The funds were awarded to six satellite firms as part of NASA’s Communication Services Project (CSP), which looks to tap the private sector for near-Earth SATCOM replacements for its soon-to-be-decommissioned Tracking and Dara Relay Satellite (TDRS). SEE: NASA will test this ‘SpinLaunch’ system that hurls satellites into space SpaceX landed $69.5 million for a a commercial optical low-Earth orbiting relay network for high-rate SATCOM services to spacecraft in low-Earth orbit for routine missions, contingency operations, launch and ascent, and early-operations phase communications. Other winners of the program included Inmarsat, Viasat, Telecast, and SES. The companies have until 2025 to demonstrate their technology can deliver new high-rate and high-capacity two-way communications. NASA wants multiple long-term deals with firms for near-Earth SATCOM operations by 2030, while it phases out its own systems. Eli Naffah, the head of NASA’s Communications Services Project (CSP), told Reuters the goal was to get industry to develop capabilities for customers that are “not just NASA, but other space-based customers as well, hopefully bringing down our costs.” As NASA explains, it envisages CSP services will be used by other government agencies and commercial space flight companies to support their own mission requirements. It also looks to change data transmissions from predominantly being from space to Earth towards higher capacity, two-way communications.
