The Space Force has issued a solicitation for providers of small, maneuverable communications satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit. (Graphic: Astranis)
MilSat Symposium 2023 — The Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO) has plans to set up in the near future new pools of providers using a variety of new types of constellations — starting with small, maneuvering satellites in geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO), according to service officials and notices.
“Currently, CSCO [pronounced ‘cisco’] runs over 70 contracts valued at $3.6 billion dollars,” Brig. Gen. Jason Cothern, deputy head of Space Systems Command, told the MilSat Symposium here in Mountain View, Calif., on Thursday.
“And they’re expanding to incorporate capability-based contracts to include emerging p-LEO [proliferated low Earth orbit] services, commercial X-band, space-to-cellular and small maneuverable GEO satellites, again, trying to stay ahead of the threat and also taking advantage of the commercial capabilities as they arise,” he added.
CSCO in July issued a set of 16 five-year indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contracts for acquisition of services from commercial operators of p-LEO constellations, later adding three more providers to the pool. As of now, only one firm — SpaceX with its Starshield satellites, a military version of its gigantic Starlink constellation — has won a tasking order under the ID/IQ, but at least one other is expected soon.
And on Wednesday CSCO released a “sources sought” solicitation to industry for what are often called “micro-GEO” satellites.
“The SSC CSCO is seeking information for potential sources to provide support for a new class of commercially offered satellite communication services supported by GEO satellites utilizing a constellation of small satellites capable of maneuvering between International Telecommunication Union (ITU) assigned orbital slots in the GEO arc,” the solicitation says. “Increased maneuverability utilizing decentralized and spatially dispersed small satellites is imperative for the future resilience of both the constellation and the communications support for any user without impact to existing user equipment and gateways.”
Clare Hopper, CSCO director, told the Milsat audience during a Thursday panel discussion that following industry responses to the micro-GEO solicitation, which are due on Nov. 16, her office is “looking to put in place a similar IDIQ contract that provides access to those satellites, either as individual service offerings or giving the government the ability to effectively acquire our own constellation through unique leasing arrangement.”
She explained that while the Defense Department has “become really good buyers” of commercial satellite communications (SATCOM), the time has come for it to “become an investor.”
“I think what we need to do is expand our relationship with industry to replicate some of the arrangements that exist in the terrestrial fiber optic realm. That includes ‘indefeasible right of use’ agreements. We’ve been talking about this for many years. These instruments convey over the rights of ownership without actually owning the underlying space asset,” Hopper said.
“I think we can replicate that model for commercial SATCOM and really put in place powerful access to capabilities under really unique terms and conditions that will afford the military some level of control and decision-making that they don’t have today as merely a buyer of a service-level agreement,” she added.
Hopper elaborated that the next step for CSCO down this path to more directly acquiring commercial capabilities will be an “anticipated” request for information to providers of “direct-to-cellular” SATCOM.
