Viasat has received an initial $115 million task order to develop a mission operations center for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Data Network. The contract has a ceiling of $450 million, according to reporting on the award published November 6, 2026.
The work covers designing, fielding, and expanding the center. Its purpose is to coordinate communications services supplied by multiple satellite providers and manage how mission data moves through the network.
The initial task order represents the first awarded portion of the work. The larger ceiling establishes the maximum contract value available for additional work under its terms.
Coordinating Multiple Satellite Providers
The Space Data Network is intended to connect government missions with communications capacity from multiple providers. Its mission operations center will coordinate those services, giving operators a means of managing data transport across a network assembled from separate systems.
That coordination includes routing traffic according to mission priorities. Different missions can place different demands on a communications network, including the amount of information transmitted and the timing of its delivery. A common operations center provides a place to manage those demands across participating providers.
Reporting by Breaking Defense connects the award with the satellite data-relay infrastructure being developed for Golden Dome. In that setting, the network’s function is to transport information between space systems and the organizations using their data.
Viasat’s assigned work combines software, network integration, and operational coordination. The contract calls for the mission operations center to expand as the Space Data Network adds services and participating systems.
