Space Force awards five satellite firms $60 million for network tests
Amazon Leo · Lockheed Martin · Northrop Grumman · Rocket Lab · York Space Systems
Amazon Leo, Lockheed, Northrop, Rocket Lab and York Space each get $12M to test linking to Space Force's satellite network.
what happened
The U.S. Space Force awarded $60 million total to Amazon LEO for Government, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab and York Space Systems, $12 million each, to demonstrate multi-vendor connectivity to its planned Space Data Network. Each company gets a $10 million fixed-price contract for nine months of prototyping plus $2 million through Other Transaction Authority agreements for six-month space exchange point development, per Space Systems Command. Rocket Lab said Aug. 18 it will use a Rocket Lab-built Photon spacecraft to demonstrate secure optical inter-satellite links and interoperability with the SDN backbone, targeting an operational on-orbit demonstration in 2027; founder and CEO Peter Beck called it an opportunity to "leverage Rocket Lab's vertically integrated capabilities to help ensure seamless interoperability and global connectivity for the Joint Force," per the company's own release.
why it matters
The awards test whether satellites from different manufacturers can interoperate over the SDN backbone, whose core prototype SpaceX is separately building under a $2.3 billion contract. Col. Ryan Frazier said the goal is breaking from single-source vendor lock-in, a signal to every commercial satellite maker about the interface standards the Space Force expects going forward.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Amazon Leo, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rocket Lab, York Space Systems
- Category
- procurement
- Impact
- notable
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-08-13
- Published
- 2026-08-14 05:26 UTC