Space Force awards $2.29B deal to SpaceX to accelerate ‘backbone’ SATCOM network

The Space Force’s acquisition arm has tapped SpaceX to expedite development of a proliferated low-Earth orbit constellation that’s expected to serve as the foundation of the Pentagon’s future space-based communications architecture.

The $2.29 billion Other Transaction Authority agreement announced by the service Tuesday evening is for the Space Data Network (SDN) Backbone. Per the contract, SpaceX is required to deliver a “fully operational prototype” by the end of 2027, according to a Space Systems Command press release.

The deal will contribute to a sprawling architecture called the Space Data Network currently under development by the service. The entire system will provide space data transport, tactical communications and broadband satellite communications to the entire joint force — key capabilities for major Pentagon-wide efforts like Golden Dome and Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2).

Until recently, the SDN Backbone was known as MILNET — an effort to field a massive SATCOM constellation for the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office. The architecture will enable backhaul communications across the Defense Department with “robust, resilient, high-capacity, and low-latency data transport,” SSC said in a press release. 

When details of MILNET first emerged last year, it was billed as a government-owned, contractor-operated constellation comprising over 480 satellites. SpaceX was thought to be the sole vendor on the effort at the time, with the company providing its Starshield satellites for the program.

“The SDN Backbone leverages the best of commercial innovation and delivers a strong foundation for the SDN mission set — a huge benefit and enabler for our warfighters,” Col. Ryan Frazier, acting Space Force portfolio acquisition executive for space-based sensing and targeting, said in a statement.

The contract comes as the Space Force looks to zero out funding for future tranches of the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer in fiscal 2027. If the service’s plans are approved by Congress, the requirements from Tranche 3 will be fulfilled by the SDN Backbone program. 

The Space Force noted that the SDN Backbone will work alongside tranches 1 and 2 of the Transport Layer to provide a hybrid mesh data network within the Space Data Network, forming a “unified and open architecture” for the Pentagon.

Furthermore, the service has established a consortium of multiple industry partners that is focusing on the broader integration and technical challenges associated with fielding the entire SDN. 

“Our acquisition strategy is designed to foster competition and broaden our industrial base,” Lt. Col. Jeffrey Fry, SDN Backbone system program manager, said in a statement. “We aren’t trading speed for scale; we are demanding both. By using rapid prototyping and Other Transaction Authorities, we are ensuring our advanced solutions are integrated and delivered to the warfighter as fast as possible.”