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Space

SDA Awards Ball Aerospace Contract for NDSA Experimental Testbed NExT

By Rachel Jewett

Wednesday, October 5th, 2022

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SDA Awards Ball Aerospace Contract for NDSA Experimental Testbed NExT

(SDA Logo, courtesy Space Development Agency)

The Space Development Agency (SDA) awarded Ball Aerospace [BLL] a contract to build 10 satellites and accompanying ground systems to serve as the experimental testbed (NExT) of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). The contract announced Tuesday is worth up to $176 million and the satellites are set to fly beginning in 2024. NExT is not part of the NDSA Tranche architecture, but will demonstrate low-latency data transport and beyond line-of-sight command and control. NExT will experiment with the infrastructure established by the…

Congress

SASC Cites Concern With Army’s sUAS Approach, Seeks Info On Plans To Scale Fielding

Senate defense authorizers are seeking more info from the Army on its plans for scaling and deploying small drone capabilities citing concern with the service’s current “fragmented and insufficient” approach. […]

SASC Bill Would Raise Amphib Requirement To 33 Ships

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) fiscal year 2027 defense policy bill adds new provisions that would raise the Navy and Marine Corps’ minimum requirement for amphibious warships and extend […]

Army

Army Plans To Initiate ISV-Heavy Competition Later This Year, Official Says

The Army is planning to initiate its competition to build the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)-Heavy in the fourth quarter of this year, a senior acquisition official has said. Jesse Tolleson, […]

Senate Authorization Bill Restricts Building Navy Warships Overseas With Limited Exception For Auxiliaries

The Senate Armed Services Committee’s (SASC) version of the FY 2027 defense policy bill looks to cut the ability for the Trump administration to buy foreign-made warships, but still allow […]