Maxar’s headquarters. Photo: Maxar Technologies

Maxar Technologies was selected by the U.S. Space Force to develop prototype mission data processing applications for the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution Mission Data Processing (FORGE MDP) program, the company revealed last Thursday.

The program is located within the Cross-Mission Ground and Communications Enterprise at the Space and Missile Systems Center. The contract is valued at $8.5 million over a 12 months period and was awarded through the Space Enterprise Consortium, managed by Advanced Technology International.

The U.S. Space Force must process and manage large amounts of satellite data. Maxar’s prototype applications aim to provide rapid mission data processing and dissemination services for Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) data from the Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites. Maxar assembled a team for the project with experts from Numerica, Sandia National Laboratories, and the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research.

“Maxar has decades of commercial expertise in geospatial information and analytics, satellite technology and ground processing systems,” said Tony Frazier, Maxar’s Executive Vice President of Global Field Operations. “We’re honored to leverage this experience, in combination with the world-class experience of our subcontractors, to deliver innovative solutions that support national security and a more resilient American space enterprise.”