NASA has selected multiple companies to expand the agency’s Near Space Network (NSN) capabilities under a new series of contracts worth up to $4.82 billion. The work will be awarded through firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with project timelines spanning from February 2025 to September 2029.
Several companies have received task order awards for various subcategories identified in their contracts. Intuitive Machines, Kongsberg Satellite Services, SSC Space U.S. Inc., and Viasat will provide direct-to-Earth communication capabilities to support NASA’s missions, including the Artemis campaign for long-term lunar exploration.
The NSN provides secure, reliable, and affordable communication services for NASA users with latency, accuracy, and availability requirements. The agency aims to foster strong partnerships with the commercial space sector, which is critical to delivering communications infrastructure for its science and exploration missions.
NASA’s Near Space Network will enable spacecraft to exchange data with mission operators on Earth, supporting climate studies, research on celestial objects, and other NASA initiatives. With the contracts, teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center will carry out the work of the NSN, bringing down terabytes of data each day through a global system of antennas.
For more information on NASA’s Near Space Network, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/near-space-network
Source: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-four-commercial-companies-to-support-near-space-network