Navy Taps 3 Vendors for Follow-On RGS Development Contract

The U.S. Navy has awarded Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Peraton spots on a five-year, $244.2 million recompete contract to develop the U.S. Space Command’s Relay Ground Station, or RGS.

The Department of Defense said Thursday the Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific in San Diego launched a competitive procurement process and received three offers for the multiple-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract.

What Is RGS?

RGS will enable the Next Generation Space Based Infrared Systems, or SBIRS, Ground System of Space Systems Command to operate the SBIRS Geosynchronous space vehicles.

According to a presolicitation published in 2023, the ground station will facilitate communications from SSC’s Next-Generation SBIRS and legacy SBIRS GEO space vehicles to ground systems and will be located in various locations worldwide to provide connectivity between spacecraft and end users.

The RGS has three major components: facilities and infrastructure, ground terminal equipment and communications and networking equipment.

IDIQ Contract Scope

The IDIQ contract covers the procurement, design, development, integration and testing of advanced RGS software and hardware capabilities to deliver downlink and uplink capability to the SBIRS GEO, Defense Support Program, Next Generation GEO and Next Generation Polar space vehicles.

Work will be conducted at various contractor facilities in the U.S., as well as in Guam and the U.K., through April 2030.

The Navy will obligate research, development, test and evaluation funds upon award of task orders.

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