CesiumAstro announced it was awarded a contract by NASA to perform a wideband satellite communications capability study to further the agency's long-term goal of a smooth transition to fully commercialized communications services for near-earth users.

During this contract, CesiumAstro will complete the design of a low-earth orbit, space-qualified Ka wideband active phased array terminal enabling communication with both commercial and government networks. As part of the study, CesiumAstro will identify the barriers, challenges, and solutions associated with integration of wideband active phased array terminals into NASA’s Near Space Network (NSN).

The agency’s overarching goal is to create a reliable, robust, and cost-effective set of commercial services for space communications and navigation in which space mission users can seamlessly ‘roam’ between an array of space-based and ground-based networks.

NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program manages the agency’s two main networks: the Deep Space Network for distant missions and the NSN for missions operating closer to Earth, operated through a mix of government and commercial entities. NASA seeks to create an interoperable architecture composed of a mixture of existing NASA and commercial services. The completion of this study may add to the evolution of NASA’s NSN and the agency’s vision for a resilient and robust space and ground communications and navigation infrastructure.

“CesiumAstro is honored to provide a commercially available product to advance reliable, secure, and continual space communications for long-term operations,” said Shey Sabripour, founder and CEO of CesiumAstro. “We’re proud to leverage CesiumAstro’s existing expertise in active phased array space communications and explore innovative wideband solutions that can help guide NASA toward the successful commercialization of the NSN.”