Space Force Awards L3Harris $119M Deep-Space Telescope Contract

L3Harris has been awarded a $119.2M Space Force contract modification to upgrade the Ground-Based Electro-Optical Deep Space Surveillance System, a military telescope that tracks objects in geostationary orbits. 

The cost-plus-incentive-fee modification exercises the Ground-Based Optical Sensor System engineering and manufacturing development pre-priced option. It raises the total cumulative face value of the contract to $218.17M.

Over the course of the GBOSS EMD phase, L3Harris will complete the design for the integrated system, develop software, build new European and Pacific sites and add a new sensor tower enclosure to the GEODSS White Sands Missile Range site.

The modification also calls for the fielding of 12 GEODSS enhanced technology sensor towers and three advanced technology sensor towers. 

Work will be done in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is expected to be completed by June 27, 2024. A total of $12M in fiscal 2020 research,  development, test and evaluation funds was obligated.

The Space and Missile Systems Center Directorate of Contracting at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado is the contracting activity.

There are currently three GEODSS sites – on the Island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean; at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico; and in Maui, Hawaii.  

In February, the Space Force awarded L3Harris a 10-year, $1.2B contract called MOSSAIC to maintain and modernize the military's network of space surveillance sensors. 

L3Harris is a defense and space company headquartered in Melbourne, Florida. The company delivers defense and commercial technologies across the air, land, space and cyber domains.