Telesat U.S. Services Awarded DARPA Contract for Blackjack Track B
October 14, 2020 | Globe NewswireEstimated reading time: 1 minute

Telesat U.S. Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of leading global satellite operator Telesat, has been awarded a contract by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) for the development and in-orbit demonstration of commercial low-Earth-orbit (LEO) spacecraft buses in a LEO constellation network with robust low-latency communications features as part of DARPA’s Blackjack program. Following Telesat’s initial 2018 contract for system engineering and interface definition under the Blackjack Phase 1 program, Telesat U.S. Services will develop and demonstrate the Blackjack Phase 2/3 Track B technology, including in-orbit testing the capabilities of Optical Inter-Satellite Links (OISLs).
As part of Phase 2, Telesat U.S. Services will deliver two spacecraft buses to DARPA in less than one year for a “risk reduction” flight to test OISL communications with government payloads in orbit and to demonstrate OISL interoperability with different hardware. The Phase 2 base contract represents an $18.3 million program for Telesat U.S. Services. Subsequently, additional Telesat LEO spacecraft may be procured to fully populate the Blackjack constellation, which represents a total contract value of up to $175.6 million if all options are exercised.
“This next phase of the Blackjack program will showcase the powerful capabilities that commercial LEO networks bring to a hybrid architecture for government space communications,” said Don Brown, General Manager, Telesat U.S. Services. “With OISLs and advanced networking native to the Telesat LEO constellation architecture, we are uniquely positioned to deliver interoperable mesh connectivity between government and commercial constellations. We look forward to continuing our work with DARPA to prove out the game-changing nature of hybrid commercial-government networks.”
The Blackjack program is a demonstration of LEO satellites in hybrid commercial-government constellations offering highly resilient space systems, global persistence, low latency communications and rapid technology refresh. These enabling objectives will be accomplished by leveraging commercial space technologies including commoditized spacecraft buses, ground infrastructure and user segments at unprecedented low costs. The Telesat LEO constellation includes a number of distinctive features that align with the Blackjack program vision, including spacecraft buses with native OISL capability, mesh networking, onboard processing, and a full global network architecture backed by global priority spectrum allocations.
Suggested Items
North American EMS Industry Up 0.2 Percent in March
04/25/2025 | IPCIPC announced today the March 2025 findings from its North American Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) Statistical Program. The book-to-bill ratio stands at 1.37.
Asia/Pacific AI Spending to Reach $175 Billion by 2028, Driven by GenAI Boom
04/25/2025 | IDCAccording to the IDC Worldwide AI and Generative AI Spending Guide, the Asia/Pacific region, including China and Japan, is experiencing unprecedented growth in Artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI (GenAI) investments, spanning software, services, and hardware designed for AI-driven systems.
Boeing to Sell Portions of Digital Aviation Solutions to Thoma Bravo for $10.55 Billion
04/22/2025 | BoeingBoeing has entered into a definitive agreement to sell portions of its Digital Aviation Solutions business, including its Jeppesen, ForeFlight, AerData and OzRunways assets, to Thoma Bravo, a leading software investment firm.
Rocket Lab Onramped to Multi-Billion Dollar U.S. and U.K. Defense Contracts
04/15/2025 | BUSINESS WIRERocket Lab USA, Inc., a global leader in launch services and space systems, announced it has been selected to provide hypersonic test launch capability with its HASTE launch vehicle, engineering expertise, and other services through its participation in two multi-billion dollar government development programs for the United States and the United Kingdom.
GEN3 Opens State-of-the-Art Technical Centre for Customers and Industry Professionals
04/14/2025 | Gen3GEN3 is proud to announce the opening of the A.W Technical Centre. Named in honor of Arthur William Naisbitt—affectionately known as AW—the founder of Concoat (now GEN3) in 1969, the company has since spanned three generations. Today, AW's legacy continues with his son, Graham, and now Grandson, Andrew, at the helm of GEN3.