Two companies join project to design SWaP-C-optimized satellite payloads

U.S. military researchers are asking two more companies to develop a constellation of small, secure, and affordable military satellites that not only are able to operate in low-Earth orbit (LEO), but also that capitalize on modern commercial satellite technologies. Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., are asking Trident Systems Inc. in Fairfax, Va., and Airbus Defense and Space Inc. in Herndon, Va., to develop SWaP-optimized military communications and surveillance satellites designed to operate in LEO. Trident Systems and Airbus Defense join Blue Canyon Technologies in Boulder, Colo., on the DARPA Blackjack initiative to develop low-cost space payloads and commoditized satellite buses with low size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) with similar capabilities as today’s military communications that operate at geosynchronous orbit (GEO), but at a fraction of the cost. Trident Systems won a $1.5 million contract on 8 Jan. 2019; Airbus Defense won a $2.9 million contract on 19 Nov. 2018; and Blue Canyon won a $1.5 million contract on 12 Oct. 2018.