Boeing wins major contract to deliver new generation strategic comms satellites

Boeing wins major contract to deliver new generation strategic comms satellites
by Clarence Oxford
El Segundo CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2025

Boeing has secured a $2.8 billion contract from the U.S. Space Force to develop and produce two satellites as part of the Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications (ESS) program, with the possibility of building two additional units. These satellites will play a central role in enhancing the nuclear command, control, and communications (NC3) network used by the President and joint strategic forces.

"It's a critical time to advance U.S. space capabilities to ensure peace through strength," said Cordell DeLaPena, Program Executive Officer for Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing at the U.S. Space Force. "The strategic communication mission requires protection, power and always-available capability, even through adversary attempts to interrupt our connectivity. These satellites will provide connectivity from space as part of a refreshed NC3 architecture for our nation."

The ESS satellites will offer greater resilience, reliability, capacity, and flexibility than the legacy strategic communication spacecraft currently in orbit. Boeing has been working on the ESS initiative since 2020 under a rapid prototyping contract focused on technical maturation and risk mitigation.

"The U.S. needs a strategic national security architecture that works without fail, with the highest level of protection and capability," said Kay Sears, vice president and general manager of Boeing Space, Intelligence and Weapon Systems. "We designed an innovative system to provide guaranteed communication to address an evolving threat environment in space."

Boeing's design draws upon technologies developed for the Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS)-11 and WGS-12 satellites, and leverages capabilities already demonstrated on the commercial O3b mPOWER constellation. The ESS platform features advanced signal flexibility and resilience, specifically tailored to resist jamming and interception.

"This win validates all the investments and innovations we've made in our satellite technology, creating a technically mature and low-risk offering for the government," said Michelle Parker, vice president of Boeing Space Mission Systems. "We scaled our production capacity, invested in our team, hired cleared talent, and assembled hot production lines to make sure that we can hit the ground running from day one. We are committed to delivering this critical capability to meet the strategic need."

The satellites will operate in geostationary orbit, approximately 22,000 miles (35,700 kilometers) above Earth, providing continuous, secure communications coverage for strategic military users worldwide. The system will utilize a highly protected waveform and classified technologies developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Defense. Boeing expects to deliver the first satellite by 2031.