The U.S. Space Force has awarded contracts to five companies—Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Intelsat, Viasat, and Astranis—to design and demonstrate next-generation tactical communication satellites with built-in anti-jamming capabilities. The firms collectively received $37 million under the initial phase of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global (PTS-G) initiative.
This award is part of a larger Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a ceiling of $4 billion. Managed by Space Systems Command, the program aims to launch the new satellite constellation by 2028.
Cordell DeLaPena, Program Executive Officer for Tactical SATCOM, highlighted that the Space Force intentionally selected a blend of traditional defense contractors and commercial firms to keep costs low and accelerate development.
“By maximizing commercial technologies and awarding contracts under an IDIQ model, we ensure value for both the Department of Defense and taxpayers, while fostering competition and supporting the SATCOM industry’s sustainability,” he said in a statement.
Launched in 2023, the PTS-G program is part of the broader Protected Tactical SATCOM family of systems, aimed at delivering resilient communications through incremental capability rollouts. The FY2026 budget allocates approximately $240 million to the effort.
The constellation will supplement existing military SATCOM systems and is intended to offer global coverage, starting with select regional hubs. The system bridges the gap between commercially available SATCOM services and more mission-hardened platforms.
Each company selected for the program’s first phase will perform a demonstration within six months, a Space Force spokesperson told Defense News. These results will inform production-phase contracts, with the first satellites expected to launch in 2028 and a second round scheduled for 2031 deployment.
