Kristen Smith 
Viasat has received an initial design award from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command as part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program, a major initiative aimed at enhancing secure satellite communications for defense users. The award falls under a potential $4 billion indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity multiaward contract that supports the development of next-generation, anti-jam geosynchronous Earth orbit satellites, Viasat said Wednesday.
Design and Development Work
The PTS-G program is a cornerstone of the Space Force’s plan to enhance the security and flexibility of military satellite communications. The contract will help establish a distributed, maneuverable GEO constellation capable of sustaining protected connectivity in contested environments.
Under the first delivery order, Viasat’s Space and Mission Systems team within its defense and advanced technologies segment will design a dual-band X/Ka-band satellite and anchor station architecture. The work includes tracking, telemetry and command; network operations; and cybersecurity requirements.
The design phase will last seven months, culminating in a technical review and demonstration. Viasat’s proposed low-size, weight and power GEO satellite aims to enhance performance, speed and resilience in support of mission-critical communications.
“We believe our dual-band X/Ka-band design, combined with Viasat’s extensive understanding of capacity economics, maneuverable GEO architectures, and heritage of delivering secure communication solutions to DoW users, will provide critical capabilities to enable global connectivity and enhance warfighters’ situational awareness and operational effectiveness to meet emerging threats,” said John Reeves, vice president of space and mission systems at Viasat Government.
Expanding the Protected Tactical Network
The PTS-G initiative builds on the Space Force’s ongoing work to implement the Protected Tactical Waveform—technology designed to maintain secure communications in degraded or jammed conditions.
Five companies, namely Astranis Space Technologies, Boeing, Intelsat General Communications, Northrop Grumman and Viasat, were selected to participate in the program. The Space Systems Command allocates $37.3 million in fiscal year 2025 for research, development, testing and evaluation, with the first PTS-G satellites scheduled for launch in 2028.
