Press Releases

Space-BACN program aims to deliver seamless communication between government and commercial LEO satellite constellations, including Telesat Lightspeed

ARLINGTON, VA – November 29, 2023 – Telesat Government Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading satellite operator Telesat, today announced that it was awarded the Phase 2 contract of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node (Space-BACN) program.

The goal of Space-BACN is to create a reconfigurable, multi-protocol intersatellite optical communications terminal that is low in size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C), easy to integrate, and able to connect heterogeneous constellations that operate on different optical intersatellite link (OISL) specifications that otherwise would not be able to communicate. More simply, the goal is to eliminate stovepipes and “connect space,” which will in turn help enable the Department of Defense (DoD) joint all-domain command and control initiative.

This new award is a follow-on to the Phase 1 contract awarded to Telesat Government Solutions in August 2022 for work on Space-BACN Technical Area 3. Phase 2 includes a 20-month period of performance to continue evolving the schema for cross-constellation communications developed in Phase 1, to function in more challenging and dynamic scenarios. Phase 2 will emphasize scalability and increasing the nodes for connectivity while enhancing the schema’s capabilities and efficiency.

Philip Harlow, President of Telesat Government Solutions, said “We are enthusiastic in advancing the important work with Space-BACN that began in Phase 1. Given the rapid innovation and growth of commercial satellite constellations, it is critical for the DoD to achieve the broad space connectivity needed across multiple domains as space-based threats increase. This Phase 2 program will make important contributions toward facilitating seamless space relay data flows between government owned systems and secure, advanced commercial networks such as Telesat Lightspeed.”