BAE Systems Wins Space Force Contract for Compact Satellite Communications Terminals
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to design and demonstrate ultra-compact radio-frequency terminals for a space-based data layer. The work centers on resilient communications hardware intended to perform in contested orbital environments. The contract draws on the company's history of delivering radiation-hardened hardware and communications systems, spanning from Apollo-era programs to current deep-space and airborne missions. BAE Systems w
OST Staff · October 15, 2026
BAE Systems has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command to design and demonstrate ultra-compact radio-frequency terminals for a space-based data layer. The work centers on resilient communications hardware intended to perform in contested orbital environments.
The contract draws on the company's history of delivering radiation-hardened hardware and communications systems, spanning from Apollo-era programs to current deep-space and airborne missions. BAE Systems will base its solution on its space-hardened family of software-defined radios.
These radios are designed to ensure reliable performance in contested or degraded environments, including conditions involving jamming, electromagnetic interference, and space radiation across various orbits. The system will feature military-grade security, pass space-characterization tests, and support operations from low Earth orbit to geosynchronous Earth orbit. BAE Systems will work with its government partners to field and demonstrate the technology using an Application Programming Interface to enable precise pointing between payloads. The company is also positioning the system for scalable production to meet future Department of War needs.
Joe Dziezynski, BAE Systems Space Systems product line director, said the contract leverages decades of experience delivering mission-critical, radiation-hardened hardware and communications systems. He said the company's resilient design and established manufacturing capacity will enable rapid deployment and scalable production, supporting the Space Force's mission to enhance global security.
The company states the effort supports the Space Force's objective of enhancing global security through resilient satellite communications, enabling rapid deployment and scalable production of the terminals.
BAE Systems will work with its government partners to rapidly field and demonstrate the technology and is positioning the system for scalable production to meet future Department of War needs.