U.S. Space Force has awarded SpaceX a $2.29 billion contract to rapidly build a new satellite communications network designed to securely move military data around the world at high speeds, creating a critical “backbone” for future U.S. military operations.
According to Space Force, the program, known as the Space Data Network Backbone, will use a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites linked together with optical, or laser-based, communications technology. The system is intended to allow U.S. military forces to rapidly and securely share targeting information, sensor data, battlefield communications, and other intelligence across the globe, even in contested environments.
The contract requires SpaceX to deliver a fully operational prototype by the end of 2027. The effort will also work alongside the Space Development Agency’s Transport Layer program, another military satellite network already under development, with both systems expected to work together as part of a larger War Department communications architecture.
Space Force officials said the project is part of a broader push to speed up military space acquisitions using rapid prototyping and commercial partnerships while expanding the industrial base supporting U.S. national security space programs.
Read the Space Force Press Release
