WASHINGTON — The Space Force has awarded California-based startup K2 Space $22.9 million to host tests of new, standardized laser-link terminals being developed under its Enterprise Space Terminal (EST) program.
The contract, announced July 31, runs through 2028 and covers procurement of the terminals, integration with two of K2’s large satellite buses, and launch. It is being managed by the service’s Space Based Sensing and Targeting portfolio acquisition executive office using fiscal 2025 research and development funds, the announcement said.
Satellite-to-satellite communications via optical links using lasers is at the heart of the Space Force’s future missile warning and tracking architecture being optimized to cover both ballistic and cruise missile launches — to be carried by both the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tracking Layer in low Earth orbit (LEO) and the Space Force’s Resilient Missile Warning-Missile Tracking network in medium-Earth orbit (MEO). Those constellations, in turn, will be foundational for the Pentagon’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield.
However, the Space Force has been struggling with technology challenges and supply chain bottlenecks to get optimal terminals ready for prime time. The service in 2024 initiated the EST program, with the goal of developing optical terminals based on common standards that could reliably be used for a variety of missions. The service this spring awarded follow-on Phase 3 EST contracts to CACI, General Atomics and Viasat to transition the effort from prototype development to production and a flight demonstration.
Meanwhile, K2 was tapped earlier this year in the Space Force’s FY27 budget request to support the Overhead Persistent Infrared missile warning program’s Space Modernization Initiative to test the optical crosslinks developed by SDA for use in LEO in MEO and higher orbits, according to an April LinkedIn post by John Plumb, the company’s head of strategy. (Plumb is the former head of Pentagon space policy under the Biden administration.)
Further, the announcement of K2’s latest Space Force award came only a day after the company trumpeted a $500 million series D funding round.
“With this latest round, K2 has cumulatively raised over $1 billion in capital and secured over $1 billion in signed commercial and government contracts to build the biggest, high power and high payload mass satellites currently flying in space for initiatives,” according to the firm’s announcement.
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Those contracts include a deal with Anduril to supply satellite busses for the latter firm’s space-based interceptor demonstration for Golden Dome, and supplying satellites as a subcontractor to Viasat for the Space Force’s Protected Tactical SATCOM – Global (PTS-G) program to develop a jam-resistant communications constellation.
K2 lofted its first satellite, called Gravitas, to LEO on March 30 and subsequently raised its orbit to MEO in a self-funded demonstration. The firm plans to launch three more to three different orbits under a mission dubbed Trinity next February.