On May 23, the U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) and Space Systems Command (SSC) announced that they have awarded Advanced Space Technology for Range Operations – Electromagnetic Range (ASTRO-E) study contracts to six companies: Nou Systems, Solutions, TMC Design, HII Mission Technologies Corp, Parsons Government Services Inc, and Lockheed Martin. All awardees are incorporating significant participation from nontraditional defense companies. Each company will execute a six-month period of performance, which began on 29 February 2024.
The STARCOM-SSC Operational Test and Training Infrastructure (OTTI) Integrated Program Office, in partnership with the SSC Space Enterprise Consortium Other Transaction Authority office, made the study contract awards to initiate planning for ASTRO-E enhancements to STARCOM’s National Space Test and Training Complex. These enhancements will provide ground infrastructure and on-orbit subjects for Electronic Warfare (EW) test and training. By providing space warfighters with interconnected, scalable, and distributed physical and digital ranges for full-spectrum testing and training, this project will enable joint warfighting solutions to prevail in conflict. ASTRO-E provides risk reduction for the OTTI vision of establishing a realistic, integrated system-of-systems architecture focused on providing threat-informed test and training environments.
ASTRO-E is a part of the long-term solution for protecting the U.S. space domain, in which the six prime awardees are tasked with developing this testing infrastructure, enabling space warfighters to leverage processes to validate and verify their System Under Test (SUT).
This project is a part of STARCOM’s long-term mission of improving innovative education, training, doctrine, and testing to protect national security and secure the U.S. space domain. The Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) was created in 2017 to bridge the cultural gap between military buyers and commercial space startups and small businesses through Other Transaction Authorities (OTA).
The OTA innovative contracting process allows SpEC to solicit bids from a mix of member companies including companies that have not previously done work with the Department of Defense. SSC recently awarded management of the SpEC OTA to NSTXL to expedite the contracting between government and industry. NSTXL is focused on building a network of innovators and creators across the most sought-after emerging technology fields.
Source: NSTXL
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