Lockheed Martin and Boeing are developing competing designs for the next-generation military communications satellites. This comes as some experts question the Pentagon's decision, suggesting a shift towards commercial alternatives may be more beneficial. The Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension program, a roughly $2.5 billion initiative by the U.S. Space Force, aims to modernize the ultra-high frequency narrowband satellite network.
Both companies received $66 million in January 2024 for the program's initial phase. Lockheed Martin, the builder of the existing five MUOS satellites, announced a partnership with SEAKR Engineering to develop a new payload processor. This processor is designed to be reprogrammable in orbit, a significant advancement. Boeing, meanwhile, proposed a system based on its 702MP satellite platform, already used for other Space Force communications satellites. The Space Force will select a contractor for Phase 2, involving the construction of two satellites for launch no earlier than 2030.
The current MUOS system provides voice, video, and data communications via four operational satellites and a spare in geosynchronous orbit. The U.S. Navy transferred control to the Space Force in March 2023. However, the program is facing increased scrutiny due to emerging commercial alternatives. Companies like Starlink, Iridium, Lynk Global, and AST SpaceMobile are developing services that could connect standard smartphones directly to satellites, potentially offering a more cost-effective military communications solution.
Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, advocates for the cancellation of the MUOS extension program, stating, “Narrowband satellite communications is a mission area that can transition to commercial, where private-sector capacity and performance are far better than MUOS.” Space Force officials acknowledge they are assessing commercial satellite communications services as possible supplements or replacements for systems like MUOS.