Peraton was awarded a competitive subcontract to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory with a total contract value of the $513.5 million. The company has a history with deep space network (DSN) dating back to 2004 — including helping the James Web Space Telescope communicate across the cosmos, linking mankind and the moon and supporting the Perseverance rover on Mars.
The work involves the highly technical sustainment of four antenna stations — each equipped with large parabolic dish antennas and ultra-sensitive receiving systems — capable of detecting incredibly faint radio signals from distant spacecraft. The project scope also entails base support functions, including operator to depot level maintenance of the antennas and infrastructure along with providing armed security for the complex.
“We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with JPL to further enable assured communications for our Nation’s space exploration missions,” said Roger Mason, Ph.D., president, space and intelligence sector. “The Deep Space Network is the critical link that connects NASA’s lunar and planetary spacecraft with mission control here on Earth.”
When NASA presented the first images gathered by the James Webb Space Telescope on July 12, it marked a significant step in realizing the 20-year mission’s ambitious dream to explore the first galaxies that formed in the universe and to watch as stars began forming planetary systems.