U.S. Space Force seeks commercial antennas for satellite control

The U.S. Space Force and the Missile Defense Agency have announced a reset of the Satellite Communications Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program through a ‘Commercial Solutions Opening.’ This initiative aims to revitalize the agency’s Cold War-era Satellite Control Network, which currently consists of 19 antennas globally used to track, maneuver, and monitor the health of government satellites.

Moving away from traditional bespoke hardware procurement, officials are now inviting vendors to propose solutions based on existing commercial technology. The program has identified three specific ‘areas of interest’: a government-owned but contractor-operated model, long-term exclusive leases of commercial systems, and an ‘Antenna as a Service’ model that provides government access to commercial systems shared with other customers.

This strategic shift follows the cancellation of a $1.4 billion contract previously awarded to Blue Halo, now part of AeroVironment, for the delivery of 12 phased-array antennas. While commercial models offer flexibility, officials noted that leasing or service-based models present security challenges, such as cyber risks, multi-tenant data leakage, and scheduling conflicts, which must be mitigated.