[Satellite Today 06-10-09] The U.S. Air Force is terminating for convenience the Transformational Satellite Communications System (T-Sat) Mission Operations System contract with Lockheed Martin, the Air Force announced June 8.
    The contract is being canceled because the Air Force terminated the $26 billion T-Sat program as part of a restructuring of U.S. defense spending in the 2010 U.S. federal budget. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates recommended the termination T-Sat due to “high costs, technological risk and development delays”
    The $2 billion contract had been held by Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Services of San Jose, Calif. The Air Force also terminated a $20.8 million Systems Engineering and Integration contract with Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., of McLean, Va.
    The T-Sat program consisted of a six-satellite constellation, satellite operations centers, a mission operations system and ground gateways. Teams led by Lockheed Martin and Boeing were in competition for its primary contract. As a replacement strategy, Gates recommended the fielding of two additional Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellites.