WASHINGTON – Lockheed Martin and Boeing are pushing for competing designs for the next generation of military communications satellites, even some experts questioning whether the Pentagon should pivot to a commercial alternative instead .
The defense contractor recently cleared an initial design review for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) Service Life Extension Program. This is an estimated $2.5 billion initiative for the US Space Force to modernize ultra-high frequency narrowband satellite networks. Each company received $66 million in January 2024 in the early stages of the program.
Lockheed Martin, which has built five existing MUOS satellites, announced on February 7 that it has partnered with Seakr Engineering, a Raytheon Intelligence & Space subsidiary, to develop a new payload processor. The company says the processor can be reprogrammed on orbit, a key advance over current systems, achieving technology preparation level -6 and is ready for production.
Boeing completed its design review in December and proposes a system based on the 702MP satellite platform.
Space Force is expected to select one contractor for Phase 2, including the construction of two satellites scheduled for launch before 2030.
MUOS provides voice, video and data communications to military users via four operating satellites and one spare. The US Navy moved its management of the system to the Space Force in March 2023.
Meanwhile, the programme faces scrutiny as commercial alternatives emerge. Companies such as Starlink, Iridium, Lynk Global, and AST Spacemobile are developing services that allow standard smartphones to connect directly to satellites.
Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, argues that space forces should cancel the MUOS expansion program entirely. “Narrowband satellite communications is a mission area where you can move to commercials where private sector capacity and performance is much better than MUO,” writes Harrison.
Space Force officials said they are evaluating commercial satellite communications services as potential supplements or alternatives to systems such as MUOS.
