Viasat Selected by U.S. Space Force, in partnership with Golden Dome for America, for the Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B) development

(NASDAQ:VSAT) Viasat, Inc. announced it has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with a $450 million ceiling by the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command (SSC). The contract covers support for the design, fielding, sustainment, and operations of the Space Data Network Backbone (SDN-B) mission operations center (MOC) under government direction. SDN-B is described as a multi-vendor data transport architecture intended to provide resilient, high-capacity, low-latency data transport for U.S. Space Force, Golden Dome for America, and Joint Force operations worldwide. The Viasat award includes an initial $115 million Task Order to support development and scaling of the MOC and associated network operations capability. Viasat's contract scope includes systems engineering and integration for the space-to-ground interface to support multi-orbit connectivity services. The company will establish a network operations infrastructure to support data transport management in accordance with government-directed mission priorities. The MOC will support a common operational picture of network health, status, and performance. The contract also includes life-cycle sustainment, with engineering and sustainment support consistent with government requirements and future task orders to support availability, resilience, and cybersecurity requirements. Viasat will provide systems engineering, integration, sustainment, and operational support for the MOC. The MOC is intended to support data transport management for participating SDN-B elements to support a common operational picture, in accordance with government-directed mission priorities. Craig Miller, President of Viasat Government, stated that the award leverages Viasat’s experience operating complex, mission-critical networks and that the company is committed to supporting the Space Force’s effort to field secure, high-capacity data transport for current and future defense missions. The effort supports SSC’s broader approach to integrating commercial technologies within an open architecture. Viasat will support the development of a network management framework and resilient network operations support, monitoring, and sustainment for the MOC in support of evolving Space Force and Joint Force requirements. The contract aligns with broader Department of War initiatives to strengthen warfighting and homeland defense capabilities through resilient, space-based communication architectures. The announcement emphasizes the importance of securing data transport and integrating multi-domain capabilities to serve as the command-and-control backbone for national security.