DARPA Blackjack Satellites. Photo: DARPA

The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) awarded Parsons Corporation a contract to develop a prototype ground operations center for the Blackjack. DARPA awarded the $11 million sole-source contract in December 2021. 

Blackjack is a program to leverage commercial Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite technology to demonstrate a global high-speed network for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). Parsons has agreed to develop and demonstrate the ground operations center plan, perform mission planning, execute flight operations, and design and configure the operations facility to support satellite demo mission operations. 

Support for satellite operations includes orbit monitoring, maneuvering, vehicle health and status, and other requirements. The company will also deliver end-to-end network connectivity between the ground operations center and commercial ground station providers, to provide global coverage for the Blackjack mission.

“Through this expansion of our offering and the ground center operations as a service model, our teams will enable the Blackjack program to autonomously fly their satellites from a wide scope of global ground sites, utilizing Parsons’ expertise in satellite operations and mission planning,” commented Ed Baron, senior vice president of Parsons’ Space Mission Solutions.