Addressing a critical need in military satellite operations, the U.S. Space Force has commissioned two Colorado-based companies, Auria Space and Sphinx Defense, to create competing prototypes for a cloud-based antenna marketplace. This $17.6 million initiative aims to connect military satellite operations with both commercial and government-owned antenna infrastructure. Auria Space received an $8.1 million contract, while Sphinx Defense secured $9.5 million.
The project directly tackles the growing challenge of insufficient ground stations to support the expanding number of military satellites. Lt. Devrin Chullanandana of Space Systems Command highlighted the urgency, stating last October, “Our current ground infrastructure that’s heavily relied on by operators cannot handle the sheer number of missions we anticipate.” The concern extends to the aging Satellite Control Network (SCN), a global collection of parabolic antennas, some decades old and limited to single-satellite communication. “USSF operators are very concerned about the SCN being able to handle the sheer number of satellites” projected for launch.
This innovative “joint antenna marketplace” will serve as a digital platform enabling satellite operations centers to efficiently schedule communication sessions ("contacts") with available antennas based on bandwidth requirements and mission needs. By integrating commercial and government resources into a unified, cloud-based system, it promises increased flexibility and reduced delays. This approach leverages the unused capacity reported by many commercial antenna providers, offering a cost-effective solution to augment government assets.
This initiative complements the Space Force's separate investment of $1.4 billion in the Satellite Communication Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program, focused on acquiring new phased array satellite antennas. The combined efforts demonstrate a concerted strategy to modernize and expand the nation’s satellite communication capabilities.