On Thursday, the Space Force awarded Boeing a $2.8 billion contract to enhance secure and survivable communications for strategic missions under the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program.

Boeing triumphed over Northrop Grumman for this contract, which will initially fund the development of two satellites, with options for the Space Force to procure two additional satellites. Both companies have been engaged in building prototype satellites since 2020 under previous contracts.

Kay Sears, Vice President and General Manager of Boeing’s Space, Intelligence and Weapons Systems business, emphasized the importance of having a national security architecture capable of functioning reliably, stating: “The U.S. needs a strategic national security architecture that works without fail, with the highest level of protection and capability.” She noted that Boeing’s innovative system is designed to ensure guaranteed communication amidst an evolving threat environment in space.

The ESS program is set to replace the Space Force’s existing Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellite constellation and will feature enhanced resilience and cyber capabilities. The work related to this contract is anticipated to be completed by 2033.

Furthermore, the Space Force indicated that it plans to acquire additional satellites as part of the broader $12 billion ESS initiative, which will include new capabilities, particularly for Arctic operations.

In conjunction with the announcement of the ESS contract, the Space Force disclosed the cancellation of another program known as Protected Tactical SATCOM–Resilient (PTS-R), aligning with a revised SATCOM strategy. This new approach aims to deliver capabilities more swiftly while maintaining baseline functionalities for other existing systems including Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global and the Air Force-Army Anti-jam Modem.

The Space Force believes this strategic shift will reduce costs and lead to “lower-risk” contracts. Initial prototypes for Protected Tactical SATCOM are slated for launch next year.

Courtney Albon, the reporter covering this significant development for C4ISRNET, has been reporting on U.S. military matters since 2012, with a specialization in the Air Force and Space Force, focusing on major acquisition and policy challenges faced by the Defense Department.