Voyager Technologies has won a U.S. Space Force contract to develop capabilities to allow satellites to communicate directly with other spacecraft in orbit.
While the value was not disclosed, Voyager announced August 10 that the contract was awarded through Space Systems Command, tasking the company to develop a flight-ready communications waveform designed to work across different orbits. The Denver-based company is also expected to demonstrate the technology in space.
“The system we’re developing will securely connect tactically linked spacecraft and systems across every orbit, but the best technology only changes the game if the government can afford to field it at speed and scale,” said Matt Magaña, president of Space, Defense & National Security at Voyager Technologies, said in a company press release. “Our ability to deliver commercially with manufacturing capacity, transparent pricing and cost predictability is critical as the Space Force scales their data network.”
The project is part of a broader Space Force effort to make military satellite communications faster and more resilient. Instead of relying only on satellites sending information down to ground stations, future networks are being designed so spacecraft can also pass information directly between one another. That can give data more than one path to reach its destination, which could be an important advantage if a satellite or communications link becomes unavailable.
Voyager’s system is being designed to securely connect spacecraft and other systems across different orbits. The company must also meet Space Force requirements for factors such as the system’s weight, power needs and operating life.
The contract comes as the Space Force is building a much larger communications architecture known as the Space Data Network, or SDN.
In May, Space Systems Command awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract for the SDN Backbone. That program is developing a network of satellites in low Earth orbit that will use optical links to move large amounts of data quickly and securely around the globe. The agreement requires a fully operational prototype capability to be delivered by the end of 2027.
The Space Force says the backbone is expected to serve as a major data highway for military systems, helping connect sensors and other assets around the world. Making satellites from different manufacturers capable of communicating with one another is another important part of that effort.
Space Systems Command has already been developing common communications standards for future spacecraft. In a separate program involving optical communications terminals, the Space Force has said that using a common waveform would allow satellites equipped with compatible terminals to communicate with each other and provide several possible routes for important data.
Voyager’s new contract addresses that same broader challenge of building more connected and resilient communications in space. The company says it brings experience developing radiation-hardened electronics, radio-frequency payloads and other hardware that has already flown in space.
The next major step will be Voyager’s planned demonstration in orbit. The company has not announced when that demonstration will take place or which spacecraft will carry the technology.
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