Telesat U.S. Services Awarded DARPA Contract for Blackjack Track B Research, Development and in-Orbit Demonstration with Tele...
October 14 2020 - 7:00AM
Telesat U.S. Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading
global satellite operator Telesat, has been awarded a contract by
DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for the
development and in-orbit demonstration of commercial
low-Earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft buses in a LEO constellation
network with robust low-latency communications features as part of
DARPA’s Blackjack program. Following Telesat’s initial 2018
contract for system engineering and interface definition under the
Blackjack Phase 1 program, Telesat U.S. Services will develop and
demonstrate the Blackjack Phase 2/3 Track B technology, including
in-orbit testing the capabilities of Optical Inter-Satellite Links
(OISLs).
As part of Phase 2, Telesat U.S. Services will deliver two
spacecraft buses to DARPA in less than one year for a “risk
reduction” flight to test OISL communications with government
payloads in orbit and to demonstrate OISL interoperability with
different hardware. The Phase 2 base contract represents an $18.3
million program for Telesat U.S. Services. Subsequently, additional
Telesat LEO spacecraft may be procured to fully populate the
Blackjack constellation, which represents a total contract value of
up to $175.6 million if all options are exercised.
“This next phase of the Blackjack program will showcase the
powerful capabilities that commercial LEO networks bring to a
hybrid architecture for government space communications,” said Don
Brown, General Manager, Telesat U.S. Services. “With OISLs and
advanced networking native to the Telesat LEO constellation
architecture, we are uniquely positioned to deliver interoperable
mesh connectivity between government and commercial constellations.
We look forward to continuing our work with DARPA to prove out the
game-changing nature of hybrid commercial-government networks.”
The Blackjack program is a demonstration of LEO satellites in
hybrid commercial-government constellations offering highly
resilient space systems, global persistence, low latency
communications and rapid technology refresh. These enabling
objectives will be accomplished by leveraging commercial space
technologies including commoditized spacecraft buses, ground
infrastructure and user segments at unprecedented low costs. The
Telesat LEO constellation includes a number of distinctive features
that align with the Blackjack program vision, including spacecraft
buses with native OISL capability, mesh networking, onboard
processing, and a full global network architecture backed by global
priority spectrum allocations.
About Telesat
Backed by a legacy of engineering excellence, reliability and
industry-leading customer service, Telesat has grown to be one of
the largest and most successful global satellite operators. Telesat
works collaboratively with its customers to deliver critical
connectivity solutions that tackle the world’s most complex
communications challenges, providing powerful advantages that
improve their operations and drive growth. Telesat LEO, our Low
Earth Orbit network, will revolutionize global broadband
connectivity by delivering a combination of high capacity,
security, resiliency and affordability with ultra-low latency and
fiber-like speeds.
Privately held and headquartered in Ottawa, Canada with offices
and facilities around the world, Telesat’s principal shareholders
are Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board and Loral Space
& Communications Inc. (NASDAQ: LORL). For more information,
visit www.telesat.com.
Media contact:
KWT Global for
Telesattelesat@kwtglobal.com
Forward-Looking Statements Safe Harbor
This news release contains statements that are
not based on historical fact and are ''forward-looking statements''
within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. When used in this news release, the words “will”, “if”,
“may”, or other variations of these words or other similar
expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements and
information. Actual results may differ materially from the
expectations expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements
as a result of known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Detailed
information about some of the known risks and uncertainties is
included in the "Risk Factors" sections of Telesat Canada's Annual
Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2019 and
in Telesat Canada’s Quarterly Report on Form 6-K for the quarters
ending March 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020, all of which can be
obtained from the SEC website.
Known risks and uncertainties include but are
not limited to: risks associated with operating satellites and
providing satellite services, including satellite construction or
launch delays, launch failures, in-orbit failures or impaired
satellite performance, the impact of COVID-19 on Telesat’s business
and the economic environment, the ability to successfully deploy an
advanced global LEO satellite constellation, the availability of
government and/or other funding for the LEO satellite
constellation, the receipt of proceeds in relation to the
re-allocation of C-band spectrum, volatility in exchange rates, the
ability to expand our existing satellite utilization and risks
associated with domestic and foreign government regulation. The
foregoing list of important factors is not exhaustive. The
information contained in this news release reflects Telesat's
beliefs, assumptions, intentions, plans and expectations as of the
date of this news release. Except as required by law, Telesat
disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise the
information herein.
Loral Space and Communic... (NASDAQ:LORL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Aug 2024 to Sep 2024
Loral Space and Communic... (NASDAQ:LORL)
Historical Stock Chart
From Sep 2023 to Sep 2024