Viasat, Blue Origin, CACI, General Atomics to Support SSC in Enterprise Space Terminal Project

Four companies will support the Space Systems Command as it develops laser communication terminal prototypes under the initial phase of the Enterprise Space Terminal project.

Under the $100 program, the U.S. Space Force selected Blue Origin, CACI International, General Atomics and Viasat as eligible vendors to compete for task orders related to designing and delivering a prototype of an optical communications terminal, which is expected to work similarly to high-powered modems and uses lasers to transmit and receive data, SpaceNews reported.

In a press release on Monday, John Kirkemo, senior materiel leader of SSC’s Advanced Communications Acquisition Delta, said the prototypes are part of an effort to build a space mesh network, establishing a reliable network offering diverse communication paths for critical national security data.

The SSC is not the only Department of Defense component creating a mesh network in space. The Space Development Agency disclosed in March that it is expecting to complete its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture in 2024 to enable rapid, secure transmission of data around the world.