The Evolved Strategic Satellites will provide jam-resistant communications to support U.S. nuclear command and control systems. Boeing has won a $2.8 billion contract to develop four jam-resistant satellites for the U.S. Space Force.
The contract is for the development and production of so-called Evolved Strategic Satellites, which are designed to be resistant to hacking and jamming.
In May, the U.S. Space Systems Command awarded a pair of contracts to teams led by Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to build the ground segment for the satellite system.
Boeing was competing with Northrop Grumman to build the four satellites.
The satellites will be the space-based component of the U.S. nuclear command, control, and communications architecture.
“The strategic communication mission requires protection, power and always-available capability, even though adversary attempts to interrupt our connectivity,” said Cordell DeLaPena, U.S. Space Force program executive officer for military communications and positioning.
The win validates investments Boeing has been making in satellite technology, an executive said.
“We scaled our production capacity, invested in our team, hired cleared talent, and assembled hot production lines to make sure that we can hit the ground running from day one,” said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems.
Once deployed the satellites will be in a geostationary orbit about 22,000 miles above the Earth’s surface.
The company expects to launch the first two satellites by 2031.
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