Boeing picked to build four SATCOM satellites for strategic communications and nuclear command and control

Summary points:

• Boeing wins $2.8 billion contract to develop next-generation Evolved Strategic SATCOM (ESS) satellites for U.S. nuclear command communications.
• ESS to replace AEHF constellation with a more resilient, proliferated system using protected waveforms and anti-jam features.
• First satellite launch set for 2031, with initial operational capability expected by 2032 to support secure NC3 communications.

LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – U.S. Space Force satellite communications experts needed secure resilient SATCOM satellites for jam-resistant communications among the nation's nuclear weapons forces. They found a solution from The Boeing Co.

Officials of U.S. Space Systems Command at Los Angeles Air Force Base, Calif., announced a $2.8 billion contract last month to the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in El Segundo, Calif., to build four Evolved Strategic Satellite (ESS) SATCOM spacecraft.

The ESS is the Space Force’s next-generation secure resilient SATCOM system that provides strategic survivable protected and jam-resistant communications for the nation's Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) architecture. Boeing prevailed in the ESS competition over Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp.

The NC3 architecture enables U.S. command authorities to control land-, sea-, and air-based nuclear weapons by providing a critical link to enable the U.S. president to order the deployment or restraint of nuclear weapons.

Tell me more about the Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) architecture ...

• The Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications (NC3) architecture is the secure and resilient U.S. system to ensure effective command and control of nuclear forces at all times, including during a nuclear attack. It is a critical part of nuclear deterrence strategy. The NC3 helps U.S. command authorities assess threats and make nuclear employment decisions; transmits authorized orders to nuclear forces; and provides surveillance, warning, and attack assessment data.

The ESS nuclear command and control system will replace the legacy Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite constellation, which provides NC3 SATCOM today, and represents a move from a small geosynchronous fleet of strategic communications satellites to a more distributed proliferated satellite constellation. The first ESS satellite launch is scheduled for 2031.

While AEHF has six large geostationary satellites, ESS will use a mix of Earth orbits to improve survivability. Four satellites will be delivered in the first phase, with additional satellites for global and Arctic coverage. ESS will use protected waveforms, state-of-the-art cryptography, anti-jam features, and secure software to maintain strategic communications even during contested and wartime conditions.

ESS initial operational capability is scheduled for 2032. The ESS is to ensure that U.S. leaders can maintain assured communications with nuclear forces in any conditions.

On this contract Boeing will do the work in El Segundo, Calif., and should be finished by December 2033. For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/space/boeing-satellites#overview.