Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) (NYSE: NOC) has selected Airbus U.S. Space & Defense Inc. as the commercial provider of satellite platforms for NGC’s proliferated-LEO constellation. Under the terms of the contract, Airbus U.S. will supply 42 satellite “bus” platforms, as well as support vehicle assembly, integration and testing.
Northrop Grumman’s T1TL mesh satellite constellation will provide resilient, low-latency, high-volume data transport supporting U.S. military missions around the world and serve as a critical element for Joint-All Domain Command Control. In May, Northrop Grumman announced the selection of Mynaric and Innoflight as its suppliers for laser communications and encryption, decryption capabilities.
The Space Development Agency (SDA) selected Northrop Grumman in February to develop and field a portion of its Tranche 1 Transport Layer (T1TL) constellation. The T1TL network will deliver persistent, secure connectivity for the U.S. military and serve as a critical element for Joint All-Domain Command and Control.
Derived from the flight-proven ARROW platform, the Airbus U.S. solution expands on its commoditized satellite bus design providing more power and a larger payload accommodation. This modular solution offers a scalable 300 – 500 kg. bus for the Northrop Grumman payload and future U.S. Government missions.
Airbus U.S. has designed a highly adaptable spacecraft platform and will use Airbus OneWeb Satellites (AOS), the Airbus U.S. and OneWeb joint venture in Merritt Island, Florida, to assemble it using their state-of-the-art production line. This line is currently delivering up to two satellites per day to OneWeb. AOS achieves this industry-leading result through its mature supply chain and manufacturing approach. To date, this facility has already produced over 400 of the 648 satellites on order for OneWeb.
“The addition of Airbus U.S. as one of our key commercial suppliers complements our end-to-end satellite system integration and heritage communication mission expertise,” said Blake Bullock, vice president, communication systems, strategic space systems, Northrop Grumman.
“The SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer is a critical national security program, and we are honored to support Northrop Grumman and the Space Development Agency,” said Rob Geckle, President and CEO of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense. “This award underscores Airbus U.S.’s mission to develop and deliver, in the U.S., technology critical to the U.S. warfighter.”
Northrop Grumman is a technology company, focused on global security and human discovery. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with capabilities they need to connect, advance, and protect the U.S. and its allies. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our 90,000 employees define possible every day.
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, and operating under a Special Security Agreement (SSA), Airbus U.S. Space & Defense, Inc. offers advanced solutions to meet the most complex U.S. defense, security, space, and intelligence requirements. A long time U.S. government partner, Airbus U.S. leverages world-class satellite, laser communication, rotary and fixed wing solutions to help its National Security focused customers meet their missions.