Astranis
September 24, 2024
Astranis Unicorn News - September 24, 2024
The U.S. Space Force has awarded contracts to key aerospace companies, including Astranis, to enhance the resilience of the GPS system. This initiative aims to integrate small satellites into the GPS constellation, ensuring robust and reliable services for both military and civilian users.
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) Introduction(
) Space Force Awards Contracts to Enhance GPS Resilience, Including Agreement with AstranisThe U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command has awarded contracts to several aerospace companies, including Astranis, Axient, L3 Harris, and Sierra Space, as part of the Lite Evolving Augmented Proliferation initiative under the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program. These contracts aim to enhance the resilience of the GPS constellation by integrating proliferated small satellites, ensuring robust and reliable services for both military and civil users in the face of emerging threats. The contracts were awarded under the new 'Quick Start' authority, which expedited the process from solicitation to award completion in under six months, reflecting a significant shift towards agility and responsiveness in space technology development. This initiative is the first phase of a three-phase plan, with the goal of producing up to eight R-GPS satellites by 2028 to bolster the capabilities and resilience of the GPS system.