Collins Aerospace to Create Satellite Communications Pod Under AFRL Contract

The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded Collins Aerospace, an RTX business, a $36 million contract to develop and demonstrate a platform-agnostic satellite communications pod for beyond-line-of-sight capabilities.

The communications pod will work to enable resilient, high-bandwidth, low-latency and multi-satellite communications and data transportation capabilities for warfighters.

The communications pod must accommodate satellites in low-Earth, geostationary, and medium-Earth orbits, RTX said.

The award is one of several SatCom-related developments announced in recent months.

In early August, Northrop Grumman tested two components for the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission constellation. ASBM is a two-satellite constellation developed jointly by Space Norway, the U.S. Space Force, and Northrop to facilitate secure communications in the North Pole.

In late July, the Defense Information Systems Agency selected 16 companies that will compete for task orders under a potential 10-year, $900 million proliferated low-Earth orbit satellite services indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Deliverables under the IDI include satellite connectivity; space domain awareness; and positioning, navigation and timing.