Space Force Picks Intelsat, Viasat for Protected SATCOM Program

The Space Force announced contract awards to Intelsat General and Viasat to begin building a constellation of satellites in geosynchronous orbit for protected, secure communications.

The contracts, which total $437 million, are part of the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program. The companies will build the first two operational PTS-G satellites, known as “Swarm 1,” which the service expects to launch in 2028. The program aims to bridge the gap between the military’s more focused tactical SATCOM needs and the less secure communications provided by commercial constellations.

PTS-G falls under the broader Protected Tactical SATCOM Family of Systems, which will ultimately replace the current Advanced Extremely High Frequency satellite constellation. The architecture includes satellites, the encrypted PTS-W waveform, ground control systems, and a joint Army-Air Force anti-jam modem project. In fiscal 2027, the Space Force is requesting about $450 million across those efforts and plans to spend $2 billion through fiscal ‘31.

“PTS-G is a key component of the [the Space Force’s] resilient SATCOM architecture, designed to provide tactical warfighters with a worldwide, transponded system, leveraging both Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) and non-PTW waveforms, to provide critical communication to existing legacy wideband users while also deploying PTW to provide anti-jam satellite communications to counter emerging threats and ensure connectivity in denied environments,” the Space Force said in a statement.

About $150 million in fiscal ‘27 is dedicated for PTS-G, which will field satellites that can operate in Ka and X-band frequencies. Last July, the Space Force awarded initial PTS-G prototype contracts to Viasat, Intelsat and three other firms—Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and Astranis.

Budget documents indicate the service plans to buy four satellites as part of Swarm 1. It’s not immediately clear whether it will award contracts to more vendors or buy the remaining two satellites from Viasat and Intelsat. The Space Force also plans to select providers for the program’s “joint hubs,” which will be part of the broader Protected Tactical SATCOM ground infrastructure.

While PTS-G will initially provide regional coverage, the Space Force’s vision is for worldwide coverage.

“The approach for Swarm 1 exemplifies acquisition transformation by leveraging a competitive strategy with commercial partners to accelerate delivery of capabilities while driving down long-term costs,” the Space Force said. “It underscores Space Systems Command’s overarching mission to deliver space capabilities that ensure U.S. space superiority and deter aggression in the space domain.”

The PTS-G contracts follow a $398 million award to Northrop Grumman on May 15 for the Space Force’s Enhanced Protected Tactical SATCOM-Prototype program, another element of the PTS Family of Systems. That spacecraft will feature advanced anti-jam and data processing capabilities and is expected to launch in 2030. The Space Force plans to spend $166 million on Enhanced PTS-P in fiscal 2027, which will support a critical design review for Northrop’s prototype and the start of satellite manufacturing and testing.