PALO ALTO, CA - SSL, a Maxar Technologies company (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd.) (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR), and a leading provider of innovative satellites and spacecraft systems, has been selected as one of three companies qualified to compete for Department of Defense business under a contract called Small Spacecraft Prototyping Engineering Development and Integration “ Space Solutions (SSPEDI). NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley manages the contract under an interagency agreement with the Department of Defense’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office. The new contract is one of a number of innovative and promising programs in SSL’s growing U.S. government portfolio.
SSPEDI establishes a rapid and flexible method for the Department of Defense’s Space Rapid Capabilities Office to acquire commercially-developed solutions for small to medium spacecraft and related systems from a pool of pre-qualified candidates. As one of the awardees, SSL is eligible to compete for multiple future awards over the five-year ordering period of the contract, up to a cumulative value of $750 million. To supercharge its offerings, SSL is harnessing the collective power of Maxar Technologies, and will closely partner with Maxar’s geospatial insights company, Radiant Solutions. Radiant will study next-generation systems for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and contribute its world-class mission engineering expertise to the company’s solutions.
“We continue to gain momentum in growing the pipeline for U.S. government DoD and civil space programs,” said Richard White, president of SSL Government Systems. “Our focus on small form-factor satellites for government applications is combined with a full suite of powerful solutions for space mission assurance, space infrastructure, and enhanced ISR missions.”
SSPEDI is one of many successes over the last year. Other recent progress and achievements that demonstrate momentum in the US government market include:
- Expanding the scope of work on the NASA asteroid exploration mission Psyche, on track for its scheduled launch in 2022;
- Reaching a major milestone in building the spacecraft bus and robotic arms for the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) program, developed through a public-private partnership with DARPA;
- Progressing on schedule for both the spacecraft bus and robotic arms for NASA’s Restore-L project to provide satellite servicing in Low Earth Orbit;
- Contracting with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to design and build critical equipment for a spacecraft that will explore Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter.
The company also continues to work across the U.S. Department of Defense, civil, and commercial space communities on several leading-edge programs and studies that aim to help U.S. government agencies define next-generation space technologies:
- Advanced space architectures for the U.S. Air Force’s Strategic Enterprise Vision
- On-orbit assembly and manufacturing in LEO and critical technologies for servicing and space exploration for NASA
- Next-generation missile defense concepts for Missile Defense Agency
- Secure satellite communications for the U.S. Air Force
SSL continues to apply new technologies, tools, and its commercial mindset to develop innovative solutions that help solve some of the world’s most critical and complex challenges. In addition to its world leading geosynchronous satellite platform, the company leverages its agile commercial production capability to design and build small satellites for a broad range of applications, including high resolution remote sensing and communications.
The company also partners with MDA, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions to provide end-to-end solutions, mission systems engineering, advanced signal and imagery processing, multi-intelligence analytics, and ground systems that simplify and speed decision-making cycles.
About SSL
SSL, based in Palo Alto, California, is a leading provider of advanced spacecraft systems, with broad expertise to support commercial and government satellite operators and innovative space missions. The company designs and manufactures spacecraft for services such as direct-to-home television, video content distribution, broadband internet, mobile communications, in-orbit servicing, space exploration, and Earth observation. As a Silicon Valley innovator for 60 years, SSL’s advanced product line includes state-of-the-art small satellites, and sophisticated robotics and autonomous solutions for remote operations. SSL is a Maxar Technologies company (NYSE: MAXR) (TSX: MAXR). For more information, visit www.sslmda.com.
About Maxar Technologies
As a global leader of advanced space technology solutions, Maxar Technologies (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates) is at the nexus of the new space economy, developing and sustaining the infrastructure and delivering the information, services, systems that unlock the promise of space for commercial and government markets. As a trusted partner, Maxar Technologies provides vertically integrated capabilities and expertise including satellites, Earth imagery, robotics, geospatial data and analytics to help customers anticipate and address their most complex mission-critical challenges with confidence. With more than 6,500 employees in over 30 global locations, the Maxar Technologies portfolio of commercial space brands includes MDA, SSL, DigitalGlobe and Radiant Solutions. Every day, billions of people rely on Maxar to communicate, share information and data, and deliver insights that Build a Better World. Maxar trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange as MAXR. For more information, visit www.maxar.com.
