NASA has awarded six satellite companies, including Amazon's Project Kuiper and SpaceX's Starlink, a total of $278,5 million as it hopes the private sector will help replace its satellite communications network.
The space agency said it has spent the past year evaluating the feasibility of using private networks for its communications needs, allowing it to decommission its existing infrastructure by the end of the decade.
According to NASA, this would allow it to focus its time and resources on deep space exploration and science missions, while driving innovation and competition in the commercial space sector.
Kuiper project
The program could also boost the commercial satellite sector. Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite technology is expected to provide a range of applications for industry and bring faster broadband to parts of the world that fixed networks cannot reach.
The six companies, which also include Inmarsat, SES, Telesat and ViaSat, are expected to match or exceed NASA's contributions over a five-year development and demonstration period. NASA hopes the program will reduce costs, increase flexibility and improve the performance of satellite technology for a variety of missions, while improving their own respective businesses.
All six will need to demonstrate that their platforms can deliver robust, reliable and cost-effective mission-focused operations, including the capability for new high-speed, high-capacity two-way communications by 2025.
NASA will then look to award several long-term contracts by 2030, when it will begin phasing out its own systems.
“We follow the proven agency approach developed through commercial cargo and commercial crew services. By using Space Act-funded deals, we can incentivize industry to demonstrate end-to-end capability leading to operational service," said Eli Naffah, project manager for the Communications Services Project at the Space Research Center. NASA's Glen.
"The flight demonstrations are risk reduction activities that will develop multiple capabilities and provide the operational concepts, performance validation, and acquisition models needed to plan future commercial service acquisition for each mission class at NASA."