SES Space & Defense has won a five-year, Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) satellite-based services (SBS) by the U.S. Space Force. This contract, valued at up to $900 million, was awarded through the Defense Information Systems Agency’s (DISA) Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO).
Under the multi-award contract, SES Space & Defense is one of 16 selected awardees, offering fully managed low-latency LEO SBS. This contract serves the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), federal agencies, and international coalition partners.
SES Space & Defense, a leading COMSATCOM operator and integrator, brings a unique set of advantages to the table for the U.S. DoD. They leverage SES’s global fleet of over 70 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) and Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) satellites, in conjunction with Low Earth Orbit (LEO) partnerships, to develop a fully managed and integrated terrestrial and space network.
Satellite services spanning multiple orbits open up a wide array of new connectivity possibilities for the U.S. DoD. Non-geostationary satellite orbits (NGSO) such as LEO and MEO deliver low-latency and flexible, fiber-like connectivity, which is particularly well-suited for high-bandwidth, real-time applications. Simultaneously, GEO satellites enhance global resiliency and redundancy, enabling a broader range of government use cases.
In addition to these services, SES Space & Defense offers enterprise management and control (EM&C) capabilities, ensuring a seamless, integrated network of Commercial Satellite Communications (COMSATCOM) and Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) systems. They have extensive experience in building and operating global networks, ensuring that DoD users benefit from resilient, redundant, and secure multi-orbit, multi-band network solutions.
SES Space & Defense President and CEO, David Fields, emphasized the significance of the pLEO IDIQ contract, stating, “The contract structure is part of the U.S. Space Force’s new approach to acquiring SATCOM. These awards are foundational for COMSATCOM integration and proliferation into new waveforms and orbits enabling connectivity and communication at the tactical edge.”
This contract represents a significant step in bolstering the capabilities of the U.S. Space Force and enhancing communication infrastructure for government and military operations. SES Space & Defense’s expertise and resources are set to play a pivotal role in achieving these goals over the next five years.
