CARLSBAD, Calif. - Viasat Inc. has received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a $450 million ceiling from the U.S. Space Force's (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC) to support the design, fielding, sustainment, and operations of the Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B) mission operations center (MOC).
The contract includes an initial $115 million task order to develop and scale the MOC and associated network operations capabilities.
SDN-B is a multi-vendor data transport architecture designed to provide resilient, high-capacity, low-latency connectivity for Space Force, Golden Dome for America, and Joint Force operations worldwide. The MOC is intended to integrate and manage participating connectivity services under government direction.
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'Golden' opportunity
Golden Dome for America is a U.S. initiative to develop an integrated homeland air and missile defense system combining existing and planned capabilities, including space-based sensors and interceptors, to counter evolving missile and aerial threats. The SDN-B architecture is intended to provide resilient data transport supporting the initiative, but the Viasat contract specifically covers integration and operations support for the network's mission operations center.
Viasat's responsibilities include systems engineering and integration for the space-to-ground interface to support multi-orbit connectivity services, as well as establishing network operations infrastructure to manage data transport according to government-directed mission priorities.
The MOC will also support a common operational picture of network health, status, and performance. The contract includes engineering and life-cycle sustainment to support network availability, resilience, and cybersecurity requirements, with additional work subject to future task orders.
The effort supports SSC's broader approach to integrating commercial technologies within an open architecture. Viasat will contribute network management, monitoring, integration, and sustainment capabilities to support evolving Space Force and Joint Force requirements.
"The Space Data Network Backbone represents a critical leap forward toward a unified, highly resilient and interconnected military space architecture. We are proud to support SSC as the network and mission system integration partner for the MOC effort," said Craig Miller, president of Viasat Government.
