NASA Unveils Selected Commercial Partners to Enhance Near Space Network Endeavors

WASHINGTON – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has declared that it has chosen four firms to enhance the agency’s Near Space Network’s commercial direct-to-Earth capabilities services, a vital communication function that enables spacecraft to send information directly to ground facilities on Earth. NASA indicates the contracts could be valued at up to $4.82 billion. The agreements are firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts, with project periods extending from February 2025 until September 2029, along with an optional five-year extension through September 2034.

Intuitive Machines of Houston will be awarded two task orders for Subcategory 1.2 GEO to Cislunar Direct-to-Earth (DTE) Services and Subcategory 1.3 xCislunar DTE Services. These contracts are intended to bolster NASA’s Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, providing extra capacity to alleviate pressure on the Deep Space Network and fulfill requirements for highly elliptical orbits. The company has also previously been granted a task order for Subcategory 2.2 GEO to Cislunar Relay Services.

Kongsberg Satellite Services based in Tromsø, Norway, will obtain two task orders for Subcategory 1.1 Earth Proximity DTE and Subcategory 1.2. These accolades will back scientific missions in low Earth orbit as well as NASA’s Lunar Exploration Ground Segment, also lightening the load on the Deep Space Network.

SSC Space U.S. Inc. located in Horsham, Pa., will be given two task orders for Subcategories 1.1 and 1.3 to assist low Earth orbit scientific endeavors and cater to the requirements of exceptional, highly elliptical orbits.

Viasat, Inc. from Duluth, Ga., will receive a task order for Subcategory 1.1 to aid scientific missions within low Earth orbit.

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“NASA’s objective is to deliver users with communication and navigation services that are secure, dependable, and economical, ensuring that all users within NASA obtain the services necessary for their missions based on their latency, accuracy, and availability standards,” stated the agency.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., will oversee the projects within the agency’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. The Near Space Network facilitates missions up to 1.2 million miles (2 million kilometers) away from Earth by enabling data sharing between spacecraft and mission management teams. Utilizing geosynchronous space relays and a worldwide system of direct-to-Earth antennas, the network processes terabytes of data on a daily basis.