvous and proximity operation (RPO) involving X36 may have let it characterize ICEYE’s radar in enough detail to develop a ground-based jammer or spoofer for use in Ukraine next year. The article presents that potential capability as the likely reason for the maneuver.

Reuters

Russia says Rassvet satellite network is already supporting military communications over Ukraine

Ukrainian military intelligence says Russia is using its Rassvet network, a homegrown low-Earth-orbit system compared with Starlink, to support military communications over Ukraine. Kyiv says the service is intended to improve the accuracy of Russian strike drones and make them harder to jam, underscoring the network’s operational role.

SpaceNews.com

NASA advances TDRSS replacement effort, selecting three companies for next phase

NASA has selected three companies to advance to the next phase of an effort to develop a commercial replacement for its aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System constellation. The selection marks a step toward shifting a critical space communications service to commercial providers.

SpaceNews.com

NASA selects three companies for TDRSS replacement program

Washington Post

Starlink service was described as a White House gift, but records show nearly $1.2 million in Pentagon awards

Trump officials said Elon Musk’s company donated Starlink satellite internet service. Records show the company also received nearly $1.2 million in Pentagon awards, complicating the characterization of the service as a gift and raising questions about the relationship between the donation and federal payments.

SpaceWatch Global

High activity

AST SpaceMobile is developing its own Blacklift rocket, with Firefly supplying engines in a deal valued at more than $1.3 billio

The satellite communications company plans to use the heavy-lift vehicle to launch its direct-to-device constellation, seeking greater control over access to orbit amid a tightening launch market. Firefly Aerospace will provide the rocket’s engines under a long-term agreement that also supports production of its launch vehicles.

SpaceWatch Global

AST SpaceMobile Joins U.S. Space Force Program to Advance Space-Based Sensing