WASHINGTON – Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has received an eight-year extension to a contract it has held since 2002 to provide technical services in support of ground systems for U.S. military communications satellites.
The San Diego, California-based company has been awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract worth up to $579 million, the US Space Force’s Space Systems Command said on 22 November.
The contract is for a programme called C-SAR, which stands for Command-and-Control System-Consolidated Sustainment and Resiliency. The new contract with Kratos runs until November 2031.
The company will maintain and develop satellite ground systems for the US Space Force and US Space Command. The satellites covered by the contract include the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) III, Milstar Satellite Communications System, Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) and Wideband Global Satellite Communications (WGS) systems.
The Command and Control System-Consolidated system provides “planning, processing and information assurance”, according to the Space Systems Command. It is designed to interface with existing constellations and support future satellites. As new constellations are deployed, Kratos will be responsible for upgrading the information technology infrastructure.
Contract supports 26 satellites
George Gonzales, programme director of the Space Systems Command’s Military Communications Satellite Office, said the new contract with Kratos supports the command and control operations of four constellations and 26 military communications satellites “as well as the integration of new satellites and future constellations”.
Work will be performed at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; and Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, according to a 6 November DoD contract announcement. The C-SAR contract was competitively procured with only one offer received.