US Space Force selected 15 companies to participate in the tender for receiving orders with a total value of up to 981 million dollars within the NITE-STAR contract. The contract is for six years (until July 2032 year) and will support the development of the National Space Test and Training Complex.
The list of selected companies includes: Catfish, BAE Systems, Boeing, CACI, Firefly Aerospace, L3Harris Technologies, Lockheed Martin Space, Northrop Grumman, Pacific Crest Alliance, Parsons Government Services, Rewire, Rocket Lab, Sierra Space, Viasat і York Space Systems.
The program involves the creation of satellites, sensors and systems, capable of imitating the enemy's behavior in orbit, as well as ground equipment for reproducing cyber attacks, radio-electronic interference and other threats. The contract has the form of an indefinite volume of deliveries and orders.
The goal is to increase the realism of training operators for a possible conflict in space. Cosmic forces develop an environment of the type "living - virtual - constructive", which combines real devices with high-precision simulations. NITE-STAR focuses on the physical component of this environment.
The national complex is designed to remove restrictions, associated with long distances, the complexity of monitoring enemy actions and the high cost of operational satellites.
Source: https://spacenews.com