- NASA awarded Ka-band relay contracts to Astranis, Global Enterprise Solutions and Viasat
- Viasat received the largest contract with a ceiling of $460.9 million
- NASA plans to gradually retire its TDRS satellite fleet
NASA has awarded three contracts with a combined maximum potential value of approximately $1.07 billion for satellite communications services designed to accommodate spacecraft using legacy equipment. The agency said Wednesday it selected Astranis Space Technologies, Global Enterprise Solutions and Viasat to develop Ka-band satellite relay concepts that will allow current space missions to maintain communications without modifying their onboard equipment.
Viasat received the largest contract, valued at up to $460.9 million, followed by Global Enterprise Solutions with a $340.4 million award and Astranis with a contract ceiling of $264.3 million. The amounts include all available contract options and represent maximum potential values rather than guaranteed funding. Astranis has raised $450 million in new capital to expand production of spacecraft designed for geostationary orbit.
The awards fall under Appendix E of NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-3, or NextSTEP-3, broad agency announcement. The work is being conducted through the Space Communications and Navigation, or SCaN, program’s Communications Services Project.
What Will the Companies Develop for NASA?
The effort targets missions that cannot feasibly modify their spacecraft or transition to commercial communications services that are incompatible with their existing equipment.
The companies’ work will address the technical and operational requirements for delivering Ka-band communications services to spacecraft and their ground-based users. NASA’s procurement encompasses the capabilities needed to provide an end-to-end service, from space-based relay assets to ground infrastructure and service operations.
The effort addresses a requirement associated with NASA’s planned retirement of its Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS, fleet. The system consists of seven geosynchronous satellites that relay signals between orbiting spacecraft and ground control stations. The agency is transitioning toward commercial communications services for future missions but still needs compatible Ka-band capabilities for select spacecraft that cannot adopt other available commercial services.
NASA announced in 2024 that TDRS would support only existing missions, with new missions to be served by commercial providers. Current users, such as the International Space Station and the Hubble Space Telescope, will continue to receive TDRS services until the mid-2030s, and the fleet’s active satellites are expected to decline at variable rates.
What Are the Details of the Contracts?
The three awards are firm-fixed-price contracts with an initial performance period running from Nov. 4, 2026, through May 3, 2027. Additional priced options could extend the work through 2029.
NASA may authorize further development under the awards, with funding capped at the individual contract ceilings. The companies could eventually take their proposed capabilities into orbit for flight demonstrations, advancing the work beyond its initial concept development and risk-reduction stages.
NASA’s March 2026 solicitation for the Network Extension for User Continuity and Sustainability, or NEXUS, project outlined a requirement for a Ka-band relay service that would remain compatible with legacy TDRS system users for at least 15 years. The agency also identified the 2029-2031 period as a potential communications continuity concern due to the aging satellite fleet.
The solicitation called for industry-developed capabilities that could support legacy spacecraft without requiring changes to their onboard equipment. NASA also indicated that it expects to be one of multiple customers for the resulting commercial services rather than their sole purchaser.
