Space

SDA creates new contractor pool to bid for future demos, tags 19 initial vendors

The first planned prototype orders using HALO will "reduce risk and demonstrate feasibility of proliferation for future tactical data links and optical communication missions," the Space Development Agency said.

By Theresa Hitchens on October 24, 2024 2:03 pm
Derek Tournear
Space Development Agency chief Derek Tournear (R) addresses the audience at the Space Foundation’s 2024 Space Symposium. (Space Foundation)

WASHINGTON — The Space Development Agency (SDA) has selected 19 companies to join its newly created vendor pool, called Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low Earth Orbit, or HALO, designed to allow rapid contracting for demonstrations and experiments to support its fledgling low Earth orbit (LEO) constellations.

“HALO is an Other Transactions (OT) agreement modeled after an indefinite-delivery-indefinite quantity (IDIQ) approach, where each member receives an initial agreement valued at $20,000 to defray administrative and travel expenses and is then eligible to compete for future HALO demonstration prototype orders,” SDA explained in an announcement on Wednesday.

“Future prototype orders under HALO will focus on rapid end-to-end mission demonstrations with launch of two identical satellites 12-18 months after award,” the agency release added.

SDA Director Derek Tourner on Wednesday told the SatNews MILSAT 2024 symposium that HALO is a “new idea” and will serve as an “acquisition contracting vehicle we’re using for our developmental and experimentation systems.”

Tournear explained that each one of SDA’s “tranches” — the moniker the agency has given to each new configuration of its data transport and missile warning/tracking satellites — “has a developmental and experimentation system that goes alongside of it. On Tranche 1, it was T1DES, Tranche 1 Developmental Experimentation [System].“

The first planned prototype orders using HALO will be for the Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System (T2DES) projects, “which will reduce risk and demonstrate feasibility of proliferation for future tactical data links and optical communication missions,” the agency’s announcement elaborated.

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Pool members selected include:

  • Airbus US Space & Defense, Arlington, Va.
  • Apex Technology, Culver City, Calif.
  • AST Space Mobile USA LLC, Midland, Texas
  • Astro Digital, US Inc., San Jose, Calif.
  • Capella Space, San Francisco, Calif.
  • CesiumAstro, Austin, Texas
  • Firefly Aerospace, Cedar Park, Texas
  • Geneva Technologies, Monument, Colo.
  • Impulse Space, Redondo Beach, Calif.
  • Kepler Communications U.S. Inc., Wilmington, Del.
  • Kuiper Government Solutions (KGS), Arlington, Va.
  • LeoStella, Tukwila, Wash.
  • Momentus Space, San Jose, Calif.
  • Muon Space, Mountain View, Calif.
  • NovaWurks, Los Alamitos, Calif.
  • SpaceX, Hawthorne, Calif.
  • Turion Space Corp., Irvine, Calif.
  • Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Irvine, Calif.
  • York Space Systems, Denver, Colo.

While these are the initial firms given the green light to compete under HALO, Tournear said that there will be future chances for companies that didn’t make the first cut.

“Don’t worry, we’re going to continue to onramp people in another year and make sure we have a vendor pool that we can choose from,” he said.