DARPA Space-BACN concept. Image: DARPA

Telesat’s government subsidiary won a Phase 2 contract for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program. This new award is a follow-on to the Phase 1 contract that Telesat Government Solutions won in August 2022. In Phase 1, 11 companies were selected for work across three technical areas. 

Space-BACN is a DoD program to foster interoperable technologies that can enable seamless communication between government and commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations. 

In Phase 2, Telesat said it will evolve the schema for cross-constellation communications for more challenging and dynamic scenarios. Phase 2 “will emphasize scalability and increasing the nodes for connectivity while enhancing the schema’s capabilities and efficiency,” Telesat said. It has a 20-month period of performance. Telesat did not share the financial value of the contract. 

“Given the rapid innovation and growth of commercial satellite constellations, it is critical for the DoD to achieve the broad space connectivity needed across multiple domains as space-based threats increase. This Phase 2 program will make important contributions toward facilitating seamless space relay data flows between government owned systems and secure, advanced commercial networks such as Telesat Lightspeed,” commented Philip Harlow, President of Telesat Government Solutions.