BlueHalo has won a $1.4 billion contract from the U.S. Space Force to support and execute the Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource program.
The Arlington, Virginia-based defense and space contractor said Tuesday it will oversee SCAR program activities across the full lifecycle, from preliminary plans through full-scale construction. The SCAR endeavor is positioned to supply an automated, adaptable assembly line of constantly evolving satellites via BlueHalo’s intricate radio-frequency technologies.
“Between the rapid proliferation of new space satellite constellations at a relentless rate and the criticality of the U.S. maintaining its strategic advantage as a Nation in space in the face of advancing adversaries, new technologies had to be brought to bear,” explained Jonathan Moneymaker, CEO of BlueHalo.
Moneymaker, who is a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, also expressed his admiration for BlueHalo’s team of engineers, scientists and support staff for fostering the company’s Broad Area Deployable Ground terminal enabling Resilient communication (BADGER) that makes the SCAR program possible.
BADGER builds on BlueHalo’s proprietary Multi-band Software Defined Antenna (MSDA) platform, a phased array technology that streamlines mission operations via agile and re-configurable beamforming tiles. BADGER offers a multi-band and actionable ground communications apparatus with the MSDA as its basis.
In order to accomplish the SCAR mission, BlueHalo is set to collaborate with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, who brings its OpenSpace platform to the table. OpenSpace is a software-powered satellite ground system that realizes scalable deployments in a flexible, cloud-agnostic, virtualized environment. Kratos is receiving a contract award valued at $160 million, tasking the company with software, services and various system components.
The contracts are a function of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, a direct reporting division of the U.S. Space Force. According to Dan Gillings, sector president of BlueHalo, work will take place primarily at the company’s newly updated Albuquerque, New Mexico facility and participation in the SCAR program will generate 60 new engineering and manufacturing jobs.
BlueHalo’s Space Force contract win follows a series of recent contracts for the company. Earlier this month, it was announced they will furnish the Department of Defense with Titan Counter-Unmanned Aerial System kits. Additionally, in April, BlueHalo received a contract from the U.S. Army to equip the service branch with its laser weapon platform, LOCUST.