This fall, the U.S. military will award substantial contracts for commercial satellite communications services, signifying a growing dependence on private-sector capabilities for battlefield connectivity and global coverage. Key among these is a $500 million contract to support Marine Corps communications and a new procurement initiative for maneuverable geostationary small satellites.
The Space Force’s Commercial Satellite Communications Office (CSCO) recently issued a final solicitation for bids for the Marine Enterprise Commercial Satellite Services (MECS2) contract—a seven-year, $500 million deal providing global satellite coverage for the U.S. Marine Corps. Proposals are due April 30th, with an award anticipated in September. Currently held by Viasat, this contract is being re-competed to integrate emerging multi-orbit and multi-band services leveraging advancements in satellite technology. MECS2 aims to procure transponded bandwidth capacity and end-to-end managed services across multiple satellite frequency bands, plus cellular connectivity, enhancing global communications capabilities. This reflects a broader trend towards hybrid networks combining services from satellites in diverse orbits.
Another significant procurement is the maneuverable geostationary Earth orbit (M-GEO) initiative, estimated at $900 million. The Space Force’s CSCO office is considering a combination of commercial satellite services and dedicated small geostationary satellites. These smaller, more agile satellites offer superior maneuverability and targeted coverage compared to traditional large GEO satellites. “Combined with the need to supplement aging military satellite resources, the ability to provide these types of smaller, quicker satellite builds with maneuvering capabilities that are capable of providing access to, in particular, scarce military frequency bands is paramount to successfully supporting DoD operations and communication needs,” a Space Force request for information on M-GEO stated.
The M-GEO contract will likely be structured as an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) agreement, enabling multiple vendors to compete for specific task orders. According to Col. Richard Kniseley, head of the Space Force’s Commercial Space Office, vendor selections are planned for the third quarter of 2025.
The military’s expanding Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) Satellite-Based Services program, initially launched in 2023 with a $900 million ceiling, now boasts $13 billion in funding due to increased demand for high-speed satellite internet. While initially managed by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), oversight transitions to CSCO this summer. The PLEO contract, also an IDIQ, currently involves around 20 vendors competing for task orders. Kniseley stated that the Space Force intends to issue new solicitations to onboard additional providers and allow existing vendors to expand their offerings. “We will actually be doing a call to onboard new providers, as well as give existing providers opportunities to revise their offerings,” Kniseley said. “A lot of movement there. And then this year, I’m very confident that we will also award maneuverable GEO as well.”